Internationally acclaimed Icelandic author, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, is getting rave reviews for her most recent book which has just come out in an English translation. “Last Rituals: Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft and Modern Murder” was translated by Bernard Scudder and will be released in hardcover this October by William Murrow publishers.
The mystery novel tells the story of a German mother whose son was murdered in Iceland. The mother calls on Thora Gutmundsdottir, a single mother with her own fledgling legal partnership to help investigate the murder which she feels local police aren’t taking seriously enough. Thora is the local assistant t to Matthew Reich, a man who once investigated cases for the Munich CID but whose knowledge of Iceland’s language and customs make him unsuitable to investigate alone.
Matthew and Thora’s investigation into the murdered man’s personal life lead them into discovery’s about Iceland’s history and medieval past. They unearth secrets about old witch burnings and new superstitions.
Mystery develops in the novel both through a sense of the murder mystery and through the deeper mysteries of spiritualism and superstition. Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s characters are delightfully drawn and have both depth and colour. Readers will find themselves drawn into the complex life of both Thora and Matthew.
Perhaps the character that shines the most in the novel is Iceland itself. The author brings to life not only the stunning scenery of the country, but the pronunciation of the language, the habits of the country’s drivers, and the starkness of the lava fields. The plot’s mystery never stops driving the novel, but all the intricacies of Iceland unfold along with it: the effects of the island’s small population, its law and religion, it’s history and traditions.
[…] Novelist brings Iceland to life in gripping murder mystery tale […]