House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson

Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson

My Kindle Fire tells me that I have read exactly 38 percent of House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson. It is a fascinating mystery that takes place in Iceland in the winter of 1973. 

Jacob Kieler Junior is found one snowy morning by his housekeeper. Shot dead. Turns out his father was shot and killed as well some 30 years earlier. In the same house. That murder was never solved. The house is called Birkihlid and was built by Jacob Junior's grandfather and over the years has become more of a museum than a home. 

The characters are introduced slowly and completely. There is Halldor the senior detective on the case. His is surrounded by his subordinates Egill, Erlendur, and Hrefna, the only female investigator. Johann is the forensic scientist and he is aided by his assistant Marteinn.

Between the chapters detailing the investigation of the murder, there are entries from Jacob Senior's diaries which were found on a shelf in the library. He was a railroad engineer, educated in Denmark and Germany, who ended up working in the United States for a while before returning to Iceland with his British wife. His dream was to build Iceland's first railroad.

There are long descriptions of the house and its furnishings. The forensic evidence gathering by Johann is given much prominence in the story. The diaries detail not only Jacob Senior's engineering studies but world events as well, including the start of World War I.

Halldor is a thoughtful and thorough investigator. Egill is a bit brash while Erlendur, a family man, is the one who usually gets the task of informing family members and friends of the victim's death. Hrefna is given the job of interviewing the females involved - either victims of a crime or suspects.

The translators Andrew Cauthery and Bjorg Arnadottir have done a splendid job of presenting a smooth English version of the story.

The only trouble, of course, are the names of the characters and the place names. Lots of consonants nestled against each other that don't translate well into English. How does one pronounce the initial 'Hr' in Hrefna? Or the housekeeper's Sveinborg? Or the cities of Reykjavik, Akureyri, and Svinadalur?

But I persevere and manage to keep everyone straight...so far. The story is intriguing and I am curious as to what clues Halldor will unearth that will solve these crimes. 

Mysterious Letters and Diaries

Two new mysteries in the offing for me this week. One I picked up at the library on a snowy Saturday. The second one was the Kindle Deal of the Day ($1.99) and though I don't often purchase mystery books, this one intrigued me.

The Baker Street Letters (2009) by Michael Robertson concerns Nigel and Reggie, two London lawyers who have offices on Baker Street. Part of the lease agreement requires that letters addressed to Mr. Sherlock Holmes be responded to. Most of the responses are quickly dispatched with a simple form letter, but one plea for help received from California intrigues Nigel and off he flies to the United States. Ah, yes. Trouble is afoot.

This is the first in a series starring the squabbling siblings and it looks to be quite entertaining. 

Today's Kindle Deal is House of Evidence (1998) by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson. The action takes place in 1973 in Iceland with the shooting death of Jacob Kieler. There is also the unsolved murder of Kieler's father thirty years before, a stately home in Reykjavik, a police detective who is an expert in forensics, and diaries kept by the father, who brought the first railroad to Iceland, that will perhaps help solve the mystery.

I can only hope it is not too grisly. I read the first page or two and it looks to be pretty straightforward and well-written.