Reviews: Murder Tide (3)

Stella is a hardworking lawyer in practice on her own and a single mother. She driven and determined, the type of modern woman how knows what she wants and just how to get it, be it in the courts or between the sheets. She’s razor sharp and shoots from the lip, this is one woman who could better Phillip Marlowe. Verbally she gives as good as she gets, rarely being bettered. No shrinking violet, occasionally impetuous and decidedly quirky, she simply a fabulous character.

The first case is helping the teenage daughter of one of Stella’s first clients, who has passed away. In Stella’s safe there is a package for her, which leads to a quest to connect with the father she never knew and ultimately a paternity case. This has a profound effect upon Stella who is unsure of the identity of the father of her own daughter Sóley Árdís. Stella fell pregnant in a brief hedonistic period following the death of her father. She has already ruled out Reverend Finnbogi, so the father is one of two other men, who is unaware of being a father. Stella has loved raising her alone but Sóley Árdís is bright and precocious, so questions will come soon. Paternity and family relationships are the themes of this novel.

In this instalment the reader encounters a troubled and distracted Stella, with even some hints of personal vulnerability. Her bisexuality is moving towards an exclusive lesbian relationship with Rannveig her TV producer girlfriend. Their relationship has blossomed to such an extent that they are now effectively a family of three, with Sóley Árdís taking everything in her stride. Stella has much more at stake, so much to lose if she gets things wrong and we see a protective side of her emerging.

The second case is unusual in she is appointed by a crook, the wonderfully named ‘Psycho’ Sævar Ásgeirsson who she helped convict. Initially reluctant to take on the case she is swayed by a touch of flattery over her tenaciousness and willingness to not always play by the rules. Also, it all adds to the ‘Stella Fund’ her savings plan but is that a good enough reason to accept. This results in her being drawn into a serious drug smuggling case which has the fingerprints of major crook Sigvaldi Auðólfsson, known to all as Porno Valdi. Danger and jeopardy awaits for Stella and those she loves. This brings an exhilarating, frantic touch to an already pacy novel.

The final case she juggles is that of a fisherman who is accused of the murder of a former MP who became a fishing quota baron. The murder by drowning was foretold by a medium, who Stella initially ignored for being too vague on details to narrow anything down. The same medium later has a more personal vision for Stella.

The story may be strongly focussed, but the author has many targets in her sights. Written shortly after the worldwide banking crisis the mismanagement, corruption and the tainting of business practices by bankers naturally figures. The police, politicians and the legal profession hardly fare any better. There is also a sense of the fundamental issue being that the people responsible for the all mess are the same ones who purport to clean it up.

Iceland is a great setting for crime fiction, but in this story the natural rugged beauty is largely ignored for the claustrophobic parochial feel of the place. The population of the island is small, no bigger than the average European city, so the sense of constant connections where almost everyone is familiar or related is rather oppressive.

The prose is sharp and snappy, eschewing detailed descriptions for a pared back no-nonsense approach. This is a perfect fit for a character such as Stella, incisive and straight to the point. There is also a lovely individuality brought to the language too, with the ‘city’s finest’, ‘the boys in black’ and the ‘red townhouse’ and ‘Tennessee nectar’ of ‘Jack D’ adding a colourful quirkiness. Brilliant work here by the translator Quentin Bates in preserving all this on the page and making it a pleasure to read. The final word falls to Stella’s late mother, as it does with most chapter breaks, whose entertaining homespun observations and aphorisms are recalled. These are wise words coming as a reflection of the day’s events.

Stella Blomkvist is both the author’s pen name and the name of the protagonist in a series of Noir crime thrillers set in Iceland. The latest title is Murder Tide. Stella is a lawyer, accustomed to carrying out investigations on behalf of her clients, who are often colourful and sometimes quite dangerous to know. In Murder Tide, she is approached by a medium, who has a premonition that a man is tied to a structure near water and that he will soon drown, unless he is rescued. Stella writes off the woman as an eccentric and the police do the same – but then Grímúlfur Halldórsson, a well-known former politician and businessman, is found bound to a pier and drowned by the incoming tide. Stella is stunned – and then she is asked to represent Hávarður Hergilsson, who is accused of murdering him.

There are several sub-plots running through the novel, some of which begin to link together as the story goes on. One is Stella’s reluctant quest to discover the identity of her daughter’s father (!). This is something she remembers that she should be doing when she takes on a young client, Úlfhildur, who suspects that her father is Konráð Kristjónsson. Konráð is the leader of a Christian mission to rehabilitate addicts, but he is less than keen to acknowledge his possible new daughter. Úlfhildur wants Stella’s help to make him take a DNA test, something that is her right under Icelandic law.

Stella is further surprised when ‘Psycho’ Sævar, a man that she helped to convict some years previously, also asks her to represent him. She asks herself why he would choose her, of all people, but endeavours to do her best job, regardless. She doesn’t yet know that she is risking everything by re-engaging with such a dangerous set of clients.

There are many strands to Stella’s books, and the cast of characters is so vast, that I had to keep notes in order to keep track of them for reviewing purposes. That wouldn’t be necessary if you’re just reading the book, but I wouldn’t put it down for too long between sessions unless you have a good memory!

Although Murder Tide is part of a series, there would be no problem reading it as a stand-alone book. In fact, Stella goes out of her way to remind/inform readers of the back story, which is very convenient.

As with all her books, the setting in Iceland in ‘the noughties’ is very much a part of the story. And by ‘Icelandic setting’, I don’t just mean the odd snowfall or hints about the sagas. From fishing quotas to the Icelandic banking collapse, there are so many individual factors that are particular to Iceland that the series really couldn’t be set anywhere else. As such, this is a terrific book with a gripping plot that both entertains and informs about Iceland. I’d go so far as to suggest that even readers who are relatively familiar with the setting are likely to learn something new about Icelanders and their communities.

The book’s ending creates something of a dilemma: will there be more books by Stella Blomkvist or does this mean she is done? I, for one, am hoping that she can weave yet more Icelandic magic for her readers to enjoy.

I have to say I love everything about this series and Stella Blomkvist as a person, I always just fall straight into the books

The books are not long in terms of the number of pages, but they pack plenty in, quick and pacey with a plot richly layered in mystery and intrigue, slowly revealing the truth

I lover the way the author combines multiple storyline threads and knits them seemlessly together, each complex dealing with differing themes, police corruption, betrayal

As a character I find Stella deep and intriguing, strong willed with a steely determination to seek out the truth, not afraid to mix it up, but then you have another more caring side with her daughter and her relationship with Rannveig, for me in this book that side comes across more strongly, maybe we are starting to see a different Stella. As a lawyer she is somewhat unconventional and treads a fine line, there is something unique with Stella which makes her standout. Within the book as a whole you have a wonderful cast of characters, strongly written

I always enjoy the Icelandic settings and landscape within the books, adding to the atmosphere, equally setting the book just after banking collapse allowed the plot to take a look at differing aspects of Iceland and its people

As a read it moves along slickly building in intensity and drama ultimately building to a suspense filled ending, packed with twists and turns. A read where the author grabs the readers attention from the opening pages and doesn’t let go with its engaging narrative driven by characters who speak to you.

There is a touch of the Raymond Chandlers to these books the writing always crisp and snappy, you breath in every word

As always Quentin Bates translations captures those subtelties within the book and draws everything out in technicolour on the page, ensuring the reader a highly engaging read

A series I would highly recommend, everyone should be reading Stella