Dark and sad but so well written you cannot put it down.
The technique of not knowing the victim due to the slow archeological uncovering of the bones really worked ( )

(2006) Second in series is another very good novel by this author. A long buried corpse is discovered buried in Reyjavik and Erlendur tries to piece together the mystery. An archeologist is brought in to unearth the body while the police try to determine who it may be. It leads them to WWII and the fact that one of the families who lived close by was that of a violent man who beat his wife and threatened his 3 children. This man is sent to prison for stealing from the local US base and while there his wife falls in love with a local US soldier. When the man is released he comes home threatening to kill his wife and an unborn infant. The wife manages to start poisoning him with rat poison, but before it can have the desired effect, the man discovers it and comes after the wife. In order to protect his mother the oldest son grabs a pair of scissors and kills his father. This is the body buried in the moor. Good writer.Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. In Indridason's excellent second mystery (after 2005's Jar City), a skeleton, buried for more than 50 years, is uncovered at a building site on the outskirts of Reykjav?k. Who is it? How did he or she die? And was it murder? The police wonder, chief among them the tortured, introspective Inspector Erlendur, introduced in Jar City. While an archeologist excavates the burial site, several other narratives unfold: a horrifying story of domestic abuse set during WWII, a search for missing persons that unearths almost-forgotten family secrets involving some of the city's most prominent citizens, and Erlendur's own painful family story (his estranged, drug-addicted daughter is in a coma, after miscarrying her child). All these strands are compelling, but it's the story of the physical and psychological battering of a young mother of three by her husband that resonates most. And the denouement of this astonishingly vivid and subtle novel is unexpected and immensely satisfying. Indridason has won the CWA Golden Dagger Award.

Fascinating for the view of Iceland and the struggles it, too, is having with new immigrants and prejudice.
Not to be read late at night as the names of characters take some getting used to for the non-Nordic. As seems common with Nordic thrillers, bureaucracy plays a heavy role here.
Enjoying getting to know this writer! ( )

I did like getting more of the backstory here, I think the interpersonal relationships are the more interesting parts of his books. ( )

A human rib is found by children playing in construction sites, leading to the discovery of a skeleton buried years ago. Erlandur is determined to find out who the skeleton was, opening up a story of poverty, abuse, and desperation.

The device of alternating the investigation with the actual story of what happened is a little tedious, to the point that some of the suspense was undercut. But the denouement is satisfying.

In parallel with this, Indradison gives us the continuing story of Erlandur and his daughter Eva Lind, estranged for years, and his exploration of his own history. ( )