Jar City

Written by Arnaldur Indridason

Narrated by Saul Reichlin

A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave.

Delving into the dead man's life Detective Erlendur discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime, but never convicted. Had his past come back to haunt him?

As Erlendur struggles to build a relationship with his unhappy daughter, his investigation takes him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre, where he uncovers disturbing secrets that are even darker than the murder of an old man.

Jar City is the first book in the series starring Detective Erlendur available in English.

A Random House UK audio production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House UK Audio
• Release date: Jan 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781448191178

Arnaldur Indridason

ARNALDUR INDRIÐASON won the CWA Gold Dagger Award 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. Strange Shores was nominated for the 2014 CWA Gold Dagger Award.

Reviews for Jar City

[thoughtsofjoylibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Erlendur of Iceland heads a case involving the presumed murder of an older man in his flat. His body was left with their only clue - an obscure, three worded message.The reading of this, first in a series thriller, was a unique experience for me. There were quite a few elements that got in the way for this to be a truly satisfying experience. The writing was unlike most thrillers I have read, so I had to adjust to Indridason's style and the quietness of Iceland (even though it rained continuously). The translation did not feel spot on and I always have to acclimate myself to names and places outside of my country-sweet-country. And, the mystery itself was different. I watched Erlendur go off on tangents (purposeful tangents) and it made me feel unsteady. Even with all the new emotions, I still felt it was a good mystery. It purely was a matter of location and style of writing. They didn't make for a comfortable read, but not an unpleasant one either. I now have the ground work in place for when I pick up Silence of the Grave, the second in the series. I anticipate that being a better experience. (3.5/5)Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."

[therinknite-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

[Cross-posted to Knite Writes]Hm, I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one really. It was an okay crime novel with a few good twists, but I found it to be somewhat dull and boring at times. I also felt the plot moved far too slowly, and that most of the plot points could have been covered in half the pages. Also, the characters, especially the main characters, read as somewhat one-dimensional throughout the book, and I thought their development could have used a little more focus.Also, I know this isn’t the author’s fault, but I found the writing in this to be very flat and flavorless. I know translations are hard, especially from a ridiculously complicated language like Icelandic, but I feel like, if I’d read this book in its original language, it probably would have come off as a bit more interesting, even with the plot and characters the way they are. There was just something lacking in the prose, and I felt that, often times, the narration was somewhat awkwardly worded. I really think this book could use a better translation.Again, though, that’s not the author’s fault. But it is a factor a reader should consider before picking this up, so I feel the need to mention it.All in all, Jar City is really just…okay. It’s not particularly special on any front, and it doesn’t stick out among the dozens of bestselling entries in the Scandinavian crime thriller category.I’ve been told that some of the other books in this series are better than this one, so I might try another, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend this series on the basis of this book alone.Is It Worth Reading?If you like crime fiction, and you have nothing to read at the moment, go for it. If you’re looking for something a little more exciting, perhaps not.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bought this when it was recommended to me in a bookstore while on vacation in Iceland. A solid police procedural, and fun reading about all the places I had just visited.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Solid mystery.

[danhammang · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The plot is compelling. In 1999 Iceland passed legislation allowing a private company, deCode (now owned by US company, Amgen) to collect information about genetics, genealogy and health records of Icelanders. Indridason revolves his plot around this database. It is a clever plot that lingers after the novel is done, with its very significant issues about medical research, privacy and the robustness of security controls. The first half of the book is very slow moving as the lead detective, Inspector Erlunder, is set up as what I think of as the prototypical Nordic protagonist, divorced, alienated from his children, and an unknown puzzle to his colleagues. The second half picks up nicely as the loose threads start turning into real leads and a clearer plot. So if you're interested in a slice of life that is Iceland, hang in there for the first 150 pages or so and get ready for a very good ride to the end.

[brumby18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice twists and real developed characters.

[ninieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very intense. The characterization is strong; the relationship between Erlendur and Eva Lind is particularly affecting. Either the writing or the translation is just a tad clunky.

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason; (4*)"Jar City" where hospitals, morgue's, forensic labs, etc store body organs, ...., yes, in jars.Happy, happy, joy, joy!~! Back to NOIR!I really liked this dark Scandinavian noir story about the cop, the victim (s) & the rapist. It has a good back story of chasing the forensics and how genetics can turn the tide of an investigation. Another new (to me) author in this genre.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Arnaldur Indridason doesn't sugarcoat his protagonists with sweet personalities. They aren't perfect people with mundane lives. Inspector Erlender is a divorced father with a drug addicted daughter living on the fringe of society. She occasionally scrounges Erlender's flat for money or a meal. And like any parent who loves his child to the brink of insanity, Erlender takes whatever attention he can get from her. In the meantime, he has a murder to solve. An elderly man has been bashed in the head with an ashtray. It wasn't a robbery so who would want to kill a frail and quiet man in his 70s? As Erlender digs into the victim's past he uncovers horrible truths about the dead man. An unsolved cold case suddenly heats up and Erlender discovers just how complicated blood ties can be.

[honeysucklepie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful story with a certain lack of depth. Not filling enough for me, thanks. Could have been rewritten and supplemented into a 500 page book.

[samm4-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a very good story and refreshingly short in this age of overlong telephone directory books, but I didn't like the writing style, in particular his writing of speech. Everyone talks in questions all the time? That nobody ever answers? I am not a violent person but I wanted to throttle Erlendur's daughter within the first few pages. I may read more in this series, but there are many other books I wnat to read first.

[dano35ie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic Read

[mysterymax_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tainted Blood by Arnaldur Indridason is my third book in this police procedural series. This is actually the first of the series and it's original title was Jar City. Detective Erlendur (Erlendur is his first name as in Iceland that is how people are referred to) is a burdened man, much like Harry Hole and Harry Bosch, but it doesn't take away from his police work.In Tainted Blood, a man is found murdered with a note pinned to his chest and the only odd thing the police find in his room is a photograph of a grave. The story shows how an act of violence changes the lives of more people than just the initial victim.

[harrietbrown_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm giving this a 4-star rating instead of a 5-star rating simply because the genetics part of the story didn't hold my attention. But that's not the fault of the author. I just couldn't get into it. I failed to grasp the science behind the details of the genetics in this story. Which is my fault, for not being as well-informed about science as the author. The story is rather macabre, as it has to do with digging up bodies from graves, organs stored in jars in laboratories (the "Jar City" of the title), and a case of the sins of the fathers being visited upon the sons. Erlendur and his team of investigators (Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli) are called upon to solve the murder of an elderly man found bludgeoned to death in his basement apartment, which, by the way, has a very funky odor. It turns out that the elderly man was a career criminal, a rapist, who was never tried for his crimes. Erlendur suspects his murder had something to do his criminal past, and sets about digging into the man's past associates. He discovers old, long-held secrets, finds a long-buried body, and meets more than a few people tortured by their past, or by their parents' past history. I read this book in two days. I have to say, Indridason's novels hold my attention unlike anything I've read in a long time. I kept turning the pages, and I was up until 5 AM reading one night. I highly recommend this author.

[chrisconway_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unexpectedly clever. Poignant.

[rose_f-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I actually think a better translator would have made this a better read. It just came across as very flat and simplistic in language. I liked the characters, and how they were set up, but the plot was easy to guess. I think I'll give the next in the series a try, and see if it is more absorbing.

[trinker-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So far I've learned that listings in Icelandic phone books are by the first name.

[dreamingbear-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Odd. Intriguing. The main character, Erlendur, is a bit gruff, but he started to grow on me. The last line of the book brought a tear to my eye.

[grheault_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My first Icelandic murder mystery -- and It all seemed very country as a small town where everybody knows everybody and there are lots of little secrets, and plenty of gossip. No earthshaking scenes, a plausible story, and decent enough characters.

Recommended via a book placeholder card for "Indridason in the "I" section at the library, referring me to the "A" authors, explaining something about Icelandic name/surname registry alphabetization customs. Who knew.

[femme_letale · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I liked the main story around murder, genetic disease and paternity but I am not sure about the characterisation and the subsidiary stories, which all seemed a little flat to me. Erlendur has potential as a detective but I found him too bland, too generic. More could also be done around the context, Iceland, and its idiosyncrasies. Perhaps it would work best as a TV series like the killing? Possible ...

[quibee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was interesting in a way, but not entirely engaging. I felt as though everything that was happening was observed from a distance, not as though you were right in the middle of something gripping. Secondary characters weren't really rounded out and even the main character and his daughter didn't feel real. The story was ok and I did like reading a bit on a country I knew nothing about.

[carltonc_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have not read contemporary crime novels for a long time, other than Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti crime novels set in Venice.Although the setting in Iceland and Inspector Erlendur's dysfunctional family may in some ways seem far from Leon's creation, they do in this fine novel seem very similar in concept.The crime story was fairly convincingly followed through and the setting is fresh. The character dynamic is unexceptional (obsessive policeman with home life), it is well described.Although some of the subject matter is disturbing, it was an enjoyable read.

[csayban · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good detective thriller based in Iceland. The story is the best part of the book, with many twists and turns along with a very interesting ending. Inspector Erlendur is a solid main character, but there is something lacking in all of the characters Indridason create - a lack of real depth that would take this story to another level. While Jar City was an enjoyable story, it was missing that intangible quality that would lead me to continue the series. Solid but not engrossing.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This very intriguing novel introduces Inspector Elendur Sveinsson of the Reykjavik Police Department. Erlendur is in the throes of middle age and not in the best of health. He lives alone and has two troubled children, including a daughter who's in debt to drug dealers.An elderly man is murdered in his basement apartment and the killer leaves an enigmatic note lying on the body. Some of Erlender's colleagues believe that the victim, whose name is Holberg, was killed by someone attempting to rob him. But the note makes no sense in that context and Erlendur continues to look for another explanation.He discovers that over forty years earlier, Holberg had been accused of a particularly vicious rape but had not been convicted of the crime. Erlendur begins unraveling the tangled history of the victim's early life in the hope that it will shed some light on the mystery surrounding his death. The investigation resonates deeply in Erlendur's own life as he wrestles with the questions of family, love and obligation, both personally and in the crime he is investigating.Because of the setting and the general circumstances of Erlendur's life, this book has a very Scandinavian feel about it. It takes a while for the momentum to gather, but once it does the reader is off on a compelling ride through a very tangled and unusual mystery. It's hard to imagine a crime fiction reader who won't put this book down anxiously awaiting the arrival of the second Erlendur case.

[dorritt_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. If this is representative of the Scandinavian mystery/thriller genre as a whole, then I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. Not sure whether Indridason or translator are to blame for the flat, repetitive, passive tense sentences (ex: "He saw he was dead") that, for me, seriously deadened the affect of the characters and the author's attempts at building suspense. Add to this characters are neither unique nor particularly memorable, a plot that is neither mysterious nor thrilling, and extremely lame use of imagery (rainstorms infallibly worsen every time the inspector's outlook turns moody) and you'll have a sense of what you're in for. Based on the blurbs, the critics seem enamored of the novel's genetics subplot, but I felt the book didn't break any ground that hasn't already been widely - and more provocatively - explored by other writers. I gave this a try because every other book on the best seller list these days seems to be lifted from this genre. Alas, however, this is going straight to my discard pile, and I'm headed back to authors like Martin Cruz Smith, whose chilly mystery/thrillers set in Russia unfailingly deliver complex characters, subtle plots, and genuine moral ambiguity, all wrapped up in gorgeous prose.

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What made this book enjoyable was how such an intricate web was spun throughout the novel giving the reader enough interest to keep reading. I was not sure what to expect from this book. Although I’ve heard good things about it I didn’t think I would be so engrossed and be flying through the pages to find out what will happen next. I’m still not sure what to think of Erlandur as a character. Like most protagonists in series like these they usually have an underlying personal issue (whether it be health, or family for example) which he does have, but his personality I can’t really quite make out. He doesn’t seem to have much of one except he cares for his daughter and her well being even though they are estranged. He does have some sense of humor and wit but overall he appears to be driven by his work and hard working to solve the crime (we all need police like these don’t we?.)I’m liking how his relationship with his daughter is turning out. It’s nice to see them slowly step away from their estrangement and it shows they do truly care for each other even though it’s done through yelling (most families are like that though, aren’t they?) It shows a lot of tough love, and I’m hoping the best for Eva Lind in the next books (I hope she appears as I’m slowly starting to like her more.)What I enjoyed the most of this book was the plot like I mentioned earlier. It went from point A to point B but in such a dramatic motion it certainly kept you reading to find out what was going to happen next. The mood of the story also, was excellent. It was dark, dreary, melancholy, and although not suspenseful like the majority of the crime novels, it didn’t have to be. It made the setting suitable for the plot and made it more enjoyable. One little thing I do have to add though, is the side story with the bride. I’m not sure why that was mentioned as it had little to do with the main story and it seemed like a filler. It wasn’t necessary as the plot itself was fine without it. I also enjoyed the ending of the book. It was sad, but you came to the realization it had to come to an ending like this.As this is book #3 in its native language, it’s considered book #1 in its’ English translation. It seems all right and nothing seems to be lacking. Perhaps a bit of backstory might have helped but it was comprehensible to read. Greatly recommended! It’s a great break from the usual detective novels we have out there.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first discovered Indriðason, it was with Silence of the Grave (the book that comes after this one). I loved it and read through the rest of the series but for some reason, until now I had never come back to this 1st book (in English, 3rd in Icelandic). Indriðason has a wonderful way of weaving past and present in his stories; this one had less of the 'flashback' style but still blended past events with current ones. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Erlendur's daughter Eva has a significant part in this book.

[ecw0647 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bleak landscape, bleak characters, bleak story. Icelandic murders are simple ones usually insists Inspector Erlendur. This one is certainly not. An elderly man, Holberg, is found dead in his apartment with a strange note left on the body. The case then leads in a variety of directions: to a young child, the product of a rape, who had apparently died of a brain tumor; the suicide of her mother; the disappearance at sea of Holberg’s friend; additional rapes; a terminally ill cop unsympathetic cop who ignored the rape; and the search for a bride who ran away after her wedding, because, we learn, she had been abused by her father who then groped her in her wedding dress. Not to mention Erlendur’s daughter, a drug addict trying to break the habit and who is pregnant. And Erlendur is afraid to go to the doctor for his chest pains.

Not to mention it rains all the time. But a well-written, good story.

[thorold_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, because it's set in Iceland, but otherwise it struck me as a fairly generic Scandinavian crime story. Nothing really special about it, but equally nothing really annoying - probably a good sort of book for a short flight or a hospital waiting room, but nothing to go out of your way for. It's a police procedural where the main character is pretty much interchangeable with all the other middle-aged, male Nordic detectives we know and love, whilst the plot is straight out of the Sjöwall and Wahlöö catalogue: an unsympathetic victim who turns out to have been murdered in revenge for a crime that a previous generation of police didn't bother to investigate properly.

[proustitute_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really 3.5 stars. This was a first-rate police procedural as well as a slight jab at the Icelandic gene pool. The strength of this, as Elizabeth notes in her review, is that the reader is always learning facts and clues alongside the detectives; however, the withholding of the first clue until midway through the book made no narrative sense. I found some of the "at home" episodes a bit overdrawn, as if Erlendur's life must be in turmoil for him to either do his job properly—perhaps out of a shared sense of suffering with the victims—or else to elicit the reader's sympathy for him; I also found his daughter to be rather annoying.

I look forward to reading more of Indridason's work as well as exploring in more depth the contemporary European crime/mystery scene, a scene that puts the American and even most British counterparts to shame.