Jar City (2000)
2000
280 pages
Crime Fiction
Erlendur #3
An elderly man is found dead in his basement flat. The murderer has left a note which the police detectives Erlendur and Sigurdur Oli have to find out the meaning of. Getting at the truth leads the detectives to truly horrifying secrets from the past. A brilliantly plotted crime novel with convincing character portrayal and interesting side-plots.
• The Glass Key 2002, the Nordic Crime Novel Award • Nominated for the DV Cultural Prize for Literature • Nominated for the Swedish Martin Beck Award 2003 • The Swedish Caliber Award 2003, as The Best Crime Novel of the Year • Nominated as the best Crime Novel of 2003 in The Netherlands by crimezone.nl • Selected as one of the best thrillers of 2004 in New Zealand by The New Zealand Herald • Nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2006 • Final selection of Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle 2005 • The Black Heart Award (Le Prix du Coeur Noir) in Festival du Polar de Saint Quentin, France, 2006 • Awarded the French Le Prix Mystère de la Critique 2006 • One of 10 most noteworthy crime novels in USA 2005 nominated by Kansas City Star • Nominated for the Gumshoe Awards 2006, as one of the five best European crime novels published in USA • Nominated for the Barry Award 2010, as Best of the Decade • One of the 50 Best Crime Novels in the past 50 years by The Times, 2017
R E V I E W S
Reviews
“A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age. This careful, sparsely-written book operates at a deeper level than most crime fiction.”
Independent
“A chilling read.”
Marcel Berlins, The Times
“… a fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery.”
Val McDermid, Culture (Supp. to the Sunday Times)
“This is strong stuff, powerfully and arrestingly written. The plot is clever, the writing has a directness and deceptive simplicity reminiscent of Simenon, and Detective Inspector Erlendur is an intriguing character whose personal problems complement rather than distract from his investigation. Here is a new voice that demands to be listened to!”
Reginald Hill, author of Dialogues of the Dead
“Iceland has now found its own Mankell: Arnaldur Indridason is the first true crime writer to emerge from that island. … Very Nordic, a sure hallmark of quality. ... Erlendur is a marvelous character … A good book.”
Die Welt, Holger Kreitling
“Indridason weaves his plot with great skill … An outstanding prize-winning novel. Not only is it an exciting novel written with plausible psychological depth, but it also received the Glass Key Award, i.e. it was chosen as the best European crime novel of 2002.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Achim Zons
“Exciting with a Nordic flavour... Arnaldur Indridason’s narrative is clear, direct, terse.”
Leipziger Volkszeitung
“An exciting discovery from the high north ... Arnaldur Indridason can now count himself among the best of Nordic crime writers.”
Wochenblatt Baden/Pfalz
“Jar City is right on top, a crime novel in a class of its own …”
Madame
★★★★★★ (six stars out of six possible) “...top class...”
Lars Lager Espedalen, Drammens tidende, Norway
“Leaves the reader with an immediate craving for more translations of Erlendur books.”
Ruumiin kulttuuri magazine, Finland
“The best the North has to offer – a crime novel of the highest standard - Arnaldur Indridason’s latest has all the elements to satisfy staunch crime novel readers every longing on every level – subtle characterisation and a masterly crafted plot. It fully deserves the Nordic Crime Novel's Award it received from the Scandinavian Crime Novel Society last year – Congratulations.”
Weekendavisen, Katinka Bruhn, Denmark
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