Tainted Blood [Import] [Mass Market Paperback]

Arnaldur Indridason (Author), Bernard Scudder (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2007

Delving into a murdered man’s life, Detective Erlendur discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Erlendur uses all the forensic sources available including Iceland’s Genetic Research Centre in order to find the answers.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arnaldur Indridason was born in 1961, the son of an Icelandic author. Having worked for many years as a journalist and reviewer for an Icelandic newspaper, he began writing novels. He won the Nordic Crime Novel Award for Tainted Blood (originally published in the UK under the title Jar City) and, in the following year, for its sequel, Silence of the Grave. Tainted Blood is his first novel to be translated into English.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Books (October 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099513129
• ISBN-13: 978-0099513124
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,450,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arnaldur Indridason is the author of Jar City, Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake, and Arctic Chill. He won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Silence of the Grave and is the only author to win the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel two years in a row, for Jar City and Silence of the Grave. The film of Jar City, now available on DVD from Blockbuster, was Iceland's entry for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and the film of his next book, Silence of the Grave, is currently in production with the same director. His thrillers have sold more than five million copies in over 25 countries around the world. He lives in Iceland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jar City under a different name, June 4, 2007

By 

Cory D. Slipman (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tainted Blood (Mass Market Paperback)

It would have been good to know that "Tainted Blood" was actually the novel "Jar City" before I purchased it and realized the confusion after 2 pages.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair Warning re Title change, November 3, 2005

By 

C. K. Place - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tainted Blood (A Reykjavik Murder Mystery) (Paperback)

Much as I enjoyed this book, I would like to give fair warning that it was published as "Jar City" before being retitled for this paperback edition. I wish publishing houses wouldn't do this as it is very misleading.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The death of a monster, July 31, 2005

By 

Linda Oskam "dutch-traveller" (Amsterdam Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tainted Blood (A Reykjavik Murder Mystery) (Paperback)

Inspecteur Erlendur has to solve the murder of an elderly man, Holberg, who is found with a crushed skull in his own appartment. During the investigation Erlendur finds out that Holberg was a real monster whose past has now caught up with him. Erlendur's quest in the pouring Iceland autumn rain takes him via rapes, heartless policemen, bastard children and murder in the past to a solution that has everything to do with modern times. And in the meantime he has to cope with pain in his breast and a daughter that is on drugs.

A book from Iceland in the best tradition of the Scandinavian thrillers: a slightly chagrined police inspector and a lot of attention for the backgrounds of the crimes and victims. A skillful mixture of thriller and literature. Wonderful to read.