´(...) I can´t help thinking about the ugliness of death or about the childish expectations some people seem to harbour that good and justice will prevail in a society of swindlers´.
Every time when I am invited to take part to a blog tour organised by Corylus Books I know already it is an invitation to a world of mystery, where mentalities do meet political crime and unexpected mentalities. Murder at the Residence by Stella Blómkvist (first book featuring a maverick lawyer called...Stella Blómkvist) translated from Icelandic by author and translator Quentin Bates is my latest read in the series of Icelandic Noir.
The author herself is a mystery, a kind of Elena Ferrante of Icelandic literature. Murder at the Residence is her first book published in English, but she wrote more than ten books in the series published between 1997 and 2022.
The novel starts at the New Year´s Eve of 2009, in the climate of incertitude and social unrest created by the financial crash. A financier is found dead after attending a high end social gathering, a woman disappears suddenly and it seems like Reykjavik´s underworld only trust Stella - a ´high-flying lawyer´ for various kinds of confessions and requests. The Reykjavik of Murder at the Residence is not the one we are used with from the travel memoirs or travelogues: it is the world of strip joints were undocumented women are forced to work, and the corruption and incompetence of the Government opens the gates of hell for the inhabitants of this small and apparently picture perfect country.
I may confess that I am not in too much detail familiar with Iceland´s political intricacies, but maybe it is about time to upgrade my information.
I love the ambiance of the book, revealing the world that you hardly associate with Iceland. It is fascinating and unexpected, but sounds very real and relatable. I felt that most of the action of the book is built around Stella which is a complex character, but would have been interested to discover other characters as well.
Stella is cynical, of the type that comes with a deep knowledge of human behavior and unlimited capacity of doing evil by assumed choice. She does not mince her words when she refers to politicians of all kind and their corrupt endeavour. I loved to follow her questioning and smart twists and the intelligent way to manage her daily tasks, as a busy lawyer and a single mother too. She´s the kind of character that I would love to chat with in real life.
The story - introduced through daily, diary-like kind of mentions, with its complex intertwined episodes, as it is customary to a setting in the dark entrenches of the society, is cleverly paced, packed with enough action to keep you awake, although relatively short in length - less than 200 pages. The actions and the persons are described in the smallest details, allowing the reader to have a very clear picture of both the characters and the events.
My first meeting with Stella made me curious to continue the adventure, and would be more than happy to have access to other translations of her work. My fascination with languages brought me close to flirting with Icelandic as well, but I bet I do need a much more intensive practice until fluent enough to read a ´Noir´. I could only hope that Corylus will continue with more translations of this mysterious writer of mysteries.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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