One of the few crime thrillers where the uncovering of leads and evidence is slow and at times frustrating,where the clues don't just fall conveniently into the lap of a suave police inspector. Set in Iceland, an old man is found dead in his home by his neighbors, with his head bashed in, apparently by a heavy ashtray. A hand-written message is found on his body, but it is so odd that nobody can understand it.

Inspector Erlendur leads the homicide investigation, and is a man determined to find the truth, even if it makes him unpopular with his superiors. His investigations takes him to seemingly unrelated individuals, uncovering even more disturbing and at times confusing past events. Could there have been errors made by a retired policeman? And who is the mysterious Marion Briem who looks to be involved in some way, but at the same time, has been providing some helpful tips to Erlendur? And what has the death of a little girl from a brain tumor have anything to do with the old man?

If all these different tangents weren't distracting enough, a woman goes missing on the night of her wedding, and Inspector Erlendur is asked to find her as a favor.

However, as tenacious and confident as he is professionally, Erlendur is unsure of himself when it comes to dealing with his daughter, a drug addict who's just found out that she's also pregnant. They both seem to want to reach out to the other, but their relationship is so fragile because of his long absence from her life after he divorced his ex-wife. She wants a safe haven with him, but at the same time, wants him to stay out of her life and not question her. He wants her to quit her drug habit, lectures her about her lifestyle and tells her that he's out of it, but when she's missing for a few days, he pays off one of her marks, finds her in a flophouse and brings her back home.

The only bit that I thought was unnecessary distraction was Erlendur having to try and find the missing bride. The manner in which she was not only found (very quickly with not much effort on his part), but the aftermath of her being found was pretty tepid. The story wasn't made any richer for this tangent, but neither did it take anything away from the attention to the leading story.

I'm definitely going to look for others in the series. ( )

This is the first book I've read by an Icelandic author. I'm now intrigued by the country and plan to read about it. This is a great mystery with an enigmatic protagonist. ( )

I’ve really come to enjoy books by foreign authors set in foreign landscapes because I feel like I learn something every single time I read one. In this case, I had no idea that in Iceland, they don’t use surnames like we do. See, that’s something you just don’t learn on TV. Nor did I know that Iceland has a genetic database of its entire population, which is something that would certainly never fly in the U.S. Anyhoo, this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill whodunnit. There is a murder that Erlendur and his partner Sigurdur Óli are trying to solve, but the story ends up being much more about the victim and what he did in his past. This is one case where the victim perhaps got what he deserved. Erlendur is somewhat of a drab character on his own, but I enjoy his interactions with others, especially with his wayward daughter, Eva Lind. I think there’s a lot of room for growth in the series, and I look forward to reading the next two. ( )

I read Silence of the Grave before Jar City. I enjoyed both, but think this novel is better for the intriguing story that unfolds from a seemingly routine bungled burglary and killing. Indridason's style (or perhaps the translator's) is sparse, but there are enough details to visualize the characters and setting. Again, it is the story that appealed to me, holding my interest and keeping me reading. ( )

Translated from Icelandic. Arnaldur Indridason is picking up quite a following and his work is being critically acclaimed among the new wave of mystery/thriller writers from Iceland, Sweden, and Finland. JAR CITY , originally titled TAINTED BLOOD, is his third novel and the first one I found. In JAR CITY, Indridason introduces Inspector Erlendur, a multi-layered character who not only walks the reader through a labyrinthine mystery but introduces his country, its customs, and its people.

What begins as a simple death of an old man quickly draws Inspector Erlendur deeper into the man's past and then into an unsolved crime years ago. At the same time Erlander peels apart the layers of the old man and his past, Erlandur's own heart is peeled back by his daughter. The deeper Erlandur delves, the more complicated the case becomes and the more elusive the solution seems. This is a twisting, winding case that doubles-back more than once and makes you wonder if the Icelandic Inspector will ever learn the truth of the old man's death. JAR CITY has solidified my membership in Indridason's fan club, and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. ( )