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House of Evidence
By Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson
House of Evidence starts off with a shocking murder. Reykjavik’s detective division is called in to investigate. We soon find ourselves in the midst of not one, but two murder investigations; that of Jacob Kieler and also his father’s murder, a cold case dating back more than twenty-five years ago.
Ingolfsson does a fantastic job with this whodunit, he keeps the mystery well shrouded until the very end. What I really loved was the parallel investigations, each chapter ended with detective Palsson reading from the father’s journal. Through this we get a fantastic insight into life during the first part of the twentieth century, and we discover the secrets leading up to the death of Jacob senior.
What I found a bit lacking in this story was the development and depth of the characters. I really didn’t feel like I got to “know” any of them by the end of the story. It left me with the impression that the author was more focused on the crime and the investigation than on the characters investigating the crime.
The story was interesting, and if you like a good whodunit with a great twist at the end, then House of Evidence could be a great book for you.
3.5 Stars