Book Review - Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Category Book Review Yrsa Sigurdardottir Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols Medieval Witchcraft and Modern Murder
A friend of mine suggested I give Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder by Yrsa Sigurdardottir a read. Not quite knowing what to expect, I finally started reading it earlier in the week. Overall, it was a pretty good story, and one that took me outside my normal cultural settings.
The general plot revolves around the death of a German student who was studying in Iceland. Harald Guntlieb was found in a printer closet by one of his college teachers, his body showing signs of ritualistic mutilation. Guntlieb's parents don't think that the Icelandic police have done enough to find the real killer (they *do* have someone in custody, however). Ms. Guntlieb hires Thora Gutmundsdottir, a single mother who is a lawyer in a small two-person firm, to dig around and try to uncover other angles that might have been ignored. She's to be assisted by Matthew Reich, an employee of the Guntlieb's who handles security matters. The rather high fee she's been offered overcomes her reluctance to get involved, and she starts to work with Reich to bridge the gap between the German and Iceland culture and language. On first glance, it appears that the police have a pretty solid case on their suspect, and that Harald was wrapped up in some pretty strange, medieval practices. But as the two investigators continue to dig deeper, Harald's "friends" seem to know more than they're telling, and Harald's lifestyle may not be all that the others have made it out to be. Following the clues laid out in a series of letters from the 16th century, Gutmundsdottir and Reich start to learn the real truth behind Harald's obsession with witches and sorcery, and how they led to his death.
Not having any reference for Icelandic culture, I can't say whether this was an accurate representation of everyone involved. I will say, however, that the story and plot were interesting, and the characters had life. Gutmundsdottir doesn't come off as some super-hero detective. Instead, she comes off as a single mom struggling to balance work and life, as well as trying to manage a significant crisis in the life of her son. I enjoyed the interplay between the Gutmundsdottir and Reich characters, as they did seem to be a rather odd couple. And along the way, I picked up a bit of history to boot. I don't know that I'd make Sigurdardottir's novels part of my "must read" fare, but it was an enjoyable departure from my normal recreational reading.
A friend of mine suggested I give Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder by Yrsa Sigurdardottir a read. Not quite knowing what to expect, I finally started reading it earlier in the week. Overall, it was a pretty good story, and one that took me outside my normal cultural settings.
The general plot revolves around the death of a German student who was studying in Iceland. Harald Guntlieb was found in a printer closet by one of his college teachers, his body showing signs of ritualistic mutilation. Guntlieb's parents don't think that the Icelandic police have done enough to find the real killer (they *do* have someone in custody, however). Ms. Guntlieb hires Thora Gutmundsdottir, a single mother who is a lawyer in a small two-person firm, to dig around and try to uncover other angles that might have been ignored. She's to be assisted by Matthew Reich, an employee of the Guntlieb's who handles security matters. The rather high fee she's been offered overcomes her reluctance to get involved, and she starts to work with Reich to bridge the gap between the German and Iceland culture and language. On first glance, it appears that the police have a pretty solid case on their suspect, and that Harald was wrapped up in some pretty strange, medieval practices. But as the two investigators continue to dig deeper, Harald's "friends" seem to know more than they're telling, and Harald's lifestyle may not be all that the others have made it out to be. Following the clues laid out in a series of letters from the 16th century, Gutmundsdottir and Reich start to learn the real truth behind Harald's obsession with witches and sorcery, and how they led to his death.
Not having any reference for Icelandic culture, I can't say whether this was an accurate representation of everyone involved. I will say, however, that the story and plot were interesting, and the characters had life. Gutmundsdottir doesn't come off as some super-hero detective. Instead, she comes off as a single mom struggling to balance work and life, as well as trying to manage a significant crisis in the life of her son. I enjoyed the interplay between the Gutmundsdottir and Reich characters, as they did seem to be a rather odd couple. And along the way, I picked up a bit of history to boot. I don't know that I'd make Sigurdardottir's novels part of my "must read" fare, but it was an enjoyable departure from my normal recreational reading.
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