The world owes a huge debt of gratitude to Katrín Júlíusdóttir for abdicating a thriving political career and instead assume the profession of penning mystery novels. Since leaving politics in 2016, the former Minister of Finance and Economy in Iceland, has admirably reinvented herself as an author of prominence. Her latest book, Stop Dead is not exception to the norm. A racy thriller set in some of the bleak and windswept remote corners of Iceland, Stop Dead is a one sitting breathless read.
At the heart of the plot is the inexplicable and clinical murder of outspoken and irascible journalist, Olga Einars. At one moment participating in the Reykjavík marathon, and in another moment lying dead after being pierced through the heart with surgical precision, the murder sends shockwaves through the otherwise calm and low-profile Iceland. The Icelandic police force has its nose set out of joint when public camera footage reveals multiple runners wearing the same number 1407 in the eventful marathon.
Sigurdís, a police officer from Iceland, who is pursuing an academic course in forensics in the United States is forced to return to Iceland, not because of the Olga tragedy, but because she is in the middle of battling her own demons in the form of an ambivalent bereavement in the family. When her former superior requests Sigurdís’ assistance with the murder investigation, she is extremely glad to assist.
What was initially a pure avenue for distraction, soon transforms into a perilous journey where an agglomeration of human emotions rules the roost. Anger, angst, anguish, revenge, and remorse all contrive together in a chaotic frenzy to throw sand in the gears of the investigation, every step of the way. Unperturbed and unrelenting, Sigurdís ploughs on with single minded determination to unmask the wily murderer. From the murky digital depths of the dark web to the isolated and unlikely setting of Husavik, Sigurdís’ investigation takes her on paths unexplored and reveals outcomes unimagined.
Stop Dead is an invigorating and ingenious book that weaves together a tapestry of human emotions. There is as much rationale for being wicked as there is for turning wise. However, Katrín Júlíusdóttir, never misses an opportunity to drive home the point in the heads of her readers that impulsive and ill-justified actions can never double up as synonyms for justice. Each character in the book is created with a fierce sense of purpose and not a single paragraph or passage in the book outlives or undermines its utility. There is free and unhinged expression of the paradoxes. The profound locks horns with the petty as rage stares calm in the eye. The plot is breezy and the narrative, matter of fact, which makes it a veritable joy to read.
Stop Dead – Sigurdís’ deserved fame under the sun, or rather under the unpredictable volcanic ash of Iceland!
This review is part of the Stop Dead virtual book tour organised by Orenda Books. While a digital copy of the book was shared for the sole purposes of review, no monetary emoluments were part of the entire process.
