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Inspector Erlendur #3-5
Jar City / Silence of the Grave / Voices
English translation books 1-3, overall books 3-5.
Jar City
When a lonely old man is found dead in his Reykjavík flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man.
Silence of the Grave
When a skeleton is discovered half-buried in a construction site outside of Reykjavík, Inspector Erlendur finds himself knee-deep in both a crime scene and an archeological dig. As Erlendur tries to crack this cold case, he must also save his drug-addicted daughter from self destruction and somehow glue his hopelessly fractured family back together.
Voices
The Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand Reykjavík hotel when Inspector Erlendur is called in to investigate a murder. As Christmas Day approaches, Erlendur must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a possible romantic interest, and untangle a long-buried web of malice and greed to find the murderer.
Jar City
When a lonely old man is found dead in his Reykjavík flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man.
Silence of the Grave
When a skeleton is discovered half-buried in a construction site outside of Reykjavík, Inspector Erlendur finds himself knee-deep in both a crime scene and an archeological dig. As Erlendur tries to crack this cold case, he must also save his drug-addicted daughter from self destruction and somehow glue his hopelessly fractured family back together.
Voices
The Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand Reykjavík hotel when Inspector Erlendur is called in to investigate a murder. As Christmas Day approaches, Erlendur must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a possible romantic interest, and untangle a long-buried web of malice and greed to find the murderer.
790 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2015
54 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Arnaldur Indriðason
53 books3,294 followersArnaldur Indriðason has the rare distinction of having won the Nordic Crime Novel Prize two years running. He is also the winner of the highly respected and world famous CWA Gold Dagger Award for the top crime novel of the year in the English language, Silence of the Grave.
Arnaldur’s novels have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, in 40 languages, and have won numerous well-respected prizes and received rave reviews all over the world.
Arnaldur’s novels have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, in 40 languages, and have won numerous well-respected prizes and received rave reviews all over the world.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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April 29, 2019Synopsis: a three-novel combo centring on Inspector Erlundur of Reykjavik. In Jar City the only clue to a man's death is a photo of a girl's grave.
March 1, 2019
Read these the month they arrived in the states, I know the first one in the US that was released was "Jar city" and it felt like a novel that you were thrust into without knowing the characters (this was due to the long translation process from what I found out) I love the series and look forward to rereading them!
September 17, 2018
As a story it works well but as a murder mystery, it is not very satisfying. The secon of his Reykjavik Murders series, it didn't have much appeal. Despite this, I will go on to read a few more because of the insight into the culture.
February 4, 2025
A typically cheery Scandinavian noir, this one set in Iceland, and starring the morose (naturally) Inspector Erlander. It’s raining all the time in Iceland, as well.
The book opens with an old man named Holberg, found murdered in his Reykjavik apartment, courtesy of a large glass ashtray to the head. There’s a cryptic note by the body, and Erlander discovers a photo of a child’s grave hidden in the desk.
Holberg is not a nice guy. He was accused (but never convicted) of at least one rape. Erlander seems to be taking a roundabout way of solving this murder. Rather than immediately searching for a suspect, he digs into the past — literally — to look at old crimes, and a genetic disease that attacks innocent victims.
When he does find the killer, you feel far more sympathy for him than you do for Holberg. The title of the book, by the way, is medical slang for a storage area where human organs are stored for research purposes. Like I said, cheery.
The book opens with an old man named Holberg, found murdered in his Reykjavik apartment, courtesy of a large glass ashtray to the head. There’s a cryptic note by the body, and Erlander discovers a photo of a child’s grave hidden in the desk.
Holberg is not a nice guy. He was accused (but never convicted) of at least one rape. Erlander seems to be taking a roundabout way of solving this murder. Rather than immediately searching for a suspect, he digs into the past — literally — to look at old crimes, and a genetic disease that attacks innocent victims.
When he does find the killer, you feel far more sympathy for him than you do for Holberg. The title of the book, by the way, is medical slang for a storage area where human organs are stored for research purposes. Like I said, cheery.
October 9, 2022
This was an excellent book. A old man is found murdered and his past is anything but pleasant. No details or friends. Building a case and finding the murderer is Erlendur's job.
A Icelandic detective with a drive for the truth.
Different layers of characters and details make this a joy to read. Hard to find storylines like these.
Heading to get the next book.
A Icelandic detective with a drive for the truth.
Different layers of characters and details make this a joy to read. Hard to find storylines like these.
Heading to get the next book.
September 18, 2018
This was an intriguing read. I liked the character but I don't know that his investigation process would be the normal thought process for most people. I was disappointed with the ending but understand how that worked for this story.
November 26, 2018
I’m going to read everyone of his books.
December 11, 2018
Another great mystery from this Icelandic author!
November 6, 2022
Dark mystery with a Public Television-ready detective. More plausible plot, because it's set in the small country of Iceland.
April 30, 2023
I can't explain how much I loved all three, especially voices it made me cry.
August 31, 2025
Al tratarse de una trilogía contenida en un único ejemplar, se debería analizar cada obra por separado. Son tres crimenes diferentes, pero secuenciales, resueltos por el inspector de la policia islandesa Erlendur. En cada obra podemos disfrutar simultáneamente de una subtrama que no deja indiferente relacionada con los lazos familiares del policia.
Marismas: Se nos presenta a Erlendur, sus penas y sus quehaceres. Es un libro con un gran transfondo contextualizado en Islandia; por lo que, si buscas conocer un poco de las cotidianeidad de este país, es un buen comienzo. Además, va de menos a más con un final bastante impactante.
La mujer de verde: Personalmente este es el que más me gustó. El autor narra una historia que parte de un hallazgo peculiar en unas obras a las afueras de una aldea Islandesa. Vamos saltando desde varios puntos de vista de distintas personas en momentos y épocas alternas para dar con un final satisfactorio y nostálgico, resolviendo un intrincado caso del que no se deben dar detalles.
La voz: En esta ocasión, se nos presenta una caso con una estructura semejante al libro "Diez negritos" de Agatha Cristie. Un crimen, un hotel, muchos sospechosos y un Erlendur pesaroso en las fechas navideñas, un libro con una conformación clásica genialmente resuelto que te hará querer leer más.
Marismas: Se nos presenta a Erlendur, sus penas y sus quehaceres. Es un libro con un gran transfondo contextualizado en Islandia; por lo que, si buscas conocer un poco de las cotidianeidad de este país, es un buen comienzo. Además, va de menos a más con un final bastante impactante.
La mujer de verde: Personalmente este es el que más me gustó. El autor narra una historia que parte de un hallazgo peculiar en unas obras a las afueras de una aldea Islandesa. Vamos saltando desde varios puntos de vista de distintas personas en momentos y épocas alternas para dar con un final satisfactorio y nostálgico, resolviendo un intrincado caso del que no se deben dar detalles.
La voz: En esta ocasión, se nos presenta una caso con una estructura semejante al libro "Diez negritos" de Agatha Cristie. Un crimen, un hotel, muchos sospechosos y un Erlendur pesaroso en las fechas navideñas, un libro con una conformación clásica genialmente resuelto que te hará querer leer más.
May 31, 2016
Read and enjoyed all three, but Jar City is not the first book in the series, just the first book translated into English. Because of this, you have no real idea of how the characters are connected and this makes for some frustration when reading. However I have enjoyed everything I've read so far by this author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews