Outrage

A young man is found dead in his apartment, lying in a pool of blood. Two articles of wome
n's clothing are found, and the victim had Rohypnol in his possession.

Readers familiar with the Reykjavik mysteries expect Detective Erlendur to arrive on the scene and take charge of the investigation; however, Erlendur is away in the fjords of eastern Iceland, so Detective Elinborg takes charge.

Elinborg appears in the previous books, but as a secondary character. Here she leads the investigation while also juggling family obligations. She proves to be calm, determined, and intelligent. Having her personality, family life, and interests fleshed out adds to the book's interest.

I was, however, disappointed that at one point she believes two show more suspects are guilty when they clearly are not. The title is too obvious a clue since it reveals the motivation for the murder, although the identity of the killer is not.

Although Elinborg proves to be a competent investigator and interesting character, I missed Erlendur. His absence comes to have increasingly unsettling overtones. Presumably the next book in the series will address that mystery. show less

“Nobody took any notice of them in the bar, nor when they left a little over an hour later and headed back to his place, taking deserted side streets. By then the drug was working. He had offered her another margarita, and as he’d returned from the bar with her third drink he’d slid his hand into his jacket pocket to palm the pill and slipped it into her glass. They were getting along fine, and he was sure she would give him no trouble.” (Ch 1)

… predictably, when they arrive at his place, and he gets her inside, she gives him no trouble. Two days later, the Criminal Investigation Department is called to the scene at the house in Thingholt. Most unpredictably, when Elinborg, the first of Erlendur’s Department on site, gets to show more the scene, it is the murdered body of a man approximately thirty years old which she discovers. And his toxicology report reveals that his body contains the date rape drug, Rohypnol – a lot of it. Also at the scene is evidence of a sexual assault and an expensive woman’s cashmere shawl, smelling of Tandoori cuisine. The deceased, Runolfur, was a telecoms engineer: fit, good looking, well liked by colleagues, and often out in the field installing broadband internet. This last disclosure leads Elinborg to wonder whether there have been other women; and if so, how many? and when? Erlendur is away on a rare leave, having finally decided to visit his childhood home, the place where his brother was lost to him. And Sigurdur Oli is on another case, all of which means Elinborg is going to be a very busy detective.

I’m almost through Indridason’s Reykjavik series: only one more to go. I’m going to miss his writing, his characters, and his storytelling. He has become my favourite Scandi-crime author, after having discovered the inimitable Larssons some years ago. show less

It's been a while since I've read a book in the Dectective Erlendur Series. Outrage was a wonderful story, and it reminds me of why I read good mysteries. I know some think that mysteries are escapist fare, and perhaps there can be some truth in that belief. Personally, I find that many well written mysteries give real insight into the human mind, both that of the police who seek criminals , what creates and drives a criminal, as well as how the victims and their families cope with the emotions created by the commission of a crime . Outrage is that sort of mystery.

I found this particular book of Indriason's to be especially compelling. While Detective Erelendur is off in the East Fjords of Iceland, female Detective Elinborg looks into show more case where a man is found murdered in his flat. The man is partially naked and most puzzlingly, he is found to be wearing just a woman's t-shirt . Rohypnol , a date rape drug, is a part of the crime situation, both in a conventional way and also in a most unexpected way.

Indriason handles the crime of rape with insight to the victim and families involved as well as the effect on Detective Elinborg.

I'm impressed by author Indrisaon's ability to write from his usual male perspective as well as his ability to write from a female perspective as he has done in Outrage.

4 enthused stars! show less

When an author switches viewpoint in a long-running, popular series there's always a risk that some readers will be disappointed. Personally I find it can be one of the more satisfying uses of an ensemble cast, as was the case in OUTRAGE. Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason has switched the viewpoint away from his normal main character Erlendur, to one of the lesser characters in the earlier books - Detective Elinborg.

Erlendur is around, more by way of reference than physically, as he appears to have headed off to the East Fjords, where he lived as a young boy. Given his fractured family it's possibly not surprising that he's dropped off the radar, although there is something at the end of the book that may intrigue some readers. show more Sigurdur Oli is present in this book, but in a low-key way.

Elinborg is investigating the discovery of the body of a young man, throat slashed, lying on the floor of his own home. Whilst the woman's shawl found in the apartment makes sense as a possible clue, it's a lingering smell that tweaks Elinborg's interest. Readers of earlier books will know that Elinborg is particularly known for her cooking, and it's that private passion that makes that smell something that she can work with.

This book is really doing what often happens in a debut, introducing and expanding on a central protagonist. In earlier books Elinborg has been very much a bit player, so OUTRAGE really gives readers a chance to get to know more about another member of Erlunder's team. The downside of that is that the plot of the book does take a while to get going, although once underway, it's actually quite clever. And uses some interesting cultural perspectives along the way.

There's an ongoing thread in all of Indridason's books about the nature of family, parental guilt and the difficulties with balancing personal lives and work commitments. Earlier books have taken readers into the relationship that Erlendur struggles to maintain with his own children, and the death of his brother when they were both children and the impact that has on his every day life. This book looks at Elinborg's own difficulties balancing the roles of wife, mother and police detective. The case revolves around family as well - the family of the victim, as well as the family of the perpetrator all play a part. Particularly interesting for this reader was the subtle comparison between the young teenage son of Elinborg and his relationship with his mother, and the very different teenage boy and his different relationship with his own mother in the earlier life of the murder victim. As always this mix of the personal and the professional creates the opportunity for readers to find some way of connecting with these characters, and, as with the early Erlendur books there's a great feeling of place, and culture built into OUTRAGE.

Despite the different viewpoint, and despite the plot of the book taking a while to move into focus, OUTRAGE really is another excellent, atmospheric, intricate and fascinating book. show less

Indridason's Inspector Erlendur's novels are exquisitely constructed and a joy to read. This one features Detective Elinborg, who takes on a complicated case of rape, murder, and a girl gone missing. Rape, particularly drug induced rape, is horrifying and Elinborg handles the victims and their families with finesse and genuine sympathy. The horror of rape is shocking and portrayed in a delicate and straight forward way. Indridason, as in all his stories, interweaves Iceland's rural past and its 21st century present and this one is no exception. The perpetrator begins his crimes in the small town where everyone knows him and knows what he has done. He perfects his crime in the anonymus city, which is reminiscent of the The Alienist. show more Indridason keeps the pace up and the reader hooked to the very end. I very much enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one. show less

I read a lot of Scandinavian mysteries and Indridason is becoming one of my favorite authors. His previous title, Hypothermia was one of my absolute favorites about Erlendur. I was expecting more of the same, but was treated with something even better. Erlendur doesn't appear in this book so much as a character himself, but instead it's his presence (or lack there of) that plays an important role. After the events of, Hypothermia, Erlendur has gone missing, no one can get a hold of him (and, hey, I'm not surprised). So, instead of reading about him, we get treated to something so great: an Erlendur novel without Erlendur but with Elinborg. We get to spend time with her and her family, as they're the focus of the book -- along with the show more mystery itself. I adored this book and I'm eagerly awaiting the next, which will similar, but about Sigurdur Oli. I love this series! show less

Every once an awhile in the midst of the new onslaught of Scandinavian mysteries, you start to wonder how these purportedly peaceful countries survive. Men seem unusually violent, politics are messed around with murder and rape and not just "normal" rape, but horrendously violent assaults. It becomes a bit like violence porn - reading and seeing these stories for the gruesomeness. I remember watching the "dragon" series during a summer where I was dealing with anger and finding them cathartic in a totally sick way.
That said, a lot of these stories are just plain good.
Among the good ones is "Outrage" by Arnaldur Indridason. The setting here is Iceland, but the people are like people everywhere, bound by traditions and shame, grudges and show more secrets, love and hatred. The author's description of small seaside towns and the secrets they hold is both intensely creepy and familiar to anyone who has visited a small isolated town where most of the young people have moved away.
Detective Erlendur is human an linked to her long-suffering family, conflicted between her job and her feelings of failure as a parent because of it. Yet she works away, chewing at her various hunches, gradually pulling together a case.
In the end, everything isn't tied up with a tidy bow. That, in itself, makes the book worth reading. Unlike most mysteries, who close the case with a satisfying thump, in this case you see, and feel, the frustrating and persistent nature of police work, where cases overlap into the next one and mysteries pull us on, wanting to read more.
I'll be looking for the next book in the series. I care about these characters and want to see how things progress. And isn't that what we authors hope for?
Definitely an author worth spending time with, though I confess a difficulty with the names... show less