Black Skies: An Inspector Erlendur Novel (An Inspector Erlendur Series) - Hardcover

With series favorite Detective Erlendur away on leave (as in Outrage, 2012), Indridason again spotlights Erlendur’s Reykjavik police colleagues, offering a strong series entry infused with his trademark emotional turmoil and psychological insight. Detective Sigurdur Óli is questioning his life’s direction after learning that Iceland’s recent prosperity (soon to disappear following the debt-crisis-fueled collapse) has made several of his schoolmates wealthy, and his long-term relationship becomes a casualty of the emotional distance his job requires. When his friend Patrekur asks him to unofficially discourage a blackmailer, he’s uncomfortable with violating regulations but reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately, when his visit interrupts a murder attempt on the extortionist, there’s no chance of hiding his involvement from the department. Suspicion falls on Patrekur, and Sigurdur scrambles to restore his unblemished record by proving he’s not an unwitting alibi. At the same time, a lost soul from a past case claims he has found his childhood abuser, hinting to Sigurdur that he’s ended his preying on children. Black Skies continues the series’ exploration of Iceland’s social ills, this time exploring how national prosperity has brought with it a different kind trickle-down effect: greed and malignant power working their way throughout society. --Christine Tran