MYSTERY

The Day is Dark

by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir
Minotaur: St. Martin's. Mar. 2013. 384p. tr. from Icelandic by Philip Roughton. ISBN 9781250029409. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250020970. M
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In a remote northeastern part of Greenland, several members of a team of engineers and computer scientists deployed by an Icelandic technology company have disappeared, died, or deserted the compound, refusing to return. Legal investigator Thora Gudmundsdóttir is hired by the bank invested in the exploration; but what is she investigating? Upon landing in Greenland, Thora uncovers superstitious tribal customs, engineers' violent bullying tactics, malfunctioning electronics and weather equipment, bizarre videotapes, and histrionic former employees. As she sifts through the clues, false leads, and strange artifacts, her hope for a speedy end to her stay in Greenland begins to evaporate.
VERDICT The fourth novel in Sigurdardóttir's series (after Ashes to Dust) following lawyer-cum-detective Thora Gudmundsdottir and her usually rural and always ominous adventures is full of outrageous characters and mysterious leads, building into a potentially supernatural thrill ride. As its pages accumulate, however, the suspense dissipates, the thrills dissolve, and the novel becomes a bit of a drag. Recommended for fans and followers of international mystery novels, particularly those with a yen for Scandinavian lit who haven't encountered many Icelandic mysteries.
Reviewed by Jennifer Rogers, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Coll. Lib., Richmond, VA , Mar 01, 2013
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