Voices (2003)

by Arnaldur Indridason

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Inspector Erlendur (5)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
1,755	80	9,893	(3.72)	137
At a grand Reykjavik hotel, the doorman has been stabbed in the dingy basement room he called home. It is only a few days before Christmas and he was preparing to appear as Santa Claus at a children's party. The manager tries to keep the murder under wraps. A glum detective taking up residence in his hotel and an intrusive murder investigation are not what he needs. As Detective Erlendur quietly surveys the cast of grotesques who populate the hotel, the web of malice, greed and corruption that lies beneath its surface reveals itself. Everyone has something to hide.… (more)

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An old man in a Santa suit is murdered in a horrific manner at a Reykjavik hotel the week before Xmas. The Inspector rents a room. This series is incredible. (

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Amateria66 | May 24, 2024 |

dark, with the twisted psychology that seems to predominate in icelandic and nordic mystery fiction (

)

cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |

During the Christmas rush, the Santa at a grand Reykjavik hotel is stabbed, and there is no dearth of suspects. Inspector Erlender must deal with his difficult daughter, pursue a possible love interest, and untangle a long-bureid web of malice and greed to find the murderer.

This story focused on relationships between fathers and their sons and daughters. It was well-written and had some very touching moments. In between, there was an interesting police procedural. This was another enjoyable entry in this series. (

)

gaylebutz | Nov 18, 2023 |

Santa dies during sex act. Interesting twists, as usual with this author, although a little darker than most of his works. (

)

Caspaulding | Feb 18, 2023 |

Spannend, vlot geschreven: je leest het boek in 1 adem uit. Geeft zowel de slachtoffers als de daders veel aandacht en tekent hun complexe achtergronden op een menselijke, maar tikkeltje moraliserende manier. Hij toont hoe goede bedoelingen dramatisch uit kunnen pakken doordat men opgaat in de eigen belevingswereld en blind blijft voor het feit dat iedereen een eigen belevingswereld heeft, waarbinnen men kwetsbaar is, vooral als die wereld niet gezien -laat staan gerespecteerd wordt. (

)

Marjoos | Nov 16, 2022 |

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▾Published reviews

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I cannot recommend Voices, or its two predecessors, highly enough. To be uplifted in this life, sometimes you have to drink from the well of the melancholic and fractured, and that's what is on the menu here. Arnaldur Indridason and Bernard Scudder have emerged as giants of this genre. But beware, the grip of their works is as icy as it is addictive

added by vancouverdeb | editjanuary magazine (Feb 5, 2011)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (42 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Arnaldur Indridason	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Scudder, Bernard	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Vermeyden, Paula	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Inspector Erlendur (5)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Mroczna seria

La Negra (2)

Is contained in

The Inspector Erlendur Series by Arnaldur Indridason

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Grand Prix de Littérature Policière (International Prize – 2007)

Martin Beck Award (Nominee – 2005)

Distinctions

This Mystery is Amazing! (Foreign – 2016)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Voices

Original title

Röddin

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2003

2006 [English: Scudder]

People/Characters

Gudlaugur "Gulli" Egilsson

(show all 8 items)

Important places

Reykjavík, Iceland

Iceland

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

But when winter comes, where will I find the flowers, the sunshine, the shadows of the earth?

The walls stand speechless and cold, the weathervanes rattle in the wind.

From 'At the Middle of Life' by Friedrich Holderlin (translated by James Mitchell)

Dedication

First words

Elínborg was waiting for them at the hotel.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Coben, Harlan

Original language

Icelandic

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Voices (Arnaldur Indriðason novel)

▾Book descriptions

At a grand Reykjavik hotel, the doorman has been stabbed in the dingy basement room he called home. It is only a few days before Christmas and he was preparing to appear as Santa Claus at a children's party. The manager tries to keep the murder under wraps. A glum detective taking up residence in his hotel and an intrusive murder investigation are not what he needs. As Detective Erlendur quietly surveys the cast of grotesques who populate the hotel, the web of malice, greed and corruption that lies beneath its surface reveals itself. Everyone has something to hide.

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Book description

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