Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason

Silence of the Grave: A Thriller by Arnuldur Indridason; translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder --- 279 pages

This is the second book in Icelandic author Indridason"s series of gritty crime thrillers featuring Detective Inspector Erlandur Sveinsson. Erlandur and his team are called out to the scene of a grisly discovery: the bones of a corpse found by children playing on a construction site where a new housing estate is being built on the outskirts of Reykjavik.

Already in this second book it seems well established that Erlandur and his team deal in cold cases --- old murders long unsolved. In this instance, Erlandur must first determine whether this is a murder at all, and if so, how to identify the victim. Only by slowly gathering and assembling bits and pieces from old records and fading memories does Erlandur uncover the dreadful family history hidden in this silent grave. What he learns also forces him to confront the reason for his own failed relationships, especially with his defiant and self-destructive daughter.  With its jaundiced view of human nature and brooding Icelandic setting, this is another example of the "crime nordique."