The Reykjavik Confessions: The Incredible True Story of Iceland’s Most Notorious Murder Case

by Simon Cox

BASED ON THE CELEBRATED BBC NEWS INVESTIGATION'gripping and bitingly cold… full of fine detail and outrage' – Sunday Times'Gripping' - Evening Standard A true story of false memories.‘Over decades and decades in Iceland people have gone missing without anyone finding anything out. They just sort of disappear...’In 1974, 18-year-old Gudmundur disappears after a boozy night in a fishing town near Reykjavik. Eleven months later Geirfinnur, a quiet family man, goes missing from Keflavik harbour in the southwest of Iceland after being summoned by a mysterious phone call from home. Both men are eventually presumed dead, but their bodies are never found.This quiet island is in an uproar - two disappearances with no forensics, no leads, no clue what has happened. Soon, the vanishings set in motion an almost surreal series of events, a remarkable tale of corruption, forced confession, false memory and madness that stretches over 40 years.Based on author Simon Cox's celebrated BBC News investigation, The Reykjavik Confessions is a chilling journey of discovery into a dark corner of Icelandic history, and a riveting true-crime thriller that will have you gripped until the very last page.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, History, Mystery

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 22, 2018

About the author

Simon Cox was the founding editor-in-chief of Phenomena magazine, a U.S. based newstand publication launched in 2003. Having studied Egyptology at University College London, he went on to work as a research assistant for some of the biggest names in the alternative history game, including Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, and David Rohl. He lives in England.

Reviews

[Phil On The Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting case, but it does not necessarily make for an interesting read. The book slumps in the middle with the repetitive confession, false or otherwise, of the suspects. It might have been interesting to have had a chapter on Iceland's police procedures today as compared with the mid-1970s.

[Dimitris Passas (TapTheLine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Cox, a reporter for BBC Radio 4 did a thorough research about a totally absurd case of false memory and confession, manipulation of the accused by the police officials and the failure of both the judicial and penal system of Iceland in handling a demanding criminal investigation. Furthermore, the reader can envisage the Iceland of the mid-seventies, where a kind of generation battle was taking place as the youth of the country was striving to follow the explosive cultural developments in the U.S.A. and Europe, while the older population were struggling to resist to the influences from abroad. It was in this social environment that the drama of the two separate disappearances (of Gudmundur and Geirfinnur) unfolded. The timeline which begins with the first arrest till the final conviction of the defendants, based only on the confessions and without any forensic evidence to support their claims, by the Icelandic court spans of almost two years in which the arrested Erla, Saevar, Kristjan, Tryggvi, and Gudjon had been kept in strict isolation from the other prisoners and were subjected to lengthy interrogations (sometimes even 13 hours per day) by the Icelandic detectives initially and later by the German ''criminal investigation expert'' Karl Schutz who was sent in order to solve the case when it was certain that the local police interrogations were going nowhere. I will not reveal anything about the story, it would take away the amazement and bewilderment, but I would like to mention that the writer manages to remain neutral and non-judgemental, merely citing the facts of the case(s) and he also maintains a good narrating pace, though I have to admit that after the first half of the book till the beginning of the third part, I felt a bit tired with the everchanging confessions of the accused. Of course, it is not your typical page-turning crime story, but the fact that this is a true account of all the things that happened during this investigation makes it more than a worthwhile choice. I would like to add that there is also a docudrama based on ''The Reykjavik Confessions'', titled ''Out of Thin Air'' (2017), directed by Dylan Howitt which is best to see after finishing the reading of the book, as it contains the interviews of the protagonists of the case and the narration is strengthened by the use of image. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you enjoy true-crime

[Cassandra Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly couldn’t put it down, absolutely crazy story of injustice. One of the most interesting books I’ve ever read!

[Auro Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐

Definitely, true crime books are not for me...

My knowledge about Reykjavik was pretty much none so when I came across this book I didn't know what I would find out or what the crime has been. I had never heard of it really.

However, the author explained everything very well at the beginning and, although, dense, the story was very easy to understand.

At the beginning I didn't know how the accused had anything to do with the crimes. I couldn't see any motive or relation between the victims and the so-called culprits.

I think the story had a lot of potential but the way it was written -It was too dense. Full pages and pages with the longest paragraphs I have ever seen- made it boring and difficult to get into it.

There were also so many names and so many characters that I was confused all the time. I didn't know who they were talking about and who was doing what.

As I kept advancing in the story, I was as lost as I was in the first page. Nothing had happened but false confession over and over again. Every suspect had given countless confessions that then they had changed. At this point, I had no idea what had truly happened and who was guilty or innocent.

The police role in the book is repulsive.
I know that it's set in the 70's and things have, fortunately, changed but the way the suspects were treated differs big time from a fair one. What happened with "Innocent until proven guilty?" These people were treated like animals and were tortured psychologically in order to make the investigators look like the had, pretty much, solved the crime.

I was satisfied, though, for how the story ended although all the psychological pain was already caused.

I have to applaud Simon Cox's research about the story but like I said at the beggining, true crime books aren't for me.

[Carly]

This true crime book is about a infamous (The Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case) known as (the Reykjavik Confessions murder case in English) that happened in Reykjavik (the capital of Iceland)
It is a very well-known case in Iceland, but it may not be as well-known in Europe, but there is this book & a documentary about it called Into Thin Air, that explains the murder case.
There s also another book called Out of thin air by Anthony Adeane which is also about this infamous case in Iceland.
Most Nordic countries (Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands) don't have as much crime. murders but there have been notorious murderers from Norway
(Varg Vikernes murdered Euronymous from the Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem)
There is a book & film called The Lords of Chaos about the Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem.
There is the Neo-Nazi, racially motivated terrorist, he wrote a oline Neo-Nazi manifesto, then placed bombs in buildings and then for some reason he was a security guard, when teenagers went to a annual trip to Utoya Island in Russia, where Anders Breivik shoot the teenagers, there wasn't really anywhere to go, because they were on a Island.
There is a book and documentary about what happened. The book is called One of us by Åsne Seierstad.
The historical unsolved murder of a prostitute "The Atlas Vampire" which happened in Stockholm, Sweden in (1932).
All of these true crime cases are worth learning more about, if your interested in true crime obviously, the Mayhem and Anders Breivik murder cases are quite gruesome, violent and disturbing though. True Crime is not for everyone.

[Brian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon Cox is clearly a good writer and his research is thorough and captures the mood of the investigation very well. Whilst the circumstances of this book are hugely fascinating proceedings do slump for a large section in the middle. Rather than concentrate on the barrage of harsh treatment the suspects were subjected to, Cox concentrates on the false confessions they were coerced and forced into providing. It would have been fine if he left it that but most of the suspects made multiple confessions, changing their stories each time. Cox details each iteration which is, to be frank, off putting and I felt my mind leaving the room on several ocassions.

The story would have been better served by concentrating less on the multitude of confessions and stuck with the arc of following the suspects on their journeys.

After the trial a very interesting endpiece tells us how the live's of the suspects panned out, this section should have been much longer, especially the teaser length mention of the young detective who was on the periphery of the case who then left to become a renowned forensic psychologist specialising in false memories and confessions. Just when Cox had me in his grip and mentions that this psychologist devised a scale for false memories this interesting character is dropped. Like, come back!!!

Anyway, this books is a fairly interesting read only let down by the over long confessions portion, Cox is a very good writer who captures the windswept darkness of Iceland well.

[Diarmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account based on a BBC investigation of a criminal case in Iceland in the mid 1970s, in which a small group of people were accused of a double homicide based on confessions extracted after long periods in confinement, and with no other evidence. Given the nature of the case and the fact that no bodies of the alleged murder victims were ever recovered the book revolves around the imprisonment of the suspects and how they were encouraged to produce repeated, often contradictory stories of what had happened and their involvement in it. It's quite a static book in many ways, and the author himself comments on how difficult and complex the case is and the challenge of helping readers make sense of it. The way in which the confessions were extracted though, and what it says about memory and reality, is fascinating.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really hard to review. It was a struggle to read as the injustice these 6 people experienced is painful. The writing was fantastic and the research that went into this book was impeccable. If you like true crime then you will like this book. I hate true crime so I don't think it's fair for me to really judge this book since it was not my cup of tea. I already have plans to pass it along to a friend in law enforcement. It is way more up his alley. Read as part of the PopSugar reading challenge for the true crime prompt.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating account of this true crime saga- 2 disappearances (likely completely unconnected), no bodies, no murder weapons, no forensic evidence,no motives, confused and conflicting suspects but convictions purely on the basis of “confessions”- it just seems fantastical the lengths the detectives went to to get (false) confessions out of vulnerable people subjecting them to months of solitary confinement, physical abuse and forceably prescribed psychoactive drugs. Almost unbelievable!

[Beanie Watson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s hard to understand how a topic so interesting has been made to be so dry and boring.

The book lacked any structure that would help to immerse you in the cases or even just help bring clarity. There’s no research to support why so many of the goings on were so detrimental/terrible/inefficient at solving the case. The images in the middle of the book contain spoilers not yet revealed, the introduction in to the characters is brief and also tells you straight away the bodies were never found.


Honestly I’m surprised I managed to finish the book and could go on and on about it’s failings.

[Lynn Glencorse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving this book one star only because no stars does not seem to be an option.
I am so glad this book is over. It was a real struggle. I rarely read true crime, favouring fictional crime novels instead, and this book has put me off venturing down the non fiction route any time soon.
The whole book was just messy in my opinion. It was repetitive, there were spelling and grammar errors, it was badly laid out, it was confusing and just overall it did not keep my attention.
Not a fan.

[Luisa Kiyoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

The big reason this is a five star is how it made me feel. I felt angry, disgusted, and mostly sad for the Reykjavik six. This book was infuriating to read. Seeing the mishandling of the justice system and especially of the law enforcement was maddening. But it was also an incredible and easy read, the writing (even if my edition had quite a few grammatical errors) flowed easily and kept me engaged.

[elaineleather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important book for the true crime aficionado!

I had never heard of this story before it is an eye opener. The police don't cover themselves in glory by any means . I don't think the book is meant to suggest corruption on the part of the police but good Lord they behaved in ways they should not be proud of!

[Tyler Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unreal story. It does get repetitive in the middle with confessions but this was culture of Iceland. This book gives you a window into an old world style of heavy handed policing to get confessions through torture. Plus, the small population and conservative style of Iceland shows how trust can be created to the detriment of the accused.

[Zoë MacGechan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting case, but as the basis of the case is lengthy solitary confinement that particular element makes the middle of the book a little dull. A story everyone should know though - it seems no police force is safe from corruption and false confessions.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting true-life story about several young people in 1970's Iceland who were accused of murder. This is the story of how their lives were forever changed by a police force that was determined to get a conviction and confession, no matter what.

[N. M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un fantástico trabajo periodístico sobre el crimen que zarandeó los cimientos de la sociedad islandesa y como, las prisas por cerrar el caso, condujeron a una marabunta de confesiones cambiantes y persecución social. Todo ello aderezado por noches eternas y hielo hasta en las pestañas.

[Julie Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a bit too long, I found it quite repetitive and was glad to get to the end. It wasn't that incredible.

[Diane Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very intense & detailed, and totally shocking & harrowing in the injustice it portrays, so I would suggest this one for real, obsessive true-crime enthusiasts (like myself 😊) only.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, however I felt there was no closure and that many of the points were covered several times.

[Sophie Alexandra Wildman Thorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting story written in a very uninteresting way. A slog to get through this book 👎🏻

[Alan Risk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad repetitive due to the nature of the case but an interesting read nonetheless.

[Colm Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very boring. I love true crime but this book droned on and on. Half the length would have covered the story sufficiently.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely thorough, perhaps too thorough, which is its downfall in the middle as it gets bogged down with repetitive detail.
The beginning and the end were much more enjoyable to read.

[Fabrizio Ori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many parallel stories confuse the reader, hard to finish

[Seren Burton · Rating 1 out of 5]

This took me over a year to read, purely because it was so SO dry. Honestly don’t do it!