53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Here there is nothing but eulogies", October 15, 2008
Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason's fourth Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson novel hits the reader with the same force as the earthquake that drained the lake of the title, an earthquake that uncovers not only a skeleton weighed down with Russian Cold War spy gear, but also unleashes an unexpected and passionate attack on communism and the naive ideals that have fueled its misguided historical popularity.
Make no mistake about it - Indridason is the real deal - a writer who can spin a head-scratching mystery with the best of them, while weaving into the fabric of the murder important historical threads that will illuminate while keeping the reader guessing, riveted to the pages all the while. From the discovery of the corpse uncovered by the factual draining of Iceland's Lake Kleifarvatn in 2001, Indridason takes the reader back to Communist East Germany in the 1950's, where idealist young Icelandic socialists are provided Soviet scholarships to the venerable University of Leipzig. But in Irdridason's mastery of parallel stories, utopia begins to unravel when Marxist ideals are confronted with Fascist realities, and the fairytale attraction of a workers paradise collapses as kids are spies for the state, turning on their erstwhile friends for favors of grades and power, creating a Hell in paradise where no one can be trusted and every action is suspect. With unrest in newly minted Soviet satellite of Hungary, and a fragile young Communist Empire in the balance, the situation gets ugly and visions of glorious redistribution of wealth and universal joy begin to fade like the paint job on an East German-made tractor. Despite encouragement from his colleagues to drop what is obviously a forgotten and insignificant decades old murder, the stubborn and irascible Erlendur steadfastly clings to the case, badgering septuagenarian potential witnesses and literally digging up clues buried for over forty years.
Told with the an unshakable and remorseful tone of Scandinavian fatalism, Indridason writes from a pallet that contains no bright shades, yet nonetheless succeeds in painting a tale so rich in tones of gray and black and Stygian black that it crosses the bounds of the story, bleeding into Inspector Sveinsson's miserable life, and to the lives of those who surround him. If this doesn't sound like a lot of fun, well, it's certainly not Comedy Central - and how happy can you be living in Iceland? But "The Draining Lake's" unmistakable power and seductiveness and gravity lies in the author's bleak and brutal prose, coupled with his skill in spinning a darn good yarn. This is a modern primer in political reality, colored and only barely overshadowed by a truly baffling and well-drawn murder mystery. And, hey, how can you not like a book that features a richly drawn cast with kick-butt Icelandic names like "Valgerdur" and "Elinborg" - and they're the women!
So trust me here - Indridason just keeps cranking out novel after novel of intelligent crime that defines an entirely deeper level of noir. Read it for the history or the mystery or simply for the stylist treatment of despair - but whatever the reason, this Arctic Circle guy deserves some space on your bookshelf.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fully Realized Talent, October 23, 2008
Been a fan of this series since the start and the latest is exceptional.First off, the technique is great, controlled and subtle. Opening pages find us with a lonely woman, who has left a man home in her bed. A stranger. She surveys a lake draining away(it is her job to do so) and she finds a skelton. The juxaposition of these threads in less skilled hands would seem heavy handed. Here, his touch is deft. It works. And it works throught the rest of the novel, which explores loss and how we handle it. Some characters allow one door to close, and another to open (the protagonist, the lead detective is moving to that insight, however slowly and painfully), while others can not do it, including the man who was responsible for the body in the lake. There are other "loss" threads, which he plays off of the main ones. The writing is lyrical(kudos to the translator). A not to be missed series, and while having read the previous books gives a greater understanding, this one can be read as a stand alone.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff, March 25, 2008
This is one of the best mysteries of any kind I have read in many years.
As good or better than Henning Mankell at his best. Fine plottting, great
atmosphere, and unique insights into human nature at its best and worst.
Don't miss this very fine book.
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