The Shadow Killer: A Thriller (The Flovent and Thorson Thrillers, 2)

The second book featuring Flovent and Thorson ( The Shadow District: A Thriller (The Flovent and Thorson Thrillers)  is the first) has Indridason taking readers back to the spring, 1941 as the Battle of the Atlantic was costing British shipping dearly and the Americans were arriving in Iceland establishing a forward operating base. Iceland was undergoing rapid and tremendous change the result of the so many outsiders (and so much currency) - the changes not always for the better. One such change was the murder of a traveling salesman whose death - under suspicious circumstances - led Flovent and Thorson to investigate. Whether the crime was one of passion or the victim was unintended (a poor soul at the wrong place at the wrong time), or whether the victim was somehow involved in espionage given the new importance of Iceland to the war makes for a complicated case.Indridason vividly captures the "zeitgeist" of wartime Iceland from the internecine rivalries between Tommies and Yanks, to what is politely referred to as "the Situation" as the Icelanders refer to the increasing number of young women who get pregnant from British or American servicemen, to the more subtle changes as more and more people leave the countryside for the cities and the increased opportunities the occupation provides. I miss his strong prose describing the dangerous beauty of Iceland as was done in hie Inspector Erlendur thrillers ( Jar City: A Reykjavi­k Thriller , Silence of the Grave (Reykjavik Murder Mysteries, No. 2) ), the plot is complicated enough to keep you guessing (and constantly questioning your assumptions of whodunnit and reassessing those guesses), with a brisk pace and numerable plausible suspects. As much as I miss Inspector Erlendur, I am genuinely growing to like Flovent and Thorson more and more, and look forward to Indridason's next book.For those unfamiliar with "nordic noir" I can think of no better author to start with than Indridason - _The Shadow Killers_ will not disappoint. Recommended.

I love this new series by Indridason. I love his writing and characters. His storytelling seems effortless. I think of Indridason as a great humanist because his lead characters are very caring and their lives are haunting. These are not thrillers with comic book characters dashing about in fast cars. These are slow, thoughtful crime investigations and the point of the novels seems to me to be the evocation of a time when the outside, modern world came crashing onto an isolated, traditional island society causing havoc and upheaval and unintended consequences. The British and American military occupation of Iceland during WWII is obviously a sore point with the Indridason and no one is left untouched by the greed and corruption of sex and power. But in the hands of a masterful writer, the human spirit shines through it all.

"The Shadow Killer: A Thriller (The Flovent and Thorson)", is the second in a two-book series by Icelandic author, Amaldur Indridason. The first book, "The Shadow District" was published in 2017, was a solid 4 star read. It combined a good time/setting - Iceland in 1944 and 2015 - with interesting characters. Indridason is a noted Scandi-author with the "Inspector Erlendur" series. Unfortunately, "The Shadow Killer" is a "shadow" of the first book in the "The Flovent and Thorson" series.Again, Indridason begins his book with an interesting characters and setting. Set in World War 2, Iceland is occupied by British and American forces. and the soldiers are everywhere, changing societal norms. Young local women are dating the soldiers and, in many cases, going against their family's values. The term, "The Situation", was coined to describe the war-time occupation woes. But, if Indridason begins his book in a promising way, the book ends as a mess. A young man is found in another man's apartment in Reykjavik, shot dead execution-style. Who is the victim? And why was he murdered? Local policeman Flovent is brought in to look into the murder. He's aided by Canadian military-cop, Stefan Thordarson, assigned to the case by military authorities. The plot dissolves into a confusing mess. Two separate plot points never merge and, as a reader, I still haven't figured out how the book ends. Who killed who, and why? What did the German relatives of the main suspect do to get involved? Why did a side-plot of a romantic trio get tacked on? What's the truth of an uncovered pre-war Nazi-like program of social engineering?Okay, so why's this book - the second after a well-written one - so poorly written? Did the author simply lose interest in his plot and characters and just give up making a coherent book? Was it the translator? I certainly don't know, but I am disappointed.

American troops are replacing British troops and the Americans are are out to prove that a local execution style killing was not done by them. The only local murder detective, Flovent teams up with Thorpe ( whose only talent in detecting is a knowledge of English and Icelandic). But the possible suspects are fascinating in their vivid obstruction. US counterintelligence gets in the way and a fascinating plot evolves

It's rather diferent from Indridason Erlendur novels, and it's a good portrait of Iceland after the english occupation and later american occupation in the second world war. The climate is well described, the mistery is not so much.

I read all of Indridason's first series. Excellent. But these two current books are focused on WW II and Iceland's involvement. There are some other side stories but they did not appeal to me at all. He is a good writer but these recent books were just not for me.

I've read other books by this author and feel his earlier books were better literature. He developed characters in more detail and his writing containing conversations were far better . If he took more time he could reach the quality in the earlier novels.

This is one of my favourite writers. The storytelling is good and the author drives the story forward quite well. The denouement though is a flop and inconclusive. The story need to go that essential step further. There was a tendency for several of the suspects to sound identical to one another, especially under questioning. The dynamic between Flovent and Thorson is the heart of the story and should make this a good series.

Strangely the a come book in the wartime mysteries takes place before the first. Here Flovent and Thorson find themselves teamed up working on the murder of a travelling salesman. What at first seemed a simple murder case quickly unwind into a complex case featuring both military and civilian players.A gaggle of richly drawn characters populate the twisting plot and we learn more of Thorson's early time in Reykjavik. The shadow district is once again the stage and the intriguing wartime history of Rejkjarvik is brought to life. Seedy recollections of young local women caught up in what the Icelanders euphemistically call "The Situation". Unusually for an Indridason tale, the story is set exclusively in the wartime past.I thought this was an interesting tale and it kept me guessing to the very last page, and I mean the very last page. Who is the young woman with the child? Perhaps she's a part of the story just told it maybe part of the next?Well worth the read.

Another good read from Indridason , the standard has been maintained throughout all of his books and he leaves a desire for more stories to be published.

This novel virtually lacks all the components of a worthy novel. Faceless characters, minimal depth to story, character, Iceland... total waste of time...

Bought as a gift. The cover and paper could have been of better quality but that seems to be a common issue with books these days. I've not read this book therefore cannot review the story.