Morðið í Alþingishúsinu

Stella Blómkvist #4

by Stella Blómkvist

Stjórnarandstaðan hefur krafist umræðu utan dagskrár á Alþingi vegna ummæla dómsmálaráðherra um nauðsyn þess að takmarka fjölda útlendinga sem fái að setjast að á Íslandi. Á áheyrendapöllunum efna þjóðernissinnar til uppþota og ung fréttakona lætur lífið þegar hún kastast fram af áheyrendapöllunum ofan í þingsalinn. Var það slys eða morð? Fjórða bókin um Stellu Blómkvist, lögmanninn snjalla og úrræðagóða. Æsispennandi sakamálasaga eftir dularfyllsta rithöfund landsins.

The political opposition have demanded a debate outside the parliamentary agenda due to a statement made by the Minister of Justice about the necessity of restricting the number of foreigners allowed into Iceland. In the audience the nationalists start a riot and a young reporter loses her life when she is thrown forwards off the audience platform into the parliamentary hall. Was it an accident or murder? The fourth book about Stella Blómkvist, the brilliant and resourceful solicitor. A thrilling crime novel by the most mysterious author in Iceland.

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Nobody knows who Stella Blómkvist is. More than ten years have passed since the publication of her (or his) first book, Morðið í stjórnarráðinu (The Murder in the Ministry), but nobody has ever uncovered the mystery of who is behind the pen name. Many possible names have been suggested as the identity of Stella, including Davíð Oddson, the former Prime Minister of Iceland. However, these theories are pure speculation.

Reviews

[Berengaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

short review for busy readers:
When a reporter falls from the balcony of the National Parliament in Reykjavik and dies, Icelandic "wild child" lawyer Stella Blómkvist is hired to defend the man accused. A good addition to the Blómkvist series and a solidly-built mystery.

in detail:
Stella Blómkvist is the spiritual cousin of Texan author-detective Kinky Friedman. Both of them pen and star in their own mysteries, and both are "fringe" characters with a particular way of speaking, a like for the booze and wild nights.

I just like Stella's 200-pager novels. Always have.

Just like I simply enjoy Norwegian author Monica Kristensen's mysteries, although neither seem to be popular with readers, constantly gleaning 3 GR stars or under.

This novel takes us into the heart of Icelandic politics when a journalist is murdered at the National Parliament during an illegal demonstration. The twisty-turny plot takes in 3 elements I've seen done a few times by famed Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason,
a) Iceland's National Socialist past and current nationalist movements.
b) problems of immigration, esp of East Block "businessmen".
c) Reykjavik's strip clubs

and, of course, everyone is always somehow related to the person or persons being investigated or knows them from school. This is Iceland after all.

And it's a lot of fun...if you can take Stella's very penetrating personality and her partying.

Books 1-3 in the Stella Blómkvist series have been translated into English. This one, not yet.

[Már Másson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sólbaðslesning

[Petr Pláteník · Rating 2 out of 5]

Falešný svědek
Zápletky knih Stelly Blómkvistové jsou v podstatě zaměnitelné: mafie, vlivné ekonomické, politické či společenské kruhy a jimi prolétává "ve svém stříbrném mercedesu" titulní advokátká Stella, která je tak trochu macho- a trochu bi-... Nejzábavnější na celé sérii je samotná ústřední postava, její neuvětitelnost, která hraničí s anonymností autora/autorky textu ukrývající/ho se za pseudonymem.