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.