Harm – Solveig Pálsdóttir
When wealthy doctor Ríkarður Magnússon goes to sleep in his luxurious caravan and doesn’t wake up, detectives Guðgeir Fransson and Elsa Guðrún are called to the Westman Islands to investigate what looks like murder.
Suspicion immediately falls on Ríkharður’s young, beautiful and deeply troubled girlfriend – but there are no easy answers in this case as they are drawn into family feuds, disgruntled friends and colleagues, and the presence of a group of fitness-obsessed over-achievers with secrets of their own.
As their investigation makes progress, Guðgeir and Elsa Guðrún are forced to confront their own preconceptions and prejudices as they uncover the sinister side of Ríkharður’s past.
Harm is the third novel featuring the soft-spoken Reykjavík detective Guðgeir Fransson to appear in English. Sólveig Pálsdóttir again weaves a complex web of intrigue that plays out in the Westman Islands, remote southern Iceland and Reykjavík while asking some searching questions about things society accepts at face value – and others it is not prepared to tolerate.
I received a review copy from the publisher
Harm takes us to Iceland – the third English translated novel featuring detectives Guðgeir Fransson and Elsa Guðrún and a book which can be read as a stand alone. I have not read any of Sólveig Pálsdóttir’s earlier books but did not find this to be limiting when I was reading Harm. There were a couple of incidents which srongly suggested past events were being discussed but nothing appeared to be a spoiler for those earlier titles and not understanding the references did not cause a jarring impact on my enjoyment of the latest tale.
In Harm the reader gets to view a reunion of friends in the remote Westman Islands. One of the party is older than the others, a doctor who is accompanying his younger girlfriend. But there is disharmony in their relationship, she appears frustrated with him and their friends notice some friction. Then during their meal the older man (Ríkharður) becomes very drunk and has to be taken back to their shared caravan by his partner. She tries to help him into bed to sleep off the booze but, come the morning, he does not wake up.
The young woman is shocked at the death of her partner and we see her vulnerabilites come to the fore as she realises she does not know what to do. She gave him some tablets to help him sleep so she would not be bothered by him – now she will be accused of his murder. In panic she packs some essentials and flees – stopping to discard her mobile phone.
In due course the couple’s absence is noticed by their friends and Ríkharður’s body is discovered. Fransson and Guðrún need to find the missing woman and bring in a killer. However, something isn’t sitting right with them. The friends of the couple don’t seem to be reacting in a way the police would have expected. Furthermore, when questioned their answers are not particularly clear or helpful.
This is a relatively short read but it’s tightly constructed and charts a very methodical investigation. The story doesn’t rely on shocks and twists, chases and thrills – Harm has shades of a PD James novel insofar as it relies upon excellent story telling to keep you reading. The reader uncovers truth when the police do. The reasons behind some behaviours are eventually revealed and you understand why certain events happened in the way they did.
This is clever entertainment – a story driven crime tale without gimick or fantastic coincidences, just a rewarding book with strong characters that I am sure crime fiction fans will love
Harm is published by Corylus Books and can be purchased in paperback or digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B6CB738Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
