Magnus Jonson is Icelandic by birth, but has lived most of his life in the United States, having moved there with his father and brother following the death of his mother. Now a detective in the Boston Police Department, he’s got himself involved in a situation with a Boston gang and has to be sent back to the land of his birth as part of a witness protection programme. However, this is no holiday, and what he thinks is a temporary secondment to the Reykjavik Police Department turns into a complex case. The body of an Icelandic literature professor has been found in the lake outside his holiday house. Initially it’s believed to be a case of accidental drowning until forensic analysis reveals he was actually bludgeoned to death. The motive for his killing seems to be linked to his recent translation of a well-hidden Icelandic saga, which may have formed the basis of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. Our advice is to give it a go; it’s an excellent book. Ridpath weaves both of these ideas through his story so skilfully that you find yourself becoming engrossed rather than overwhelmed.
