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COLD COMFORT
by Quentin Bates
Soho, January 2012
304 pages
$25.00
ISBN: 1616950544


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

COLD COMFORT, by Quentin Bates, is a police procedural set in Iceland with a female police officer, Gunnhildur, or Gunna, Gisladottir, the head of Reykjavik's Serious Crimes Unit, as its main character. Her assistant Helgi is a man. It is important to note that she is female and he is male, since to the non-Icelandic reader, the names are not instantly gender specific. Of course the parts of the last names, if you read them, do indicate daughter or son, but there are so many characters and so many confusing names that a listing of the characters would definitely be helpful. Together with other police detectives, Gunna and Helgi must solve the murder of a celebrity, Svanhildur Mjoll Sigurgeirsdottir—or Svana Geir—found beaten to death in her apartment, and track down an escaped convict, Long Omar Magnusson, or Ommi, who is bent on revenge.

The growth of the international community of crime/mystery writers and readers means that we are given the opportunity to read books from all over the globe, sometimes written in our native language and sometimes presented in translation. There are many positive aspects to this. It can be intriguing to watch the different cultural norms play out in the crime and in the solving of the crime. The writing in this book is problematic, however. Although the author has spent time in Iceland, he is British and writes in British English. The American reader may wonder if Icelandic detectives say, as Gunna does, "It's bloody weird," although that sentiment does seem appropriate.

Names should not be such a sticking point, perhaps, but it is hard to get over Gunna talking to her daughter Laufey about a rabbit. "I still think Krummi is a ridiculous name for a rabbit," she says. To the American ear, Laufey and Gunna sound neither more nor less silly than Krummi. But Krummi in Icelandic means Raven, and that is a peculiar thing to call a bunny. Bates might have realized that Krummi, phonetically at least, has a rather different connotation in English and should have clarified matters a bit.

With a background of the Icelandic financial crisis, the book is timely. Many characters, including the police, are affected by cutbacks and job loss. But the twists and turns of the plot soon become confusing. Too many characters with, well, those names. We like Gunna as a character—she has a family and is very down to earth. But she is not very exciting. Is there a problem here with a male author creating a female protagonist? Perhaps. In any case, trying to read this book will provide cold comfort for the reader.

Anne Corey is a writer, poet, teacher and botanical artist in New York's Hudson Valley.

Reviewed by Anne Corey, February 2012

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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