Chilled to the Bone

By Quentin Bates

When Sergeant Gunnhildur Gísladóttir of the local police force is called in to investigate the death of a man found tied to a bed in one of Reykjavík's nicest hotels, she finds no sign of criminal activity but suspects there may be more to the case than meets the eye. Could the death of the shipowner be related to a local gangster’s recent return to Iceland after many years abroad?
 
What begins as a straightforward case for Gunnhildur soon explodes into a dangerous investigation, involving a discreet bondage society that ruthless men will go to violent extremes to keep secret.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781616953317

Quentin Bates

David Hackston is a British Translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The Hummingbird, The Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories. In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki. Follow David on Twitter @Countertenorist

Reviews for Chilled to the Bone

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third in Quentin Bates' series of Icelandic police procedurals, featuring the redoubtable Officer Gunnhilder. I was delighted when it was published last December, because I so much enjoyed the two earlier novels in the series -- "Frozen Assets" and "Cold Comfort". But for me at least, this book was not as compelling as the other two. The central character -- Gunnhilder Gislasdottir of the Reykjavik police -- is still very sympathetic, and great fun to watch in action: she takes no nonesense. Also, the subsidiary characters are well drawn, and the book is suspenseful. What's missing is the intertwining of Iceland's crime scene with Iceland's financial collapse, which for me was a lot of what made the earlier two books so interesting. The fading of this theme into the background may be simply the result of some normalization in Iceland's financial situation, which is a very good thing for the Icelanders. Despite my disappointment, I will continue to follow Officer Gunnhilder -- she really is a great character.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great book by Quentin Bates. Police sergeant Gunnhildur is alerted when a man is found dead tied to a bed in a hotel. The investigation brings her to more strange occurances of men being found tied to their beds in hotels and robbed, they are not hurt however just their pride. She is concerned that this whole thing had been kept under wraps and away from the knowledge of the police force. The investigation escalates into a group of ruthless people who will do anything to keep their secrets safe. The Icelandic council and business men do not come out looking good but as the investigation hots up where will it end. Gunnhildur also has her own family problems to deal with as well. I love Bates writing and the forays into gunnhildurs life and the life of some of the other characters does not detract from the real plot. I cant wait for the next book.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chilled to the Bone is an intricately plotted novel that moves like an Indy car racer from the second Gunna sinks her teeth into the investigation. From a woman doing a bit of discreet prostitution to insure her family's survival, to a very bad guy back home in Iceland after being released from prison in another country, to a missing laptop and very nervous government officials, Quentin Bates has crafted a tale that will keep readers piecing clues together until its conclusion.But this book is much more than a clever story-- it has a central character who's rapidly become one of my very favorites. Gunna Gísladóttir juggles her professional and personal lives with practicality, intelligence, and a much-needed sense of humor. On the job, she inspires confidence in those around her with her self-deprecating air of calm and no-nonsense. She has an unerring intuition as she works her investigations, and fortunately she's got a boss who lets her run with it. When the terrier-like woman finally calls it a night and goes home, she seldom seems to get the peace and quiet she deserves, and it's due mostly to her son, Gísli. Gísli has a job on a fishing boat. Instead of a girl in every port, he has girls in one port... and they seem to be getting pregnant and showing up on Gunna's doorstep while he's off to sea. It's easy to see why she needs a sense of humor! Above and beyond all this, Bates lets us see that Gunna has secrets in her past, and he's being very slow in revealing them.Chilled to the Bone, liberally laced with laughter and menace, can easily be read as a standalone, but if you crave strong characterizations, I would suggest that you begin at the beginning (Frozen Assets) so you won't miss a bit of Gunnhildur Gísladóttir. This woman is a keeper.

[jtck121166 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This started well, but I think the four equally-weighted strands of plot were too many. Coincidental connections between the initially discreet characters and events soon began to strain credibility, and in order for each strand to be fully exploited, the novel became too long and, in the end, it was a bit of a plod.Would like to have had more of the Icelandic hinterland instead.