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| Tainted Blood | 
 enlarge | Author: Arnaldur Indridason
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy Used: £2.20
You Save: £4.79 (69%)
New (25) from £2.66
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 6763
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 1
ISBN: 0099513129
EAN: 9780099513124
ASIN: 0099513129
Publication Date: December 7, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Spine creased; a little thumbing of page edges; otherwise very good
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Tainted read August 13, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read 'Tainted Blood' after high recommendations from someone, and was left very disappointed. I found the all plot muddy, dragging and hardly interesting at all, with an author I tought (could be wrong) was plainly imitating the forrunner of all , Mankell of course. If I had to describe the whole book in one word 'muddy' would be it.
There's been slighty better ones since, by Indridason, so I would not recommend this one to any other reader than dedicated fans of his.
 Maybe 3.5 stars would be right. May 30, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's a bit of a slow-burner but still an okay read. I really enjoy a good crime novel and sadly found this to be a little tame. I began the book full of expectations but not a lot happens. There's a good side story involving Erlendur's daughter but other than that it's one crime that isn't exactly scinttilating stuff. What it does have to it's advantage is good characters, who are imaginable thanks to good writing. That's what disappointed me the most, Indridason can actually write yet the pace of the novel lets it down a little or maybe I just need something with a bit more get up and go.
 A First Class Author August 17, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Arnaldur Indridason is undoubtedly a first class writer. This is in fact the first book which he wrote and very enjoyable read. The other books in the same detective series are Silence of the Grave, Voices and his latest (just published) book - The Draining Lake are all equally excellent reads.
Don't be put off by the fact that the books are written by an Icelandic author. Bernard Scudder does an excellent job translating the original texts to English.
Solid Series Debut April 11, 2006
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
One of my major problems with many police procedurals is that the plots often go completely off the deep end and become wildly improbable messes (among Scandinavian authors, I think Henning Mankell is frequently guilty of this). So, it's somewhat refreshing to come across a relatively straightforward story like this award-winning series debut from Iceland. In it, we are introduced to Detective Inspector Erlendur, a classic 50ish, divorced, rumpled, morose, tactless, and running-to-seed character who nonetheless possesses the requisite instinct to be a top detective. Although he lacks some of the perfunctory traits often assigned to such characters (for example, he isn't a gourmand, or jazz aficionado, or anything like that), he's very much in the mold of Sejer, Rebus, Resnick, and other such policemen protagonists.
We meet Erlendur as he is called in to investigate the apparent murder of an elderly man in Reykjavik. It doesn't take long for the police to discover that the old man was a nasty character who had been accused of rape almost 40 years ago. With little to go on, other than the possibility that it was a random break-in gone wrong, Erlendur leads his team deep into the past, to try and uncover who might have had a motive for killing the old man. The further they dig, the more nasty secrets they uncover, and the more they must engage in very uncomfortable interviews that dredge up hidden pain. The plot and solution hinge on an aspect of Icelandic society that is rather unique, and it's nice to see the author taking advantage of this to good effect. Another subplot (which is rather extraneous) involves a runaway bride, and meanwhile, Erlendur must also try to deal with his drug addict daughter who flits in and out of his life. Their relationship is quite interesting, and possibly the most compelling reason to seek out the next book in the series (Silence of the Grave).
In terms of supporting characters, Erlendur's two main colleagues fail to leave much of an impression: there's the yuppie Sigurdur Oli, and Elinborg, whose main trait is that she's a woman. Hopefully they will be developed a good deal more in subsequent books, as will Erlendur's mysterious mentor Marion. Having been to Iceland for a few days several years ago, I certainly recognized the bleak weather and its constant presence in the lives of the characters. However, it would have been nice to get a little more description of Reykjavik, which is a very interesting looking place, and its people. There's not a lot of local color, and the result is a setting that is at times rather anonymous. The overall tone of the book is somewhat sad and bleak. Overall, an solid and interesting debut, but not anything that's going to blow you away.
Taut intelligent thriller February 24, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Tainted Blood is a taut, well-executed police procedural, set in grey, rainy Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. It grips from the first page, each sentence beautifully written, propelling the story forward without wasting one word.The writing is sparse and elegant, but very visual. You can smell, feel, hear and SEE everything that Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson goes through as he investigates the murder of an old man with a sordid past. The plot is calculating and well constructed, if a little predictable towards the end. But the beauty of this novel is the layering effect, of stories within stories, sad and melancholy as they may be. The parallel tale of Erlendur's complicated relationship with his drug-addicted older daughter only serves to add a rich depth to an already riveting crime thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, turning the pages quicker than my eyes could hungrily devour them. I suspect it would make an excellent film, and I'd be surprised if the film rights haven't already been snapped up. Tainted Blood won the Nordic Crime Novel Award and received much international acclaim - and with good reason. Now I am eager to read the follow up to this novel, Silence of the Grave, which has reaped similar plaudits. So, if you're looking for a clever crime thriller set in an atmospheric location with interesting and complicated characters, a little bit of science, a lot of detective work and some unexpected twists and turns thrown in, then this book is hard to beat.
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