Thin Ice

Officer Gunnhildur #5

by Quentin Bates

Snowed in with a couple of psychopaths for the winter...
When two small-time crooks rob Reykjavik's premier drugs dealer, hoping for a quick escape to the sun, their plans start to unravel after their getaway driver fails to show. Tensions mount between the pair and the two women they have grabbed as hostages when they find themselves holed upcountry in an isolated hotel that has been mothballed for the season.
Back in the capital, Gunnhildur, Eiríkur and Helgi find themselves at a dead end investigating what appear to be the unrelated disappearance of a mother, her daughter and their car during a day's shopping, and the death of a thief in a house fire.
Gunna and her team are faced with a set of riddles but as more people are quizzed it begins to emerge that all these unrelated incidents are in fact linked. And at the same time, two increasingly desperate lowlifes have no choice but to make some big decisions on how to get rid of their accidental hostages...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Nordic Noir, Scandinavian Literature, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2016

Reviews

[ReadsSometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snowed in with a couple of psychopaths for the winter...
When two small-time crooks rob Reykjavik's premier drugs dealer, hoping for a quick escape to the sun, their plans start to unravel after their getaway driver fails to show. Tensions mount between the pair and the two women they have grabbed as hostages when they find themselves holed upcountry in an isolated hotel that has been mothballed for the season.
Back in the capital, Gunnhildur, Eiríkur and Helgi find themselves at a dead end investigating what appear to be the unrelated disappearance of a mother, her daughter and their car during a day's shopping, and the death of a thief in a house fire.
Gunna and her team are faced with a set of riddles but as more people are quizzed it begins to emerge that all these unrelated incidents are in fact linked. And at the same time, two increasingly desperate lowlifes have no choice but to make some big decisions on how to get rid of their accidental hostages...


This is my first introduction to Quentin Bates and what a great introduction it is. As a fan of Nordic Noir, this book is a classic piece of crime fiction.

Extremely well-plotted and constructed and with characters you can genuinely believe in, the book flows perfectly. It's quite tense and dark at points but is cleverly peppered with some tongue-in-cheek dark humour, which gives this book a great balance and makes it a very pleasurable and entertaining read. The setting itself gives a chilling atmosphere, and when I read a Nordic Noir book, it always makes me want to visit these places.

This is number 5 in this series and I usually like to read things in order but, this works very well as a stand-alone novel.

A smashing read and highly recommended. A good 4*

[Lisa Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only gripe when it comes to Quentin Bates is the length of time it took me to discover him - I am HOOKED on Gunnhildur, and have devoured nearly all the series since discovering it a few months ago. Yes, I cheated a bit and read this one out of sequence, but it really doesn't make a difference - although I was familiar with Gunnhildur already, this can be read easily as a standalone.
Quentin Bates has a real knack for creating characters that you can't help but love - even one of the characters in this novel is, realistically, a bit of a psycho, I couldn't help but like him and even found myself thinking that if I were to be kidnapped, I wouldn't mind if it was Ossi that kidnapped me because he really wasn't that bad!
There is a good solid plot line that jogs along at a decent pace - with a great sense of location (making me wish I could go back to Iceland!), and some fantastic characters, followed by a somewhat unexpected ending, I found this a really enjoyable read. I can't wait to go back now and finish off the rest of the series, hopefully that'll keep me going until Quentin's next offering :)

[Marina Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utter, utter delight, this book! The author balances the plight of the criminals and the investigation by the police perfectly. Great characters and a dash of humour throughout.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most of the series to date, and I love the way there is that instant feeling of comfort and familiarity with Bates’ style, and the way he marries the positively soap opera elements of Gunnhildur’s private life, with a solid Scandinavian police procedural. Having come to terms with the peccadillos of her son Gisli in the previous book she now has to grapple with the sudden reappearance of a ex-lover, and his impending demise. But in traditional Gunnhildur fashion she keeps calm, despite her burning animosity to her ex, pulls up her all weather bootstraps, and forges on. She is a great character, tenacious and dogged but clear thinking, and I like the shades of light and dark that Bates reveals within her character throughout the series.

Despite the tangled affairs of our redoubtable police officer, I actually rather enjoyed the greater emphasis that Bates places within the main narrative to the bumbling duo of Magni and Ossi. I think it’s fair to say that the plot rather resembles an inverted and twisted version of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, with skinny ringleader Ossi, being quickly revealed as a real liability to any hopes of escape from their predicament, and rufty tufty big guy Magni stepping up to be the brains rather than just the brawn. However, with the sensual temptation of Magni’s growing relationship with their younger captive Tinna Lind- the comely daughter and Mata Hari-esque femme fatale of the piece- Magni has to keep a balance with Ossi and Tinna which makes for an interesting development of his character. Although, as it transpires his brain does begin to take rather a backseat to other parts of his anatomy. Ahem. As the ineffective robbers lurch from one disaster to another, their story starts to take a whole other turn, and although I did have my suspicions to the denouement, it was an entertaining journey to the conclusion. Along from some nice violent interludes in the story as Magni and Ossi seek to evade both the police and the bad guy they have crossed, who is definitely out for vengeance, there is a great balance of sauciness, humour, darkness and high emotion. A good addition to a highly enjoyable series.

[Linda Boa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically a 4.5 but when I was in school, a 5 or higher was rounded up!

Check out my review at https://crimeworm.wordpress.com/2016/...
Highly recommended!

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this is by far the most entertaining of the Gunnhilder series so far.

The plot involves the unplanned kidnapping of a mother and grown up daughter by two attackers, following a robbery that goes badly wrong. The greater part of the story revolves around the group of four and how their relationships and allegiances gradually change under the pressure of having to spend days together laying low. All four characters have believable but very different personalities which creates a lot of tension and makes it difficult to work out how things might ultimately resolve. The police investigation takes a back seat until well into the story which is refreshingly different to the rest of the series.

It’s not a deep story but has a good pace, plenty of twists, characters who you could root for, others who you hoped would fail badly and a good ending. I certainly enjoyed it.

[Ewa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like the Icelandic cop Gunnhildur Gísladóttir, known as Gunna, to be my friend: no-nonsense, tired, logical, grumpy and loving, with sense of humour and boundless capacity to understand; a big country girl who still appears to be finding her feet in the capital. Well, maybe not a girl anymore… All these qualities get mixed up constantly to show a very real portrait of a woman who has to deal with criminals, the system and her own family. And here she is having quite a hard time as her own painful past catches up with her while she investigates the disappearance of two women into the thin crisp November air, and a strange arsonist attack in Reykjavík in which a petty crook dies. Gunna’s methodological, pragmatic methods, with support from faithful colleagues Eiríkur and Helgi, bring answers to the apparently unrelated riddles, and though the story is not Gunna-driven, her presence is felt everywhere.
So… Two minor baddies get into trouble, even if practical and reasonable Magni happens to be the accidental criminal: after losing his job on a trawler he agrees to assist Össur, an ambitious but stressed out crime kingpin in robbing a leading drug dealer called Alli the Cornershop. Magni acts as a ‘heavy’, muscles to Össur’s brain. They leave the scene with more than a quarter of a million euros. Yet the ‘escape to the sun’ plan goes wrong. They hijack a car with two women: mother Erna and daughter Tinna Lind and flee Reykjavik to the middle of nowhere where they have no choice but to break into a small hotel closed for the winter. Soon enough a new relationship comes to life within the group. While terrified high-maintenance townie Erna is in a state of shock, and Össur, gun glued to his side, swings between fury and anger in his cloud of stolen dope and rubbish television shows; Tinna Lind, hippy and carefree, finds the captivity very exciting. She develops a crush on Magni and so a new type of Stockholm syndrome case is born: one where the hostage tries to take initiative because Plan B fails to materialise, and her ‘hero’ takes care of getting supplies and petrol, cooking stews, and diplomatically smooths over aggressive Össur’s outbursts. Tensions rise... The four fugitives from law and crime underworld realise that being snowed in will not protect them from the police and Alli’s revenge and more powerful friends. Because detective Gunna will eventually find their scent.
Reading Bates’ books feels like having a good friendly chat: words easily flowing, plot developing in a relaxed manner, and suddenly bang! There’s another dose of cruel violence and though sort of anticipated it comes as a shock after you’ve became lulled into a sense of weird false security, magnified by the picturesque Icelandic landscape, promising peace and quiet. These contradictions make THIN ICE another gem from the master of the engaging and suspenseful crime story, who creates convincing characters and effortlessly portrays a country that he knows so intimately.

[Rebecca Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Gunnhilder series. And for anyone who follows my reading thoughts, this will ring alarm bells in that reading out-of-order makes my skin crawl somewhat. I love to read series in order because of the series character arcs that are happening.

But - saying that, I did enjoy Thin Ice. I adore books with cold settings. I'm not sure why because I have an aversion to actually being cold. Maybe I enjoy reading about the cold while being nice and warm at home! And the setting was particularly cold because it was out of season and the hotel involved in this story was closed for the winter!

Thin Ice is set in Iceland where Quentin Bates has spent many years residing, so his understanding of the way of life shines through.

Though there is an overarching storyline for the regular characters which I would have liked to have followed from the start, the new characters were brilliantly crafted. I really enjoyed reading about them. The two small-time crooks were wonderful to read, especially Magni. Rather than just being an easily written crook, Magni was a well-rounded and an actually likeable guy.

The interactions between the set of characters was something that kept me turning the pages. With the right amount of tension from a character quite the opposite from Magni and from a couple who are drawn into their predicament by circumstances beyond their control. It's an insightful and clever read. Smooth, slick, and cold with escalating tension to keep you turning the pages. A perfect read for Icelandic crime fans and fans of smart crime. This series is one to add to your shelves if you haven't already.

With thanks to the author and publisher for my copy.

[Linda Branham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. I love the characters - and I love the location, Iceland
Ossur (Ossie for short) and Magni, our two hapless criminals decide to rob a local crook. However, when they run out of the criminals house, their "driver" is not there. So they end up hijacking a car with a mother and her adult daughter and take off. Fleeing the city they take refuge at an isolated hotel out in the countryside.
To be fair, Ossur is really the criminal. Magni is kinda got pulled in because he had lost his job, needed money ... and he was drunk.
We follow the story from Ossur and Magni's persepctive. We follow it from Erna and Inna Linda's perspective (the mother and daughter who were in the car that was hjacked), we follow it from the crooks perspective. and we follow it from the police perspective (Gunna)
Very entertaining

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to be able to catch up with Officer Gunnhildur, affectionately known as Gunna, in Thin Ice, the latest instalment in the series. Quentin Bates introduced me to Iceland four years ago, and I was hooked by his storytelling, and his characters back then, and I still am. Even though there are four books about Gunna before Thin Ice, there is no reason whatsover that this cannot be read as a standalone as Quentin Bates gives the reader glimpses into Gunna's history throughout this story, which is also useful for those readers who are familiar with the series, as it has been a while since the last one!

Gunna and her police colleague sidekicks, Eirikur and Heigi have a series of unexplained events to investigate; there's the sudden disappearance of Erna and Tinna Lund, a mother and daughter who didn't return from a shopping trip. There's also a suspected murder, a shady character has been found dead in his home after a house fire, but he has unexplained injuries, not related to a fire.

Meanwhile, the reader is well aware of Erna and Tinna Lund's whereabouts. They're holed up with two heavies, in a closed-up hotel, in the middle of nowhere, in the midst of a heavy snow storm.

I am very fond of Gunna as a character, she has her problems and Quentin Bates deals her some rough cards to play, but she's a fine police officer and loyal mother. However, in Thin Ice, it is the bad guys who steal the show. The two accidental kidnappers, Ossur and Magni are so well created, with a depth of character that allows the reader to empathise with them, even if they don't like them or agree with them. And then we have Erna and Tinna Lund, two women who are complex and unpredictable in their behaviours and who in their own way, change the story completely.

Alongside the icy remote Icelandic location, and the tongue-twisting names, Thin Ice is a belter of a story. The writing is impeccable, the characters are superb and the pacing is perfect. I loved it, and can't wait to find out what Quentin Bates has in store for Gunna in the next book of the series.

http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series - this one could easily be read as a standalone novel if you haven't read the others. Although Gunna, with her interesting family problems, is the lead police officer, much more of this book is focused on the criminals on the run, a pair who seem to get a lot of things wrong. The setting is Iceland in late autumn/early winter, and the fleeing crooks end up hiding in a hotel which is closed for the winter, having taken two women hostage because they need a car. To begin with they are only on the run from another crook, but things get out of hand. There's a great twist at the end.
The Icelandic setting is a big part of the attraction of these stories, though this isn't exactly "noir", as there is a lot of humour. In fact one of the two criminals is much too likeable to be on the wrong side! Hoping for more of these.

[Anamaria Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesantă este structura romanului. Quentin începe prin a ne arunca în plină acțiune, cu băieții răi la locul faptei. De-abia după aceea, pe măsură ce poveste evoluează dar se și complică, aflăm despre trecutul personajelor și motivația alegerilor pe care le fac. O altă surpiză pentru mine a fost faptul că infractorii și victimele sunt mult mai prezenți în roman, decât polițiștii. Aflăm în detaliu despre trecutul caracterul și năzuințele primilor, în timp ce povestea Gunnei este un fel de fundal, de screensaver pentru acțiunea propriu-zisă.

https://revistadesuspans.ro/despre-ca...

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many reasons to read Quentin Bates - he's a top translator from Icelandic into English for a start and now he's written lots of books in his own right. His stories are full of unique Icelandic settings, an insight into the cultural nuances of that country, the police work, the criminal fraternity and lots more besides.

Recommended reads!

Booktrail the location of the novel here Thin Ice

[Lee-Anne Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something different again!

A hostage situation, stumbled into by a pair of miscreants unwittingly when their getaway lets them down, develops satisfyingly in this tale in the frozen wastelands. Your heart goes out to one character who is really not in the same league as his 'ally', and the odds are stacked pretty heavily against him from the start. A lot of the writing takes place from the 'bad guys' perspective, which makes it much more interesting than just from Gunna's side to track them down. You feel the tension as our man both tries to stay hidden but also unavoidably gives himself away. Bates himself admits that it is more interesting to write bad guys who are not all bad, and there's something almost of Conan Doyle in the ability to write a villain for whom one ends up feeling sympathy. As another reviewer has mentioned, there is an element of having to suspend disbelief at times but there was only one point really where I found my credulity strained to the point where it interfered with my enjoyment of the story and that was the unlikely scenario at the end, but I suppose you can just about explain it as something that happened in too much of a rush to think properly through. But I just don't feel that you'd have taken your eyes that far off the spinning of your plates at that stage - which is probably the best spoiler-free way I can put it! However, even in spite of this point, an enjoyable read, and I hope we see a character or two from the tale in the future at some point again too!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Icelandic Thriller

This is a really well written Icelandic thriller that definitely kept my attention throughout. The characters are really well defined and interesting. I really empathized with several of them and also loathed the many despicable ones, as well. I won’t say any more for fear of ruining the story for you. Suffice it to say that it’s a great read! I would highly recommend this book for all lovers of a good mystery.

[Bud Mallar · Rating 4 out of 5]

different but good.

We have our heroine, Gunna, who has the on-going family issues - mostly thanks to her son.

We have several bad bad guys and one good bad guy.

We spent a lot more time with the bad guys than the good guys, but the story line is interesting.

there is a whodunit here, but we all know who it is from the beginning, so other than cursory police procedures, it's kinda all woven together to join up at the end.

And, yes, I knew...

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thin Ice by Quentin Bates

I enjoyed this, fast paced with a very likeable character in Inspector Gunna and a couple of criminals who have kidnapped a mother and daughter while they're on the run after robbing a very angry mob boss. I guessed the ending which was a little sad, but ultimately satisfying. Definitely a series to to follow!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good book by an author unknown to me until now. It's about a female Sargeant in the police department in Iceland who attempts to solve the disappearance of a mother and daughter and the murder of a criminal. This is the 7th in a series of 8 books. Sorry now I started with the last one. I'll have to go back and read the others.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the previous book, Summerchill (which should be read first as some of the characters carry over) this is an enjoyable story. My only criticism is I think the most recent books have less of an Icelandic feel (when compared to the books of native authors) than the earlier ones had.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting characters and a sort-of-caper plot. Crooks doublecrossing each other. A kidnapping. Icelandic winter. And police officer Gunna, and her son Gisli who, at the end of the last book, had gotten two girls pregnant who gave birth within weeks of each other.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit disappointed with this book, seemed to drag on a bit in places and it wasn't as exciting as it promised to be. Would recommend for older teenage readers and above due to the sexual content in a few scenes. 2.5 stars.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The praise on the cover reads: 'Chilling and utterly authentic'. As chilling as an Icelandic winter. I gave up when I discovered it was more of a farce/comedy. Not that I don't like a farce but it wasn't what I was expecting. Not for me this time.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much suspense. Meh.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Scandi thriller.....I do like Inspector Gunna and the Icelandic setting!

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is lost in translation and gets confusing with all of the character jumps -- I feel like it is best suited only for it's original language.

[Pat Ojanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Icelandic mystery, good characters in this series.

[Sheila Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Euro Crime Group. I enjoyed the book although it took a while to get going.

[Ann Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was interesting to learn more about Gunna’s history, the plot overall was not too engaging. I did appreciate though the ambiguous ending.

[Jennifer Fredin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Icelandic who done it! Enjoyed it.

[Walter Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping

Bates delivers again. I enjoy the characters in this series, and the skill Bates has in developing both the characters and engaging story lines.