The Blurb
Icelandic detective-in-training Sigurdís is studying criminal psychology in the US, but her plans are thrown into disarray when she discovers that her boss and mentor, Garðar, has been put on leave from Reykjavík CID over his investigation into Sigurdís’s father’s death.
Returning to Iceland to deal with the fallout, Sigurdís finds herself pulled into a disturbing case: controversial TV personality Olga Einarsdóttir has been stabbed to death during the Reykjavík Marathon. Struggling to locate a runner wearing bib number 1407, who was seen near the murdered woman during the race, the police soon discover that several masked runners were wearing the same number.
As the mystery deepens, Sigurdís and her fellow detective Unnar soon learn exactly how unpopular Olga was – not just with the interviewees she humiliated on live TV, but with her own son, her business partner, a widower who insists that she had a hand in his wife’s death, and her ex-husband, who died in suspicious circumstances thirty years ago…
As her exploration into Olga’s past becomes ever darker and more harrowing, Sigurdís must also face the truth about her own father, while searching for an attacker who will go to any lengths to cover up their crimes…
My Review
I very much enjoyed Dead Sweet, which introduced us to Sigurdís, when it came out. Since the events of that book, Sigurdís has been studying in the States until a phone call from Unnar, her colleague in the Icelandic police, changes things and she is soon on a plane back home. She can't be involved in any fresh investigation about her father's death, of course, but she joins the team looking into the murder of a TV personality.
This is a very character driven story. It's not full of 'kick down the door and shoot' type action, although there is plenty going on, and it's the characters that are at the heart of it. Sigurdís, of course, but there isn't a weak character here - all come across as fully formed people. Too many to mention them all, but I particularly loved Emilia and Ana, who are new characters, and hope we'll see more of them in future books. But coming back to Sigurdís, I love how she's intuitive, determined, and mentally strong, unbowed by her experiences.
The investigation itself shows just how much the actions of one person, the victim in this case, can affect other people. The list of people who could possibly want her dead is not small. A wee reminder that in real life we don't know how our actions might affect others, so we should make them kind ones. Sorry, I digress! Unnar, Sigurdís and the rest of the team leave no stone unturned to get to the truth, all while Sigurdís has the stuff about her dad going on, and feels like she's being watched.
Stop Dead was a thoroughly enjoyable read with a big emphasis on readable, relatable characters, and a protagonist you'll be rooting for - give it a go!
The Author
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Katrín Júlíusdóttir has a political background and was a member of the Icelandic parliament from 2003 until 2016. Before she was elected to parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, was a store clerk and also worked the night shift at a pizza restaurant. She studied anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University. Katrín’s debut novel Dead Sweet received the Blackbird Award and was an Icelandic bestseller upon publication, with rights sold in 15 countries. She is married to critically acclaimed author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys and live in Garðabær.
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