Many thanks to Ewa Sherman and Corylus Books for the advance copy of the latest Stella Blómqvist mystery, "The Murder Pool". I've reviewed three previous Blómqvist books for Corylus, yet I still don't know who the pseudonymous author is. It's the character of Stella who lures me in. I'm also grateful to Quentin Bates for his wonderful translation work. He has given me the chance to enjoy so many other terrific Iceland Noir authors, and is a mystery author in his own right. .
Note: Since the character and the author share the same name, to avoid confusion, I refer to the author as “Blómkvist” and the character as “Stella”.
"The Murder Pool" is the fourth book in the addictive Stella Blómkvist series. One of author Blómkvist's trademarks is using the events surrounding Stella's cases to create a scathing portrayal of timely social issues. In this instance, powerful men who abuse women without suffering consequences.
Stella is a lawyer in Reykjavik, known for going to any length to defend her clients. "The Murder Pool" sees her experiencing some personal issues that reveal more about Stella's other side. She's a single parent to daughter Sóley Árdís, and the man she believes to be Sóley Árdís' father is coming to Iceland. Stella debates whether it's time to confirm her daughter's paternity. Recently, her own family has grown; her lover Rannveig, a documentary producer, has moved in with them. These are both big steps for Stella, firmly independent and commitment-phobic. Don't get me wrong...Stella's still not to be messed with. She's just got a lot on her mind.
Stella's first case comes from Lísa Björk, Stella's right hand. She introduces Stella to her friend Díana Vilhelmsdóttir, a TV journalist at public station RÚV. Díana interviewed a women who claims that Ólafur Bjarni Hreggviðsson, assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, raped her at a conference two years ago. After a cursory investigation, the police dropped the case. Díana finds the woman and her story credible, but her editor abruptly killed the piece. Díana's desperate to get it out to the public and needs Stella's help
Stella is also inclined to believe the story; she thinks Ólafur Bjarni is a "big-mouthed chauvinist pig". Stella's contacts come in handy here: she's got a close connection to journalist Máki, owner/editor of the online News Blog. She calls him about publicizing Diana's interview and he tells her, "It's well-known that ‘Ólafur Bjarni likes to get hammered, and when that happens he gets grabby with women.” Máki does what he does best: starts digging.
At the same time, Rannveig is producing a documentary about women imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit. Rannveig has doubts about one of them, Hjördís Sigurlásdóttir. Years ago, the then-married Hjördís joined a gym, fell for "hot personal trainer" Ingi Dóri, and began a passionate affair. Three months later, Ingi was found lying in a pool of his own blood in the street not far from his home, victim of a hit-and-run. After discovering the affair, the police investigated Hjördís and found blood on the front of her car. She was arrested, convicted and sent to prison, but never stopped proclaiming her innocence. To check out Hjördís and hear her story, Stella agrees to meet her in Reykholt, a village in west Iceland.
On Rannveig and Stella's first night in Reykholt, Stella can't sleep, and on a walk decides to take a dip in a hot springs, "Snorri’s Pool". To her great surprise, she see a man sitting in the pool wearing an overcoat, with an axe embedded in his chest. The victim turns out to be a well-known artist, Kristinn Ófeigsson (hilariously nicknamed "The Splasher"; shades of Jackson Pollock?). There's a bizarre clue: a photograph printed on a shirt is stuffed down Kristinn’s trousers. It shows a man’s feet, seen from behind, with heavy chains clamped on his legs. Beneath the photo are the letters "BK".
The night of the murder, Kristinn had a dinner party with his son and daughter, a teenager named Gunnar who's been modeling for him, and Angus Campbell, a prospective buyer of Kristinn's art. When searching Kristinn's studio, the police find a painting of Gunnar, nude, holding an axe. Closer examination shows that the axe is the murder weapon, so the police question and detain him. The twist is that Gunnar is Hjördís' son.
When Gunnar is questioned by the police, he tells them that the family had a loud argument the night before the murder. Thuríður, the painter's daughter, was shouting at her father and her brother Jónatan, accusing them of betraying her. Gunnar also reluctantly confirms that he posed for Kristinn in the nude, but was well-paid for it and didn't mind. Nevertheless, the police are so confident of Gunnar's guilt that they don't bother to follow any other leads. Gunnar's mother is terrified that history is repeating itself; there's a chance that her son will also be convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Hjördís begs Stella to represent Gunnar and it's a good thing for him she agrees. Gunnar needs all the help he can get.
Stella dives into Kristinn's history and discovers that his family regularly visited Thailand. Kristinn's wife, Júlíana, killed herself there many years ago without leaving a note. Another link to Thailand turns out to be the photo printed on the shirt found with Kristinn's body. Stella shows the photo to her friend Maki and he remarks that it reminds him of the pictures from Abu Ghraib in Iraq. They trace the photo to a notorious prison in Bangkok. Kristinn's murder definitely requires a deeper dive into the family's time there. Stella also finds it curious that artist Kristinn started an employment agency, now run by his son Jónatan. More than once the business has been accused of mistreating foreign workers...including Thai nationals.
As if all this weren't enough, Stella's police pal Chief Superintendent Ragnar calls her for help. A colleague of his, Chief Superintendent Vígbergur, has been accused of bribery and other offences. Stella takes the case, but is not pleased when Ragnar tells her that the lead investigator is Thráinn Bjarnason. As she remembers:
Vígbergur's case brings back other memorable characters from Stella's past, including "Porno" Valdi and "Psycho" Sævar, both aptly named hoodlums. They're involved in the case against Vigbergur, but the testimony of these two wouldn't justify the prosecution of a Chief Superintendent. This required sign-off all the way up to the new police commissioner. Stella realizes that there's some pretty high-level corruption going on, but why is Vígbergur a target? He optimistically tells her that the case is going to be "a hell of a shitstorm".
"The Murder Pool" has all the elements that originally made me a fan: memorable characters (with great nicknames), some cracking good cases, and Stella's motley network of well-informed contacts. The book is elevated by Blómkvist's choice to highlight relevant social issues through the lens of Stella's legal work and personal life. Stella has always been the champion of the underdog and without her, who would see that justice has been served? I'd want her in my corner, and so will you.
Although "The Murder Pool" can be read as a stand-alone, it's much more rewarding to follow Stella on her life journey by reading the series in order.
The Stella Blómqvist books have been a bestselling series in Iceland since the first book appeared in the 1990s and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heiða Reed aired. This series features tough, razor-tongued Reykjavík lawyer Stella Blómkvist, with her taste for neat whiskey, a liking for easy money and a moral compass all of her own - and who is at home in the corridors of power as in the city’s darkest nightspots.
The books have been published under a pseudonym that still hasn’t been cracked. The question of Stella Blómkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but for now, it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…
Translator Quentin Bates grew up in English suburbia and escaped for a few years. The roots in Iceland run very deep and the pull of this volcanic rock remains strong. Having been a factory hand, netmaker, trawlerman, truck driver, (briefly) a teacher, he found his way into writing via a series of coincidences and has been tapping at a keyboard ever since, including writing a series of crime novels and novellas set in Iceland and translating the work of many Icelandic writers into English.
Please buy/order "The Murder Pool" from your local independent bookstore, or go to bookshop.org and order there. They now offer ebooks as well.
For audiobooks, go to libro.fm.
