62. - 612.) Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir – Thora Gudmundsdottir has a quiet practice of law in Suddenly her life changes when she is offered a huge fee to help investigate the death of Harald Guntlieb, a young German studying history in Iceland
Thora is immediately intrigued though startled when she learns Harald was involved with sorcery, self-mutilation and erotic asphyxiation. She is shaken when she finds Harald’s eyes have been extracted after death and a mysterious symbol carved on his body.
Harald has had a long interest in witchcraft. He has come to Iceland Iceland Europe , especially Germany Iceland
It is a macabre subject that is reflected in Harald’s life. He has had a deep personal interest in sorcery. What he has done to his tongue made me flinch when I read the passage. While definitions of normal are difficult I have no hesitation in calling Harald abnormal.
The contrast could not be greater with Thora’s personal life. She has a sunny 6 year old and a moody teenager. They are living average lives far from the dark world of Harald and his friends.
The investigation is well done. Thora and Matthew work well together assessing information and conducting interviews.
Those book reviewers who have described the mystery as creepy are accurate.
Sorcery is not an area of history I have pursued. The mystery did not whet my interest. We do not have to look back centuries to find investigations into alleged black arts. A couple of years ago I read The Butcher’s Tale by Helmut Walser Smith. It was a non-fiction book studied by my younger son, Michael, at university for a history course. It involves the murder of a young man in 1900 in East Prussia
I will read more of Sigurdardottir’s books. Thora is an engaging character. The history of Iceland
I have had difficulty categorizing the book on whether it is a legal mystery. Normally I think of legal mysteries as really courtroom trial mysteries. I have arbitrarily decided for myself that legal mysteries are books involving practising lawyers and are not limited to courtroom dramas. (Sept. 28/11)
Bill - Interesting question of whether this is a legal mystery...I'm so glad you liked this book. I very much did myself. I do like Thóra's character quite a lot, and she faces realistic struggles both on the home front and in the investigation of this case. Another thing I really liked about this novel is the humour. There's a fine, rich sense of humour that just weaves its way through the story and lightens it just the right amount (for me).
ReplyDeleteI can see the problem with the subgenres here. But no matter what, I hope you will keep reading Yrsa´s books. I liked the first, but I think the second and third were even better. That may just be me, though, I rarely like the first in a series as much as the later volumes so perhaps I just have to know the characters first to really appreciate a series.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thank you for the comment. You make a good point about the humour adding to the book. Not all is grey and grim in Iceland.
ReplyDeleteDorte: Thanks for commenting. Do you have any issues with categorizing mysteries? I agree with your thoughts on 2nd and 3rd often being better than 1st. More often than not I find the same improvement in a series.
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