‘Murder at the Residence’ by Stella Blomkvist

My Review (4 stars out of 5)

The New Year dawns to find Iceland still coming to terms with the effects of the financial crash. When an infamous financier is beaten to death following a reception at the President’s residence, the cops soon have a man in custody. But lawyer Stella Blómkvist thinks there may be more to it and starts poking her nose in….

The first thing to note about this book is that the author and its main character are both called Stella Blómkvist, which adds a touch of mystery to the whole thing. The main character is intriguing and doesn’t fit into the usual stereotypical idea of a legal eagle. Character names are a bit tricky for non-Icelanders, and I did get confused about who was who at times, but the story is fast moving, and the ending particularly exciting. I wasn’t entirely sure about the translation (by Quentin Bates) – if it is an accurate translation then some of the dialogue is a bit clunky, but otherwise it’s an enjoyable read with an interesting main character.

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