In this atmospheric, foreboding-feeling book, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is being forced into early retirement at 64. She's not happy at all about this, considering she has devoted years to her work. She's also not wild about the idea of facing the loneliness of life without work. Before she leaves, she's given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice. Hulda chooses to investigate the case of the body of a young Russian woman who washed up on an Icelandic shore a year ago. The case had been given a quick investigation and declared a suicide; however, Hulda is sure there is more to this case. As she investigates, she discovers there is, in fact, much more to this case and no one seems to be telling her the whole story about this Russian woman. Even as her boss seems determined to stop her, Hulda is set on finding the killer --- but is her own life in danger?I wasn't familiar with this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did find this book to have a foreboding feeling running through the story, like a dark smudge that you can't rub away. It's not just the dead Russian woman; there's something dark to Hulda, as well, which you can tell is important. However, that truth isn't revealed until the very end. I liked that the story kept me guessing and I also found Hulda to be an intriguing character. I also very much liked the sense of unease I had on her behalf when she's interacting with one or two other characters. You do get a sense that Hulda is in danger, but you're not sure which direction it will come from.
I was surprised by the ending -- and that's all I can say without giving anything away. I found myself blinking, though, at the pages and feeling, well, a bit stunned. Not sure yet if I enjoyed that or not. Interesting book and I'm curious to read Snowblind by this author and see how that series is.
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