When a lonely old man is found murdered in his Reykjavik
flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer
and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Inspector
Erlendur discovers that many years ago the victim was
accused, though not convicted, of horrible crimes. Did the
old man's past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens
this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual
forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger
than the murder of one old man--with clues knit into the
genetic bloodline of an entire country.