"Reykjavik Nights", by Arnaldur Indridason

Prequel to the inspector Erlendur series (volume 10)

Translating and publishing books out of sequence seems to be the trend for Nordic publishers these days. After so many exciting outings we go back in time to the roots of our famous protagonist. Mr. Indridason has carefully reinvented Erlendur and we find him in 1974 as a young officer working the beat mostly on traffic duty during night shifts and dreaming in becoming a detective one day. Although part of a series this 10th installment can be easily read at any time it stands well on its own.

The multi-faceted mystery centers on both Erlendur duties as a patrol cop and on the case involving the death of Hannibal, a tramp Erlendur is acquainted with. On his own time, Erlendur starts an investigation and finds himself deep into the hidden miseries of alcoholism and homelessness. It doesn’t take him long before connecting Hannibal’s case with that of a missing woman and seeing himself slowly drag into the strange and dark underworld of Reykjavik smack in the middle of a criminal gang.

The story is cleverly constructed, nicely done and pretty straightforward. It starts slowly at first never giving out the obvious or any hints of what to come. This gentle pace is kept till we read the last words. The narrative is clean and the dialogue is what drives the drama. There are some amusing passages, obsession regarding lack of fast food available in Iceland, especially pizza. Fans of this series will notice that this visit to the past reveals a more cheerful version of the older Erlendur and gives us a new insight into his character and what makes him tick. We get to meet some characters that will play prominent roles in his later life and some insignificant ones that will simply disappear to never be heard of.

In “Reykjavik Nights” the first into Erlendur’s earlier days will not leave us wondering. A sequence “Oblivion” should be released sometime in 2015 for the English audience and in this one we should expect our beloved Erlendur to be promoted detective. Never kill a good series, the authors will always find ways to keep them alive and entertaining.

“Reykjavik Nights” is a great addition to a terrific series.

"American Quartet", by Warren Adler

Book 1, in the Fiona Fitzgerald Mysteries

To appreciate this book we have to remember that it was written in 1982 where social values were different from today's. With this in mind this series is of a white woman, a cop in a force dominated by black male officers, needless to say the officers make her life hell. Those were the days…..but this strong woman holds her own in a world surround with machos and politicians ……Mr. Adler knows his political scenes especially when it comes to Washington shenanigans.

In “American Quartet”, we have some historical events mixed with a lot of fiction and to boot a dose of the egotistical world of politics. Oh yes we have some suspense, thrills, murder and the inevitable mayhem. The plot is complex it involves a conspiracy theory connected to assassinations of Presidents since Lincoln. A killer roams the streets of the nation and the plot takes us on a whirlwind tour of the capital and its famous landmarks. Our tough cookie is the first to piece together the puzzle and of course puts up with the sexist and the now outdated male attitude….The characterization is pretty good the killer is plagued with mommy issues, politicians are self-serving, the partner is opinionated and the boyfriend is an assuming jerk. Boy Fiona is not lucky with the male persuasion….

This book is brilliant in human relationships and is beautifully written with superb choice of words. Unfortunately the story turns in circle, drags and gets boring after a while. The ending is somewhat disappointing. Of well some you win and some you lose but in all it is not a bad book.

"A Dubious Secret", by Gerald J. Kubicki

Book #2, in the Colton Banyon Mystery

This is a series I have been reading out of sequence although this is definitely not the ideal way to understand the progress into the characters’ mind-set, I never felt cheated or lost not knowing what came previously. Each book is working quite well as stand- alone, so no worry if you pick up books out of sync. 

“A Dubious Secret” takes us on an adventure of a missing copy of Mein Kampf, the manifesto by Adolf Hitler. Once more Mr. Kubicki provided a page turner that mixes a bit of history into a highly imaginative plot for our enjoyment and he does so expertly. The very suspenseful story sends Colt and Loni on an incredible journey filled with Japanese Yakuza and Nazi enforcers hunting down our two protagonists. We find action, mystery, a budding romance, many twists and unpredictable turns to keeps us interested and flipping the pages. Of course there is this mystical touch showing up with Wolf and we discover more as the story moves along about the mystery behind Colt’s ghost mentor. In this 2nd installment we get to know the characters slowly and what makes them tick.

“A Dubious Secret” has a captivating story with all the elements needed to make this a heck of a great read: good characterization, excellent dialogue and amusing storyline. I noticed while reading that this earlier book is richer in style, has a less futuristic and sexually oriented scenario that is found in the later installments.