Is there a handy moniker for a third in a series that doesn’t wow? What comes after a sophomore slump? Junior jitters? Third time tumble? Frankly, I’ve no idea. I was trying to come up with something, but it seems there isn’t a word for it. And yet this nonexisting word was never far from my mind while reading this book, a third in the adventures of the surprisingly formidable Icelandic lawyer Thora Gudmunsdottir.
Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with the book per se, but when you compare it to the previous two (and how can you not) it leaves a lot to be desired. It’s still a compelling mystery with an interesting and unpredictable twist, the author does those very well, but the overall narrative seems different. There’s less of Thora’s personal life in it since her foreign boyfriend (and usually a reliable sidekick) is away (though contemplating a relocation to Iceland) and her family situation is mostly a walking talking cautionary tale about babies having babies and the greatness of contraception. And because Thora’s man in away on the continent, it has turned her into a bizarrely horny grandma who describes all the man she encounters from a desirability/attractiveness perspective and also mentally competes for attention with her overweight chainsmoking secretary. The latter is actually the only one who makes out well in the third entry in the series, since she finally gets some time in the sun and a chance to prove her worth outside of being a well justified cause of Thora’s frustration, since she really is just about the world’s worst secretary, albeit a surprisingly punctual one. But the meat here is, of course, the mystery, since Thora just can’t seem to get a normal legal case. This time she gets stuck representing a man accused of murder/murders after the bodies are discovered in the basement of his Pompeiied over old family place. And yes, that is volcanic ash and dust the title refers too. Because I love reading thematically and Iceland has just had some unusual volcanic activity. In the book, it occurred decades ago on a small island community and now with archeologists doing some work there, the secrets so thoroughly buried in the past are threatening to come out. To author’s credit, she always finds a new and exciting locale within a relatively small geographic territory to delight her readers with and this book is no exception. But no matter how much you might appreciate the scenery, the narrative does leave you wanting, not dramatically but noticeably. Because for some (plot undeserving) reason this book is also the longest of its predecessors. So it offers less and drags on for longer. Although it stands to mention it’s also (quite surprisingly) funnier too, maybe there’s a different translator, but it even had a couple of laugh out loud moments. Go figure. Thora as a character isn’t exactly a barrel of laughs and multiple murders, especially the way they are done in these books, aren’t exactly hilarious either. But there it is, kind of a nice change too. Not enough to offset the plodding pace of the book though or the sheer horrific quality of the crimes within it. There was also neither a tinge nor a twinge of the supernatural the way it was in the first two books. So overall, it’s still a good read and fans of dark psychological crime fiction, especially with a Scandinavian flavor, should enjoy it. But it is definitely the lesser of the three in the series so far, the slowest and the longest, so reader beware. I don’t normally enjoy serials. I much, much prefer standalones. The fondness doesn’t increase with familiarity, in fact it may breed animosity for me. A series has to be pretty exceptional for me to follow it. This entry wasn’t. But it wasn’t a total write off either, not by any means, its mostly that the author has set such a high standard with her previous works and this one didn’t quite live up to that standard. I’ll most likely continue with the series, but maybe not right away. The location alone…plus any genre writer who can surprise me time and time again is worth the time.
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