The Darkness Knows: A Novel

by Arnaldur Indridason

Overview

Retired detective Konrad returns to a haunting cold case in The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason, the "undisputed King of the Icelandic thriller." —The Guardian (UK)

A frozen body is discovered in the icy depths of Langjökull glacier, apparently that of a businessman who disappeared thirty years before. At the time, an extensive search and police investigation yielded no results—one of the missing man’s business associates was briefly held in custody, but there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him.

Now the associate is arrested again and Konrad, the retired policeman who originally investigated the disappearance, is called back to reopen the case that has weighed on his mind for decades.
When a woman approaches him with new information that she obtained from her deceased brother, progress can finally be made in solving this long-cold case.

In The Darkness Knows, the master of Icelandic crime writing reunites readers with Konrad, the unforgettable retired detective from The Shadow District. This is a powerful and haunting story about the poisonous secrets and cruel truths that time eventually uncovers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250765468
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/17/2021
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

ARNALDUR INDRIDASON worked for many years as a journalist and critic before he began writing novels. His books have since sold over thirteen million copies world-wide. Outside of Iceland, he is best known for his crime novels featuring Erlendur and Sigurdur Óli, which are consistent bestsellers across Europe. He won the CWA Gold Dagger for Silence of the Grave and is the only author to win the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel two years in a row, for Jar City and Silence of the Grave. The Shadow District—the first of the Flovent and Thorson Thrillers—won the Premio RBA de Novela Negra, the world’s most lucrative crime fiction prize.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/12/2021

At the start of Indridason’s superb sequel to 2017’s The Shadow District, a melting glacier reveals the body of Reykjavík businessman Sigurvin, who has been missing for 30 years. The discovery comes as a shock to retired detective Konrád, who worked on the case back then, and leads to the rearrest and imprisonment of Hjaltalín, a disgruntled associate of Sigurvin’s, who was arrested after Sigurvin vanished and released due to lack of evidence. Now dying, Hjaltalín insists that Konrád, who was never convinced of Hjaltalín’s guilt, find the real killer by striking at Konrád’s Achilles’ heel, his vicious sham-medium father, “a bit of a devil.” Konrád, who suspects he has inherited his father’s evil nature, fears he can’t restrain himself from violently attacking the criminals he pursues. Konrád painstakingly unravels a tangled skein of old betrayals and deceit in a city, Reykjavík, where he increasingly feels like a tourist, uncovering layer after layer of culpability. As in the old Icelandic sagas, the author strips bare such archetypal human concerns as revenge, honor, and family loyalty. Konrád, who still misses his beloved wife six years after she died of cancer, is an irresistible lead. Indridason is writing at the top of his game. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Arnaldur Indridason:

"Indridason is an international literary phenom." —Harlan Coben

"One of the most brilliant crime writers of his generation." —The Sunday Times (UK)

“A haunting and elegant novel . . . a writer of astonishing gravitas and talent." —John Lescroart on The Shadow Killer

"There's always a solid sense of history in Arnaldur Indridason's moody Icelandic mysteries. With his usual delicate touch, Indridason weaves in just enough folklore to remind us that a nation can never live down its legends." —New York Times Book Review on The Shadow District

"The undisputed King of the Icelandic Thriller." —The Guardian (UK)

From the Publisher

07/09/2021

A receding glacier in Iceland gives up a long-held secret when a tour guide discovers a body in the melting ice. The police quickly identify the victim as Sigurvin, a businessman who had gone missing 30 years earlier, in 1985, and was presumed murdered. Sigurvin was last seen with a man named Hjaltalín, a former business partner; they reportedly had argued shortly before Sigurvin's disappearance. Hjaltalín always claimed innocence in Sigurvin's case, but his life was ruined by accusations of culpability. Now the police have brought Hjaltalín back in for questioning, and he refuses to speak with anyone except Konrád, a retired police detective who had led the original investigation. The case has haunted Konrád for years, and he is soon compelled to investigate on his own, as fresh leads appear. VERDICT Last seen in The Shadow District, detective Konrád is back for the launch of his own series. The award-winning Indridason has a long track record of writing grimly compelling Nordic crime thrillers, but this latest title moves at the pace of its retired protagonist. Konrád is often mired in his past, and there's little e suspense as he slowly pursues suspects in a decades-old murder.—Melissa DeWild, Comstock Park, MI

Library Journal

2021-06-02
The reopening of a cold case brings sketchy characters out of the woodwork and triggers deep emotion in a retired detective.

While exploring an Icelandic glacier, a group of German tourists stumble upon the well-preserved corpse of Sigurvin, a young man who disappeared 30 years ago. Konrád, the retired detective who worked the case, gets a call from his friend Svanhildur, a pathologist at the National Hospital, urging him to take a look at the body. A large head wound confirms that the death was most likely murder. Konrád has long believed that Hjaltalín, a man who threatened Sigurvin, was responsible for his death. The suspect was never brought to justice but suffered public infamy. When Hjaltalín, now elderly and frail, is taken into custody, he requests a meeting with Konrád, professes his innocence, and pleads to be exonerated—and then, days later, he dies. Once Konrád reluctantly begins a new investigation, he notices glaring omissions in the record and gets an odd visit from a woman whose brother, killed in a suspicious car accident, may have witnessed the crime as a child. His labyrinthine probe unearths secrets that have been buried for decades. Indridason methodically builds a portrait of Iceland with a large cast of nuanced characters unsettled by past events. In dredging up the past, Konrád must also confront his complex relationship with his own abusive father, whose murder was unsolved as well.

The intricate plot poignantly depicts community crosscurrents, past and present.

Kirkus Reviews

Narrator Sean Barrett portrays the taciturn retired Inspector Konrad, who is called back into service to investigate the frozen body of a thirty-year-old cold case. Barrett’s tone reflects the famous restraint of Icelandic society. He manages Konrad's signature introversion while also drawing listeners into the intricate plot of the mystery. An experienced narrator, he balances the pace of the story with much the same deftness that the writer demonstrates. Fans of Nordic noir will enjoy this performance. For those new to the genre and looking for an easy start, Barrett offers an expert entry into a world of danger and intrigue. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Sean Barrett portrays the taciturn retired Inspector Konrad, who is called back into service to investigate the frozen body of a thirty-year-old cold case. Barrett’s tone reflects the famous restraint of Icelandic society. He manages Konrad's signature introversion while also drawing listeners into the intricate plot of the mystery. An experienced narrator, he balances the pace of the story with much the same deftness that the writer demonstrates. Fans of Nordic noir will enjoy this performance. For those new to the genre and looking for an easy start, Barrett offers an expert entry into a world of danger and intrigue. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile