When a man wearing a Santa Claus costume is found stabbed
to death in his basement apartment at a major hotel in
Reykjavik, Iceland, Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his
team have dozens of suspects. Trying to conduct an
investigation among a rush of Christmas tourists and
wanting to keep an eye on the staff members, Erlendur ends
up taking a room in the hotel. After all, divorced from his
wife and estranged from his son and daughter, he has no
reason to be home for the holidays.
The victim, named Gudlaugur, was a doorman and a caretaker
in addition to playing Santa. Despite the fact that he had
lived and worked at the hotel for many years, no one seems
to have known him. As the investigation continues, Erlendur
and his team discover that this anonymous man has a very
public past, however -- a past that he was never quite able
to escape and that might have led to his murder.
This story is set in Iceland, but most of the action takes
place inside a hotel, so readers will not find many exotic
descriptions. A well-written procedural with some
surprising twists, what sets this book apart from the
dozens on the shelves is a dry, quirky sense of humor and
the colorful characters. From the hotel manager to the
cleaning woman, each personality gets a moment to shine. In
particular, Erlendur and his dour attitude, his dogged
pursuit of the case and thorny relationship with his
daughter, make a sympathetic and complex hero. I wasn't
sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly
surprised and very entertained.
The Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand Reykjavík
hotel when Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson is called in to
investigate a murder. The hotel Santa has been stabbed, and
Erlendur and his detective colleagues have no shortage of
suspects between hotel staff and the international
travelers staying for the holidays.
But then a
shocking secret surfaces. As Christmas Day approaches,
Erlendur must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a
possible romantic interest, and untangle a long-buried web
of malice and greed to find the murderer.
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