The mystery at the core of The Darkness Knows is compelling, all the more so because it goes from the complex to the simple rather than the other way around. Readers may come for the crime but will stay for the personalities that pepper the narrative throughout. Konrad is quietly compelling and sympathetic, though not entirely likable, a combination of qualities that paradoxically makes him all the more endearing. Indridason fully fleshes out his protagonist using introspection and memorable secondary characters in equal measure to do so. However, the primary character is Iceland in general and Reykjavik in particular, a backdrop that most American readers will not have the opportunity to visit but will come to know intimately through the subtlety of Indridason’s descriptions, which sculpt and carve a vision of the locale with each novel he writes.
... [an] invigoratingly atmospheric thriller ... The theme of atonement in The Darkness Knows isn't restricted to the professional realm: as Konrád follows what seem like long-shot leads, he delves deeply into his own personal shortcomings and demons. Indridason...also manages to imbue his keen and nimble thriller with a cautionary note about global warming's effects—on Iceland in general and on the glacier that hosted the murdered man in particular.
In this rewarding gumshoe investigation focused on complex deceptions and unlikely coincidences, introspective Konrád faces his failures, both in marriage and policing here, and finds resolution, if not peace.
Last seen in The Shadow District, detective Konrád is back for the launch of his own series. The award-winning Indridason has a long track record of writing grimly compelling Nordic crime thrillers, but this latest title moves at the pace of its retired protagonist. Konrád is often mired in his past, and there’s little suspense as he slowly pursues suspects in a decades-old murder.
Indridason methodically builds a portrait of Iceland with a large cast of nuanced characters unsettled by past events. In dredging up the past, Konrád must also confront his complex relationship with his own abusive father, whose murder was unsolved as well. The intricate plot poignantly depicts community crosscurrents, past and present.
... superb ... As in the old Icelandic sagas, the author strips bare such archetypal human concerns as revenge, honor, and family loyalty. Konrád, who still misses his beloved wife six years after she died of cancer, is an irresistible lead. Indridason is writing at the top of his game.
