The Bent Page

Jar City, by Arnaldur Indridason, introduces Inspector Erlendur in this meandering tale of murder, cold cases, and dreary weather. Things start off with the murder of an old man, found in his apartment by the upstairs neighbors. Could be nothing but a break-in by a petty criminal thought to be looking for small money. Turns out the dead man is connected to a rape case many years ago. Inspector Erlendur starts down the trail and never looks back despite the misgivings of his team, the foul weather, and troubles in his own family (a daughter mixed up with dope).

Erlendur is not a brilliant man, but he is methodical and relentless. He has no life but his work and the regrets he carries about his children. Thus, he’s able to stay on point, chasing leads that sometimes dead end and other times hit paydirt. In the process, he makes the right connections in this case, which are not so surprising as they are satisfying.

I look forward to another installment with Inspector Erlendur, hoping the character grows in several dimentions as he works out his own demons and catches those committing crimes.