The Great Match (2011)

Iceland at the centre of the Cold War. (The Great Match) … will disappoint nobody, keeping the reader engrossed, and after a calm beginning it flows so well that it is best read in one go. Indridason is the undisputed king of Icelandic crime novelists and his reputation has spread around the world. The reason is that he writes with great care and reaches everyone with his straightforward language, builds up suspense and effortlessly manages to make the reader a participant in the story. It seems that with The Great Match, Indridason is embarking on a new chapter in his writing with the – male or female? – detective Marion Briem in the lead role. Detailed descriptions of the character's upbringing seem to suggest this. In the story, he travels back to the year 1972 and interweaves the Cold War with Fischer and Spassky's World Chess Championship duel, which was held in the Laugardalshöll Arena that summer. Descriptions of the environment, people and issues make the setting come alive, almost everything that matters is stated … Throughout the book, Indridason plays with metaphors and it is, for instance, fantastic how he links innocence and seriousness, the trout in Lake Thingvallavatn and lumpfish fishing from Grímsstadavör with the herring trade in the Soviet Union, cod and the fishing territory dispute with the British. The atmosphere is powerful and herring politics and cod heads gain a deeper significance when matters are put into context. Despite the gravity of the case, there is humour. The story of encounters with newfangled food, drink and washing basins is priceless, as is the description of the bum who wants something for his pains. The invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia gain a new sense and come alive at the Soviet embassy. The world is at stake and a vicious attack in Reykjavík is the starting point. Once again, Indridason has produced a book which hits the nail on the head and makes the reader live and breathe the setting. At the chess tournament in Laugardalshöll, a king and queen played the main roles, and it is therefore apt that Indridason should be holding all the reins when it comes to the power games of the East and the West during the Cold War. He is obviously in his element. The structure of The Great Match is top-notch, the narrative is calm and collected to begin with but then it gathers speed, the tension grows and the twist at the end is excellent, plus the ending is a pleasant surprise. Crime novels don't come any better than this. The Great Match is yet another feather in Arnaldur Indridason's cap.

Very well done.