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Officer Gunnhildur #2
Cold Comfort
Officer Gunnhildur, recently promoted from her post in rural Iceland to Reykjavík’s Serious Crime Unit, is tasked with hunting down escaped convict Long Ommi, who has embarked on a spree of violent score-settling in and around the city. Meanwhile, she’s also investigating the murder of a fitness guru in her own city-center apartment. As Gunna delves into the cases, she unearths some unwelcome secrets and influential friends shared by both guru and convict. Set in an Iceland plagued by an ongoing financial crisis, Gunna has to take stock of the whirlwind changes that have swept through the country—and the fact that at the highest levels of power, the system’s endemic corruption still leads, inevitably, to murder.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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581 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
May 20, 2023
Officer Gunnhilder is a Warrior!
Tough as nails and don’t give up when she’s on a streak, Gunnhilder is a great cop. She is at the top of her game.
The criminals definitely don’t stand a chance against her and they might as well give up and confess. When she is on their case, she doesn’t play.
This time Gunnhilder is after the murderer of a D-List celebrity. And the author takes the reader all over the place.
Quentin Bates has Gunnhilder looking into a murder case that happened ten years ago, too. She thinks there may be a connection between the two cases.
If there is, will she be able to get them both solved?
Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tough as nails and don’t give up when she’s on a streak, Gunnhilder is a great cop. She is at the top of her game.
The criminals definitely don’t stand a chance against her and they might as well give up and confess. When she is on their case, she doesn’t play.
This time Gunnhilder is after the murderer of a D-List celebrity. And the author takes the reader all over the place.
Quentin Bates has Gunnhilder looking into a murder case that happened ten years ago, too. She thinks there may be a connection between the two cases.
If there is, will she be able to get them both solved?
Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 4, 2019
3,75 sterren - Nederlandse paperback 🍒🍒🍒
Degelijk geschreven thriller met een vrouwelijke rechercheur. Het is wat traag hie een daar en er worden iets teveel haren in gespleten. Sterk is de guurheid en hardheid van de tijd in IJsland na de financiële banken ineenstorting. Mooi verweven in het verhaal.
Degelijk geschreven thriller met een vrouwelijke rechercheur. Het is wat traag hie een daar en er worden iets teveel haren in gespleten. Sterk is de guurheid en hardheid van de tijd in IJsland na de financiële banken ineenstorting. Mooi verweven in het verhaal.
August 28, 2014
The writing is fine. And I liked the main character. But the plot was well, plodding, with Officer Gunnhilder mainly doing interviews with various suspects (some over and over again) and doing little detective work. As the murders mount up, so do the suspects, even though she is convinced that all the murders are somehow connected. (They aren't.) The ending was weak and felt like the author just got tired of the book and wanted to finish it.
One thing the author did do well was to paint a portrait of post-economic-disaster Iceland. He also did a fair job of depicting the countryside and climate.
I liked the first and third books in this series better (Frozen Assets and Chilled to the Bone), but frankly this book did little to advance the ongoing story of Officer Gunnhilder or to add to the picture of Iceland.
One thing the author did do well was to paint a portrait of post-economic-disaster Iceland. He also did a fair job of depicting the countryside and climate.
I liked the first and third books in this series better (Frozen Assets and Chilled to the Bone), but frankly this book did little to advance the ongoing story of Officer Gunnhilder or to add to the picture of Iceland.
September 21, 2020
Sergent Gunnhilder -- who was supposed to have been designated an Inspector with her move to Reykjavik's Serious Crime Unit -- has her hands full with the murder of a minor celebrity. The case becomes more convoluted the more she and her team learn about the victim's life. At the same time, a local ne'er-do-well has absconded from prison and is wreaking havoc in the local communities.
Gunna is a delightful protagonist. She keeps her nose to the grindstone, delegates well and does not suffer fools gladly, even when they are her superior officers.
Gunna is a delightful protagonist. She keeps her nose to the grindstone, delegates well and does not suffer fools gladly, even when they are her superior officers.
May 3, 2015
As noted in the case of proverbial excess (too many cooks in a kitchen), too many characters (specifically villains) can diminish the flavor of a finished product (in this case the mystery dish concocted by Quentin Bates). While I enjoyed sampling another novel set in a Nordic environment--and I appreciated learning about skyr (a yogurtish Icelandic goop) after discovering the taste for boiled sheep's head in Arnaldur Idridison's crime fiction, I wanted more tidbits of this country's culture and lore.
As I read, I realized that "who done it" interests me less than the ambience of the fictional room. I wanted to learn more than I did; but, Bates had little room for developing the environment of his police procedural because he'd already committed himself to organizing so many bodies (living and dead). He over-populates his novel--and, so, I occasionally had difficulty telling Hallur from Hogni, Bjarki from Bjartmar, Skari from Sindri. However, I do think I eventually kept the line up straight. (Don't ask me to identify any of the suspects in the morning, though. Their outlines are already starting to fade.)
Another factor that probably affected my reading experience should also be mentioned. Since I won my copy in a First Reads giveaway, I was provided with an uncopyedited proof. I can only hope that the eventual hardcover edition will contain visual markers (white space) to signal changes in time and scene. In my edition, transitions were not marked so that one conversation blurred into another. At first, I kept having to back up to determine how characters from different story lines suddenly seemed to be in the same room. I'd think, "Hey, I didn't realize he was there," then, I'd realize: "No, he isn't and neither are we. Now, we're somewhere else with someone else." If I were watching a movie, I would probably get a fade out, then in to serve as segue. Here, I found myself segue-less so my read was a bit challenged. Future readers may have an easier time immersing themselves if they can only tell when one scene becomes another.
Still, I did appreciate the opportunity to review this novel. I can imagine it eventually being streamlined for a PBS production of Mystery. I liked the fact that the female investigator did not seem morose--and despite the economic climate of the novel, I did not find the narrative entirely bleak.
As I read, I realized that "who done it" interests me less than the ambience of the fictional room. I wanted to learn more than I did; but, Bates had little room for developing the environment of his police procedural because he'd already committed himself to organizing so many bodies (living and dead). He over-populates his novel--and, so, I occasionally had difficulty telling Hallur from Hogni, Bjarki from Bjartmar, Skari from Sindri. However, I do think I eventually kept the line up straight. (Don't ask me to identify any of the suspects in the morning, though. Their outlines are already starting to fade.)
Another factor that probably affected my reading experience should also be mentioned. Since I won my copy in a First Reads giveaway, I was provided with an uncopyedited proof. I can only hope that the eventual hardcover edition will contain visual markers (white space) to signal changes in time and scene. In my edition, transitions were not marked so that one conversation blurred into another. At first, I kept having to back up to determine how characters from different story lines suddenly seemed to be in the same room. I'd think, "Hey, I didn't realize he was there," then, I'd realize: "No, he isn't and neither are we. Now, we're somewhere else with someone else." If I were watching a movie, I would probably get a fade out, then in to serve as segue. Here, I found myself segue-less so my read was a bit challenged. Future readers may have an easier time immersing themselves if they can only tell when one scene becomes another.
Still, I did appreciate the opportunity to review this novel. I can imagine it eventually being streamlined for a PBS production of Mystery. I liked the fact that the female investigator did not seem morose--and despite the economic climate of the novel, I did not find the narrative entirely bleak.
March 5, 2012
How could you not love a book that contains the line “Going out for a minute Helgi, if Johnny Depp shows up, just ask him to get undressed and wait for me would you?”
The second installment in the Gunnhildur series “Cold Comfort,” is based in Iceland and finds our protagonist Officer Gunnhildur “Gunna” Gisladottir recently promoted to Reykjavik’s Serious Crime Unit. Along with her partner Helgi she is in charge of finding escaped convict Omar “Ommi” Magnusson. Seems Ommi is hell bent on seeking revenge on the people responsible for his stay in jail as well as being duped out of millions of kronur. Gunna is also investigating the murder of Svana Geirs, former model and television fitness star.
The investigations become intertwined as Gunna and Helgi follow pieces of information that link the convict and the deceased. The leads begin to focus on a group of powerful public figures who are part of a “syndicate” who have been supporting Svana in the lavish lifestyle she leads and who have also been tied to a murder ten years prior.
Bodies begin to surface as the investigations heat up and expose the details of the groups corrupt ways leaving marriages in ruins and careers destroyed until the guilty party is exposed.
Quentin Bates masterfully works the plot replete with characters and scandals that would be found in business and government in any country. He keeps the reader entertained by humorous dialogue and guessing who the guilty party is, holding them captive until the final reveal. Definitely a must read for mystery and thriller fans alike.
Reviewed by Jodi Ann Hanson for Suspense Magazine
The second installment in the Gunnhildur series “Cold Comfort,” is based in Iceland and finds our protagonist Officer Gunnhildur “Gunna” Gisladottir recently promoted to Reykjavik’s Serious Crime Unit. Along with her partner Helgi she is in charge of finding escaped convict Omar “Ommi” Magnusson. Seems Ommi is hell bent on seeking revenge on the people responsible for his stay in jail as well as being duped out of millions of kronur. Gunna is also investigating the murder of Svana Geirs, former model and television fitness star.
The investigations become intertwined as Gunna and Helgi follow pieces of information that link the convict and the deceased. The leads begin to focus on a group of powerful public figures who are part of a “syndicate” who have been supporting Svana in the lavish lifestyle she leads and who have also been tied to a murder ten years prior.
Bodies begin to surface as the investigations heat up and expose the details of the groups corrupt ways leaving marriages in ruins and careers destroyed until the guilty party is exposed.
Quentin Bates masterfully works the plot replete with characters and scandals that would be found in business and government in any country. He keeps the reader entertained by humorous dialogue and guessing who the guilty party is, holding them captive until the final reveal. Definitely a must read for mystery and thriller fans alike.
Reviewed by Jodi Ann Hanson for Suspense Magazine
April 12, 2012
This is the Dostoyevksy of murder mysteries--it is written by an English author and set in Iceland, and the names are voluminous and challenging to follow (which I have found to be less true when I am visiting Iceland, but maybe I didn't meet enough people on either visit for it to make much of a difference)--but once you get over that, this is a good murder mystery series--Gunna is a character that you can enjoy as a protagonist, and th etwo book sin the series that I have read have contained current controversies that exist in Iceland today, so it has the advantage of armchair travel--where you learn something about another country simply by reading.
April 7, 2014
Well, took me a long time to realize that I'd read this book before! So obviously it didn't make an incredible impression on me. I love reading about Iceland, a country I've visited, and love - generally - Scandinavian mysteries. I like the detective and her family drama - which seemed pretty real and realistic to me. But there was too much "drama" - everything and anyone seemed to get thrown into this story. Of most interest to me was the impact on real people's lives of the economic crisis in Iceland - which is a large part (and the best part I thought) of this story.
April 26, 2016
I definitely did not like this one as much as the first one in this series and don't know if I will read any others. Plot was all over the place; too many characters; might have been better as an audio book with all the Icelandic names; and Gunna (our main gal) was just not as good as she could have been.
December 8, 2012
Bloody marvellous.
We want more Gunna!
We want more Gunna!
October 1, 2012
I loved it.
February 14, 2017
DISCLAIMER: For ease of typing and transferring content on specialized web pages, I have chosen not to use the accents that normally accompany the Icelandic names in this story. I do not mean any disrespect.
The first book of Quentin Bates’ Officer Gunnhilder series, “Frozen Assets,” uses the impending 2008 global collapse of the banking and financial markets as a backdrop and as a motivation for murder. This second book picks up in the early spring of 2009 and uses the resulting collapse of the real estate and construction markets as the motivation for yet another murder. Bates also uses the precarious financial situation in Iceland as background for the problems in manpower and resources the Reykjavik police force are facing.
As our story opens, as far as the police, in general, and Sergeant Gunna Gisladottir, in particular, are concerned, two seemingly unrelated crimes have been committed. First, Long Ommi has escaped from a minimum-security prison only months before a scheduled parole. Secondly, Svana Geirs, a fitness guru and has-been TV personality, has been murdered. Both cases are assigned to the Serious Crime Unit, of which Gunna is the de facto head.
The ongoing financial crisis has prevented Gunna’s promised promotion to Inspector and Gunna’s Chief Inspector is on extended, and probably permanent, medical leave. So that leaves only three investigators in the entire unit, with Gunna in charge and with Helgi and Eirikur reporting to her.
Helgi is currently spearheading the formidable task of retrieving Long Ommi, who is leaving in his wake a trail of bloody and badly beaten former associates. While none of the victims, who all testified against him at his trial, will identify him as their assailant, the assaults have been relatively public. Ommi even forces one of his former associates, a mentally challenged young man, to commit armed bank robbery with no mask. Gunna and her team, upon reviewing Ommi’s original case, come to believe that he took the fall for someone else at the time and is now exacting revenge.
Then Svana Geirs is found bludgeoned to death. Trace analysis of her apartment yields the very fresh prints of four wealthy and prominent men, a property developer, an import/export entrepreneur, an accounting firm executive and a Minister of Parliament. Apparently, Svana Geirs was a very popular woman. However, there is also a fifth set of fingerprints, all over the kitchen where the body was found – the prints of Long Ommi.
With two seemingly disparate cases now related through Ommi and with the inclusion of several very well connected personages as murder suspects, Deputy National Commissioner Ivar Laxdal jumps in to lend Gunna and her team political and tactical assistance. He is a smart, savvy individual and he uses his administrative and political skills to run interference for Gunna so that she and her team can do what they do best, which is to investigate, interrogate and incarcerate.
Four men are involved through what Gunna terms the “Svana Syndicate.” A fifth person, Ommi, is involved through connections to both Svana personally and a member of the Syndicate professionally. And then the sixth degree of separation strikes Gunna’s team.
Quentin Bates has, since the opening pages of the novel, traced the financial and personal downfall of one building contractor, a kitchen and bath specialist, who was destroyed when the company he sub-contracted to declared bankruptcy after the banking crisis destroyed the real estate market. He lost his business, his house, his vehicles, his furnishings, his marriage and his child. Even after the repossessions, the banks are still hounding him to repay the loans. All that is left are a few tools, an old ragged van and people who pay him under the table to fix their plumbing. He sleeps where he can find a spot, with barely enough income for food, petrol and child support. And the man he blames for it all, the developer who declared the bankruptcy of one of his lower lever contracting companies while retaining all his other considerable assets, is one of the Svana Syndicate. It is the goal of our plumber to make both the developer and the bank’s loan officer pay for their poor ethics.
Before this novel is over, Bates will have us experience desperation, depression, vengeance, revenge, blackmail and vigilante justice. We will encounter baseball bats, broken table legs, carpet knives, fists and a sawed off shotgun. We will witness so many people lying about so many things that we will begin to suspect that the only legitimate response to anything is "whatever."
Bates’ narrative style is a bit unusual for a mystery novel. He accomplishes almost all scenarios through the use of dialogue only. We gain almost all our information and clues through the conversations that the characters have with each other. With the exception of the plumber and Gunna, very few internal monologues are included. And the descriptions of scenery and people are both sparse and concise. This type of narrative, along with the Icelandic colloquialisms, is a bit difficult to deal with at first, but the challenge to solving the murder is heightened by both.
However, two actions by Bates gave me a bit of pause. First, the storyline is quite complex and convoluted when what starts as three separate incidents merge into one large conflagration. But Bates adds to the complexity by having two sets of characters with very similar names: Bjartmar and Bjarki along with Skari and Skuli. Since some of these characters are good guys, some are bad guys and some fall on both sides of the fence, it really slows down the reading process when you have to mentally sort and match the names to their relationship with the Svana Syndicate.
The other problem is what I perceive as a prejudice against wealthy or politically influential women. Every female character that fits those criteria, in both this book and the previous one, is portrayed as an insensitive, opportunistic, angry, jealous and vengeful witch – from the formerly upward-moving plumber’s wife to the wives of each member of the Syndicate. The “working class” female characters are crafted with the same serious problems as the wealthy women, including spousal death, infidelity, abandonment and loss of assets from the banking crisis. But they are portrayed as having a level of sense that over-rides their jealousies and misfortunes, a common sense that pushes them to work through a personal or financial issue rather than to beat someone over the head with it.
The first of these two issues is petty and surmountable. The second is perhaps an interesting account of situations that the author had an opportunity to witness during his many years as a resident of Iceland. Either way, neither will stop me from continuing with the series and trying my hand at solving a murder when all I know is what I “hear” the characters say out loud.
The first book of Quentin Bates’ Officer Gunnhilder series, “Frozen Assets,” uses the impending 2008 global collapse of the banking and financial markets as a backdrop and as a motivation for murder. This second book picks up in the early spring of 2009 and uses the resulting collapse of the real estate and construction markets as the motivation for yet another murder. Bates also uses the precarious financial situation in Iceland as background for the problems in manpower and resources the Reykjavik police force are facing.
As our story opens, as far as the police, in general, and Sergeant Gunna Gisladottir, in particular, are concerned, two seemingly unrelated crimes have been committed. First, Long Ommi has escaped from a minimum-security prison only months before a scheduled parole. Secondly, Svana Geirs, a fitness guru and has-been TV personality, has been murdered. Both cases are assigned to the Serious Crime Unit, of which Gunna is the de facto head.
The ongoing financial crisis has prevented Gunna’s promised promotion to Inspector and Gunna’s Chief Inspector is on extended, and probably permanent, medical leave. So that leaves only three investigators in the entire unit, with Gunna in charge and with Helgi and Eirikur reporting to her.
Helgi is currently spearheading the formidable task of retrieving Long Ommi, who is leaving in his wake a trail of bloody and badly beaten former associates. While none of the victims, who all testified against him at his trial, will identify him as their assailant, the assaults have been relatively public. Ommi even forces one of his former associates, a mentally challenged young man, to commit armed bank robbery with no mask. Gunna and her team, upon reviewing Ommi’s original case, come to believe that he took the fall for someone else at the time and is now exacting revenge.
Then Svana Geirs is found bludgeoned to death. Trace analysis of her apartment yields the very fresh prints of four wealthy and prominent men, a property developer, an import/export entrepreneur, an accounting firm executive and a Minister of Parliament. Apparently, Svana Geirs was a very popular woman. However, there is also a fifth set of fingerprints, all over the kitchen where the body was found – the prints of Long Ommi.
With two seemingly disparate cases now related through Ommi and with the inclusion of several very well connected personages as murder suspects, Deputy National Commissioner Ivar Laxdal jumps in to lend Gunna and her team political and tactical assistance. He is a smart, savvy individual and he uses his administrative and political skills to run interference for Gunna so that she and her team can do what they do best, which is to investigate, interrogate and incarcerate.
Four men are involved through what Gunna terms the “Svana Syndicate.” A fifth person, Ommi, is involved through connections to both Svana personally and a member of the Syndicate professionally. And then the sixth degree of separation strikes Gunna’s team.
Quentin Bates has, since the opening pages of the novel, traced the financial and personal downfall of one building contractor, a kitchen and bath specialist, who was destroyed when the company he sub-contracted to declared bankruptcy after the banking crisis destroyed the real estate market. He lost his business, his house, his vehicles, his furnishings, his marriage and his child. Even after the repossessions, the banks are still hounding him to repay the loans. All that is left are a few tools, an old ragged van and people who pay him under the table to fix their plumbing. He sleeps where he can find a spot, with barely enough income for food, petrol and child support. And the man he blames for it all, the developer who declared the bankruptcy of one of his lower lever contracting companies while retaining all his other considerable assets, is one of the Svana Syndicate. It is the goal of our plumber to make both the developer and the bank’s loan officer pay for their poor ethics.
Before this novel is over, Bates will have us experience desperation, depression, vengeance, revenge, blackmail and vigilante justice. We will encounter baseball bats, broken table legs, carpet knives, fists and a sawed off shotgun. We will witness so many people lying about so many things that we will begin to suspect that the only legitimate response to anything is "whatever."
Bates’ narrative style is a bit unusual for a mystery novel. He accomplishes almost all scenarios through the use of dialogue only. We gain almost all our information and clues through the conversations that the characters have with each other. With the exception of the plumber and Gunna, very few internal monologues are included. And the descriptions of scenery and people are both sparse and concise. This type of narrative, along with the Icelandic colloquialisms, is a bit difficult to deal with at first, but the challenge to solving the murder is heightened by both.
However, two actions by Bates gave me a bit of pause. First, the storyline is quite complex and convoluted when what starts as three separate incidents merge into one large conflagration. But Bates adds to the complexity by having two sets of characters with very similar names: Bjartmar and Bjarki along with Skari and Skuli. Since some of these characters are good guys, some are bad guys and some fall on both sides of the fence, it really slows down the reading process when you have to mentally sort and match the names to their relationship with the Svana Syndicate.
The other problem is what I perceive as a prejudice against wealthy or politically influential women. Every female character that fits those criteria, in both this book and the previous one, is portrayed as an insensitive, opportunistic, angry, jealous and vengeful witch – from the formerly upward-moving plumber’s wife to the wives of each member of the Syndicate. The “working class” female characters are crafted with the same serious problems as the wealthy women, including spousal death, infidelity, abandonment and loss of assets from the banking crisis. But they are portrayed as having a level of sense that over-rides their jealousies and misfortunes, a common sense that pushes them to work through a personal or financial issue rather than to beat someone over the head with it.
The first of these two issues is petty and surmountable. The second is perhaps an interesting account of situations that the author had an opportunity to witness during his many years as a resident of Iceland. Either way, neither will stop me from continuing with the series and trying my hand at solving a murder when all I know is what I “hear” the characters say out loud.
October 12, 2020
2.5 - Disappointing to say the least.
This was not as good as the first book. While I enjoyed the character work I wasn't too keen on the mystery element and pacing issues were what really dragged this down for me.
Also, while the author seems to have some knowledge of Iceland it is clear not a lot of research was put into how the Icelandic judicial system work as there are multiple things that just make no sense if you are Icelandic. Which might be intentional for an Anglo-Saxon world, but for one thing Iceland does not use a jury system. It has never been a part of our judiciary. Like who would be on that jury that wasn't connected to the case in some minor way, specially for bigger cases?
Also, nobody in Iceland goes to jail for lying to the police about somebody's alibi and no one would be frightened when the police said they would be going to jail! We barely put real criminals in jail, much less people that try and lie for another person to the police.
These issues might just be because I'm Icelandic, but they just really took me out of the story, which is a shame as I really enjoy Gunna as a character. But I'm not sure I would read another book in this series.
Also, the audiobook was not good. If you're going to have all these Icelandic locations and names, please hire a narrator that can read both Icelandic and English. It was so awful that I couldn't even tell some of the names apart from one another and multiple locations were just lost to me! Would not recommend if you are looking for correct pronunciation of these Icelandic locations and names, might as well just ask Siri or Goggle to tell you the pronunciation. Other than these Icelandic words the narrator was fine.
This was not as good as the first book. While I enjoyed the character work I wasn't too keen on the mystery element and pacing issues were what really dragged this down for me.
Also, while the author seems to have some knowledge of Iceland it is clear not a lot of research was put into how the Icelandic judicial system work as there are multiple things that just make no sense if you are Icelandic. Which might be intentional for an Anglo-Saxon world, but for one thing Iceland does not use a jury system. It has never been a part of our judiciary. Like who would be on that jury that wasn't connected to the case in some minor way, specially for bigger cases?
Also, nobody in Iceland goes to jail for lying to the police about somebody's alibi and no one would be frightened when the police said they would be going to jail! We barely put real criminals in jail, much less people that try and lie for another person to the police.
These issues might just be because I'm Icelandic, but they just really took me out of the story, which is a shame as I really enjoy Gunna as a character. But I'm not sure I would read another book in this series.
Also, the audiobook was not good. If you're going to have all these Icelandic locations and names, please hire a narrator that can read both Icelandic and English. It was so awful that I couldn't even tell some of the names apart from one another and multiple locations were just lost to me! Would not recommend if you are looking for correct pronunciation of these Icelandic locations and names, might as well just ask Siri or Goggle to tell you the pronunciation. Other than these Icelandic words the narrator was fine.
October 5, 2020
The author is an Englishman who has spent some years in Iceland. He writes in English so there are slang expressions and other constructions not usually found in Nordic Noir, but he still has to deal with those Icelandic names! They are complex enough, but in his plot, there are four men in a sex syndicate revolving around a former TV fitness show star, Svana. Each of the four prominent men spends time with Svana in a horizontal position. She, with the help of numerous chemical and medical procedures, gets the chance to star on TV again and wants to call the syndicate off. None of the four men are very happy and you will pardon me if I don’t list them all since their names and nicknames are confusing enough to start with. Gunna, known as that because her name Gunnhildur is a bit stuffy, is on the case and she and her host of officers take their time in tracking down the man who killed Svana and a couple members of the syndicate as well. It’s a messy story with long periods of cold dinners and hot coffee-drinking to fill in the time. Unfortunately, the story peters out with a whimper rather than a bang and the reader is left with a handful of awkward Icelandic names and a battered but not forlorn Gunna. This one takes a lot of patience to wade through and there is no pony in the pile to make it very worthwhile. Sorry.
June 20, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir, beter bekend als Gunna, is nog maar recentelijk van haar functie in het landelijke dorpje Hvalvík gepromoveerd naar Reykjavík, waar ze aan het hoofd staat van de afdeling Ernstige Delicten.
Reykjavík is net opgeschrikt door een moord, een reeks mishandelingen en een bankoverval, waarbij steeds dezelfde notoire crimineel betrokken lijkt: Lange Ommi. Tegelijkertijd zit Gunna op de moordzaak van een vrouw, een sexy fitnesscoach die op gruwelijke wijze om het leven is gebracht in haar eigen appartement. In de loop van dit onderzoek haalt Gunna een aantal feiten boven water die niet voor iedereen even welkom zijn, met name niet voor hooggeplaatste, invloedrijke personen uit de omgeving van het slachtoffer.
In de hoogste machtsregionen van IJsland zijn blijkbaar figuren actief die niet terugdeinzen voor moord... Net als Quentin Bates' eerste IJslandmsyterie 'Bevroren tegoeden' speelt ook het tweede deel in de serie ten tijde van de financiële crisis die IJsland kort geleden aan de rand van de afgrond bracht.
Opnieuw schotelt thrillerschrijver Quentin Bates ons een meeslepende combinatie van moord, corruptie en financiële meltdown voor. aanrader voor wie van dit genre houdt.
Detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir, beter bekend als Gunna, is nog maar recentelijk van haar functie in het landelijke dorpje Hvalvík gepromoveerd naar Reykjavík, waar ze aan het hoofd staat van de afdeling Ernstige Delicten.
Reykjavík is net opgeschrikt door een moord, een reeks mishandelingen en een bankoverval, waarbij steeds dezelfde notoire crimineel betrokken lijkt: Lange Ommi. Tegelijkertijd zit Gunna op de moordzaak van een vrouw, een sexy fitnesscoach die op gruwelijke wijze om het leven is gebracht in haar eigen appartement. In de loop van dit onderzoek haalt Gunna een aantal feiten boven water die niet voor iedereen even welkom zijn, met name niet voor hooggeplaatste, invloedrijke personen uit de omgeving van het slachtoffer.
In de hoogste machtsregionen van IJsland zijn blijkbaar figuren actief die niet terugdeinzen voor moord... Net als Quentin Bates' eerste IJslandmsyterie 'Bevroren tegoeden' speelt ook het tweede deel in de serie ten tijde van de financiële crisis die IJsland kort geleden aan de rand van de afgrond bracht.
Opnieuw schotelt thrillerschrijver Quentin Bates ons een meeslepende combinatie van moord, corruptie en financiële meltdown voor. aanrader voor wie van dit genre houdt.
April 29, 2019
I picked up a used copy of this book because the premise of a murder mystery series set in Iceland sounded intriguing. I realized later that it's the second in a series, but it' isn't necessary to read the first in order to get into the second one.
My 4 stars is really kind of rounding up from 3. 5. I did like the protagonist, Officer Gunnhilder, or Gunna. I liked that this novel, like the best of genre writing, is not just a piece of mystery brain candy but is deep commentary on current societal problems, namely the scuzzy behavior of bankers and politicians and Iceland's economic recession.
Bates really does keep you guessing until the end, but this is largely because the novel doesn't wrap up like a typical detective novel.
I found the book enjoyable, but I don't know that I loved it enough to read the whole series. If you like detective novels and would enjoy one set in a culture you don't see crime novels set in often, though, this might be up your alley.
My 4 stars is really kind of rounding up from 3. 5. I did like the protagonist, Officer Gunnhilder, or Gunna. I liked that this novel, like the best of genre writing, is not just a piece of mystery brain candy but is deep commentary on current societal problems, namely the scuzzy behavior of bankers and politicians and Iceland's economic recession.
Bates really does keep you guessing until the end, but this is largely because the novel doesn't wrap up like a typical detective novel.
I found the book enjoyable, but I don't know that I loved it enough to read the whole series. If you like detective novels and would enjoy one set in a culture you don't see crime novels set in often, though, this might be up your alley.
November 29, 2021
From the Goodreads Blurb: Officer Gunnhildur, recently promoted from her post in rural Iceland to Reykjavík’s Serious Crime Unit, is tasked with hunting down escaped convict Long Ommi, who has embarked on a spree of violent score-settling in and around the city. Meanwhile, she’s also investigating the murder of a fitness guru in her own city-center apartment. As Gunna delves into the cases, she unearths some unwelcome secrets and influential friends shared by both guru and convict. Set in an Iceland plagued by an ongoing financial crisis, Gunna has to take stock of the whirlwind changes that have swept through the country—and the fact that at the highest levels of power, the system’s endemic corruption still leads, inevitably, to murder.
Gunna is strong character. The plot(s) are solid. I had expected to have some trouble with the unusual Icelandic names, but I only lost track of character once, and Bates got me back on track quickly. Up to the last chapter this book was heading for a five star rating, but the ending was a bit "unsatisfying"...
Gunna is strong character. The plot(s) are solid. I had expected to have some trouble with the unusual Icelandic names, but I only lost track of character once, and Bates got me back on track quickly. Up to the last chapter this book was heading for a five star rating, but the ending was a bit "unsatisfying"...
September 9, 2023
The second in the new 'Nordic Noir' series I found.
Not typical of what I've been reading, no young female cop having to fight off sexual harassment at work, a cheating husband, etc, but a more mature woman, with a teenage daughter, and friends at work who cooperate and communicate to find the bad guy.
Good story line for the whodunit, but, personal problem, way, way too many characters, and way too many of them had terribly similar names. At times I struggled to keep it straight.
Lastly, and again maybe me, but I think series should have standalone stories and an ending, certainly with some level of connections, character development, events from the past showing up in the present. It might just be the way I read the ending here but seems the final solution to this whodunit is/might going to be in the next book. Or maybe I'm reading something into it.
Anyhoo, good whodunit, fun characters, interesting background of the 'market' crash impacting Iceland.
And have and will read 2.5 and 3...
Not typical of what I've been reading, no young female cop having to fight off sexual harassment at work, a cheating husband, etc, but a more mature woman, with a teenage daughter, and friends at work who cooperate and communicate to find the bad guy.
Good story line for the whodunit, but, personal problem, way, way too many characters, and way too many of them had terribly similar names. At times I struggled to keep it straight.
Lastly, and again maybe me, but I think series should have standalone stories and an ending, certainly with some level of connections, character development, events from the past showing up in the present. It might just be the way I read the ending here but seems the final solution to this whodunit is/might going to be in the next book. Or maybe I'm reading something into it.
Anyhoo, good whodunit, fun characters, interesting background of the 'market' crash impacting Iceland.
And have and will read 2.5 and 3...
March 21, 2021
Story was good, but as I was listening to audio discs I was extremely unhappy!! I won't be purchasing any more from the publisher as it was defective. The last three out of ten discs would not play the last three tracks. Through out the entire set of discs there were issues with freezing and stuttering skips. The CD player in my vehicle did not want to take or even eject the discs smoothly. That was my first clue that all was not right. As I had just finished an audio book of twelve disks just fine and my vehicle is only a year old, I knew it was the disks. If I had any remaining doubts, they would have been put to rest when I tried listening to the disks on the player inside T
the house, which is less than four months old. As I don't know who did it in the story line nor why, I am unable to give it more than three stars. This is why I prefer an actual book with paper pages.
the house, which is less than four months old. As I don't know who did it in the story line nor why, I am unable to give it more than three stars. This is why I prefer an actual book with paper pages.
September 25, 2021
I have not read the first book, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I had just finished several other books written by Icelanders, and was surprised at the welcome little bits of humor in this book...the writer is a Brit. Hum.
The story started off strong, but it became muddled with too many characters and storylines. I reached a point where I wasn't sure I wanted to finish, but I am an optimist. I kept reading. Maybe it was so many similar sounding names, but I didn't care who did what.
I liked the main character. She is refreshingly different from many female police officers. The errors re the justice system in Iceland should have been caught by a good editor. There are many parts that were very interesting.
The story started off strong, but it became muddled with too many characters and storylines. I reached a point where I wasn't sure I wanted to finish, but I am an optimist. I kept reading. Maybe it was so many similar sounding names, but I didn't care who did what.
I liked the main character. She is refreshingly different from many female police officers. The errors re the justice system in Iceland should have been caught by a good editor. There are many parts that were very interesting.
December 18, 2017
Gunni is such a likeable chap, except of course she is a woman. No nonsense and practical in all matters including appearance and appetites! Plot winds along nicely, only quibble is my brain trying to remember which Icelandic name belongs to which character! Scandi crime genre is well served by this writer and I have number 3 lined up for my next crime read, over Christmas, in the read and snooze, post excess lethargy.
June 14, 2019
I do like these characters and you can imagine this as a series on TV but I think I’m finding it less realistically ‘Iceland’ and I wonder if that’s because the author is not ‘really’ Icelandic? (Yes I’ve been there and it’s a small place full of charm.)
Great read both this and first book but with so many other great authors and wonderful books out there I’m not inspired to read any more. I think the books by Ragnar Jónasson have a more ‘Icelandic’ feel which I wanted....
Great read both this and first book but with so many other great authors and wonderful books out there I’m not inspired to read any more. I think the books by Ragnar Jónasson have a more ‘Icelandic’ feel which I wanted....
December 26, 2020
2.5 Stars. Gained half a star because it has a good pace. I am not sure there is much here that is mystery, thriller, or police procedural. It is more commentary on Iceland at the time and a lot of talking and interviewing, and then some driving thrown in for good measure. Nothing too exciting overall. If I didn't like Iceland so much, and have a good recollection of the areas I visited, I might have scored it lower. I am done with this series.
December 1, 2021
Second book in the Gunnhildur series, and she is now working in Reykjavik, but still helping out at her old station. I found this quite a complicated storyline with lots of characters which I often lost track of. A murder case and the escape of a prisoner due to soon be released, at first seem unconnected, but as Gunna and her teams investigate, the two cases draw closer. This series is probably the least violent and gory of the Icelandic based books I read, but they are still very good.
May 16, 2017
I gave up a couple of chapters in. I didn't love the first book in this series and this was just so choppily written. I'm willing to give a little on that when a book is in translation...but this is not. Bates has a wealth of knowledge about Iceland and the setting was very believable, but there were too many characters and the writing was too stilted to spend anymore time on it.
January 25, 2021
Good detective work.
I enjoyed all the action happening around Iceland and could visualize the places I have previously visited. Such a story of broken families, dishonest businessmen, affairs and greed. The story was a bit challenging to follow because of the use of real Icelandic names and the different ways they tar depicted.
I enjoyed all the action happening around Iceland and could visualize the places I have previously visited. Such a story of broken families, dishonest businessmen, affairs and greed. The story was a bit challenging to follow because of the use of real Icelandic names and the different ways they tar depicted.
August 21, 2017
Cold Comfort
I choose 3 star rating because I found it hard to remember Icelandic names unpronoucable and very difficult to remember. The story w as very good reading and I will definitely read more by Quentin Bates
I choose 3 star rating because I found it hard to remember Icelandic names unpronoucable and very difficult to remember. The story w as very good reading and I will definitely read more by Quentin Bates
September 5, 2017
Gunnhilder is one of my favourite female characters in crime fiction. Q. Bates is not only remarkable in his depiction of the Icelandic society but also in his creation of a solid female character by a male author - not easy to find :)
July 1, 2018
Office Gunnhilder has moved to the Serious Crime Unit in Reykjavik. She has to negotiate a complex crime scene, lots of suspects, and lots of politics as she tries to solve a murder.
I like that the major character is a strong independent female and I like learning about Iceland.
I like that the major character is a strong independent female and I like learning about Iceland.
March 20, 2019
I really want to like this more, given my interest in Iceland. But....the mystery just wasn't that interesting, and nor were the cops involved. I just was plodding along, so I stopped listening to it.
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