Detective Erlendur has to solve the death of a hotel doorman who, dressed as Santa Claus, has been stabbed in his room. Erlendur is a detective tormented by his past, with a difficult personal life, and unaccostumed to have relationships with women (not a very original type of detective!). The story is OK within the genre, but I do not think I would read any other in the series. ( )

This may be Indridason's best yet...it is simply outstanding. I thought the last one (Silence of the Grave) was excellent, but I liked this one even more. It is one of the darkest mysteries I've ever encountered and the time flew by as I was reading. I couldn't put it down. Most highly recommended -- for serious mystery readers and those who enjoy Scandinavian mysteries and haven't yet discovered this author. You may wish to read them in order, however.

Voices begins with the discovery of a dead ex-doorman in his basement room at the hotel where he used to work. It's Christmas time in Reykjavik, and the doorman has been found wearing a Santa suit (he was supposed to play St. Nick at a hotel Christmas party), the pants down around his ankles and stabbed through the heart. There is very little for the police to go by except for a condom. As he begins his investigation, Erlendur, along with his team Sigurdur Oli and detective Elinborg, realizes that there is no one who really knew the dead man at the hotel, even though he had worked there for years. Obviously this makes his job more difficult. He begins delving into the life of the doorman and his investigations lead him into the doorman's rather strange past -- but does it have anything to do with his death? That's what Erlendur must discover. There's also some strange happenings at the hotel, a case of severe child abuse, and Erlendur has his own daughter Eva Lind to contend with as well. And it's Christmas -- a depressing time for many people.

It's a police procedural but it's also a psychological look at what makes families tick & why family relationships are often the way they are. It's humorous in spots, but overall, this is a bit morose and dark. The mystery is solid and readers will not be disappointed. Highly recommended. ( )

Another page-turning installment in the Detective Erlendur series. Once again I could not put it down! On to the next installment in the series. ( )

This isn't one of the best mysteries I've read. With the exception of flashbacks, the entire book takes place in a hotel in Reykjavik at Christmastime, which gives it a claustrophobic feel. Erlendur, Indridason's emotionally damaged detective, continues to develop, ever so slowly, and we learn a bit more about his past. This book incorporates several plot lines: the murdered hotel doorman, who was once a choirboy child star; a case of child abuse that Erlender's associate is investigating; and Erlendur himself: the effect that events of his childhood have had on him as an adult and as a parent.

Translator Bernard Scudder is a pre-eminent saga translator, among other things. For this reason, I am inclined to assume that the sometimes awkward and unrealistic dialogue is because it has been translated into British english. The translation detracts from the story in my opinion, whatever the reason.

You probably won't want to miss this since it is Indridason, and it is a look at contemporary Icelandic society. It could have been better, though. Indridason's characters are not portrayed with enough depth to be very sympathetic. ( )

Dark but real. ( )