Book Review: Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason is the latest offering by the Icelandic author in his Reyjavik mystery series. With his last book, Reykjavik Nights, Indridason went back to the beginning of Inspector Erlendur’s career. This book picks up where the last one left off (and it was a little confusing because I didn’t realize we were in the 1970s until he mentioned the Carter administration.) Erlendur is investigating a body that winds up near the US air force base in a lagoon (which would later become the famous Blue Lagoon in Iceland). He’s also looking into a cold case of a missing girl from the 1950s. Both investigations come to a satisfying conclusion and this book solidifies Indridason as one of the premier authors of mysteries in any country. This book is only available outside the US (I got mine on Amazon UK), but will be released in February 2016 as Into Oblivion. Four Stars.

Book Review: Operation Napoleon is a standalone thriller by Arnaldur Indridason and isn’t connected to his Reykjavik mysteries in any way. (Although a cameo by two detectives in this book might be some people we recognize from those mysteries!). A German plane that was lost on a glacier in Iceland is exposed, and the Americans are in a race to get it out of the country without raising any red flags. Why they’re doing this, and what’s on the plane, is the crux of the book’s plot. If you’re an American, it’s a bit of a difficult read because we’re the bad guys in this book. There were clearly some bitter feelings towards the US when they had an air force base stationed at Keflavik, and it comes through in this book. A good read, though, but not one of his best. If you like Clive Cussler, you’ll like this book as well. Three Stars.

Book Review: Roger Hobbs is the real deal. The best new thriller writer since Joseph Finder burst onto the scene with The Moscow Club. Vanishing Games is Hobbs’s second book, and there’s no sophomore slump here. In fact, he builds on the promise of his first book, Ghostman, and delivers a thriller that catapults you through from start to finish. Modern day pirates seize a cache of sapphires–and something else I won’t spoil–off the coast of Macau. When things go horribly wrong, the ghostman–whose name changes along with his appearance–is called in to clean up the mess and help a friend. There is brutal violence in this book, and it’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long, long time. Five Stars.