An Icelandic crime fiction book – there’s very little that crimeworm finds more appealing, is there?
No, there isn’t, and as I’ve said before (and I’m far from the only person to say it!) Iceland heavily punches above it’s weight when it comes to crime fiction writers. Although not actually Icelandic (he’s Swiss) Schmidt emigrated there in 2007, so can be granted honorary status in the “Icelandic crime writer file”! And on this evidence, he’s every bit as good as most of the others – and that’s high praise indeed…
So what is going on in Rauferhofn that needs investigation, then?
Well, not a lot generally goes on in Rauferhofn – and in fact, Kalmann is the self-appointed Sheriff of the town, with badge, gun, and boots (to boot!) There isn’t any crime though – until local bigwig and all-round unpopular chap Robert MacKenzie goes missing. Round about the same time, Kalmann finds a large pool of blood up at the local (half-finished) Henge (like Stonehenge, but half-finished!) Cue the arrival of police from Reykjavik – ready to question Kalmann on his find of the pool of blood!
I should probably explain that Kalmann is a somewhat quirky character – he obviously has learning difficulties, and is incredibly big and strong, but his way of seeing the world is rather sweet and often he hits the nail bang on the head with his observations. He clearly greatly misses his grandfather, who taught him about shark fishing – so he can earn a living – and hunting and everything he needs to know to keep a house. The rest he appears to have learnt from American television.
Did you enjoy this new name in Icelandic crime fiction?
I really did – I enjoyed the story, and learning about the various characters who live in the sparsely-populated town of Raufarhofn. Kalmann himself, and his observations, are an utter joy. I really would love to hear from him again – in fact, it would be a crime if Joachim Schmidt didn’t bring him back!
Absolutely not to be missed!
I’d like to thank Anne Cater of Random Things TTours for inviting me to participate in this blog tour, and Bitter Lemon publishing for the ARC. This review consists of my own views and is unbiased.
Author Joachim B Schmidt
Check out the other reviews on the Blog Tour!
BLURB: Kalmann is the self-appointed Sheriff of Raufarhöfn. Day by day, he treks the wide plains which surround the almost deserted village, hunts Arctic foxes and lays bait in the sea — to catch the gigantic Greenland sharks he turns into the Icelandic fermented delicacy, hákarl. There is nothing anyone need worry about. Kalmann has everything under control.
Inside his head, however, the wheels sometimes spin backwards. One winter, after he discovers a pool of blood in the snow, the swiftly unfolding events threaten to overwhelm him. But he knows that his native wisdom and pure-hearted courage will see him through. There really is no need to worry. How can anything go wrong with Kalmann in charge? He knows everything a man needs to know about life – well almost.