Hypothermia

Description

When a woman is found dead shortly after attending a seance, Detective Erlendur, already haunted by an unsolved mystery from thirty years ago, begins his investigations. One cold autumn night, a woman is found hanging from a beam at her holiday cottage. At first sight, it appears like a straightforward case of suicide; Maria had never recovered from the death of her mother two years previously and she had a history of depression. But then the friend who found her body approaches Detective Erlendur with a tape of a seance that Maria attended before her death and his curiosity is aroused. Driven by a need to find answers, Erlendur begins an unofficial investigation into Maria's death. But he is also haunted by another unsolved mystery - the disappearance of two young people thirty years ago - and by his own quest to find the body of his brother, who died in a blizzard when he was a boy. Hypothermia is Indridason's most compelling novel yet.

Arnaldur Indridason worked for many years as a journalist and critic before he began writing novels. His books have since sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Outside Iceland, he is best known for his crime novels featuring Erlendur and Sigurdur Oli, which are consistent bestsellers across Europe. The series has won numerous awards, including the Nordic Glass Key and the CWA Gold Dagger.

one of the most haunting crime novels you can expect to read: unsentimental, yet informed throughout by Indridason's extraordinary empathy with human suffering * The Times * An intelligent, gripping and moody tale with superior characterisation -- Marcel Berlins * The Times * The narrative grips, the writing, excellently translated by Cribb, is resonant and lyrical, and the atmosphere is chillingly creepy -- Laura Wilson * Guardian * Hypothermia is one of the most haunting crime novels I've read in a long time, unsentimental yet informed by the author's extraordinary empathy with human suffering -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times * An insightful human story, beautifully written and translated -- Jessica Mann * Literary Review *