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Loading... Sogið (original 2016; edition 2015)by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, booklover1801 | Oct 10, 2024 |   Huldar is assigned to look into a threatening letter written by an unnamed fourteen-year old ten years earlier. In it, the writer alluded to six murders that he predicted would occur in 2016, the year during which most of the action is set. Soon, body parts and corpses start cropping up in various locales, but no one knows the perpetrator's identity or motive. Huldar's tough boss, Erla, begrudgingly allows him to take part in the homicide investigation. Another issue is the fury that erupts when Jón Jónsson, who was convicted for assaulting and killing an eight-year-old girl in 2004, is freed from prison after serving a little more than a decade behind bars. Once again, Huldar asks Freyja to assist him with a tragic case that exposes the imperfections in Iceland's criminal justice system. The flawed hero chain smokes, drinks too much, and is riddled with anxiety. In a moment of weakness and abject stupidity, he commits a blunder that he immediately regrets. The characters, with some notable exceptions, range from unlikeable to downright obnoxious. Among their odious traits are arrogance, ruthlessness, selfishness, and a craving for retribution. Although there are humorous and satirical passages that relieve the dour tone, there is an excess of gore, too many scenes about the emotional and physical harm inflicted on young people, and a bleak conclusion that is unlikely to lift your spirits. "The Reckoning" is engrossing and suspenseful, but its over-the-top plot requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Moreover, it is a harrowing to read about the horrific consequences of unbridled hatred and malevolence. We encounter too many wretched souls who could have profited from intensive psychiatric help. In some cases, however, it is unlikely that even the most skilled practitioner could have mended their fractured lives. (  ) booklover1801 | Oct 10, 2024 | Huldar is assigned to look into a threatening letter written by an unnamed fourteen-year old ten years earlier. In it, the writer alluded to six murders that he predicted would occur in 2016, the year during which most of the action is set. Soon, body parts and corpses start cropping up in various locales, but no one knows the perpetrator's identity or motive. Huldar's tough boss, Erla, begrudgingly allows him to take part in the homicide investigation. Another issue is the fury that erupts when Jón Jónsson, who was convicted for assaulting and killing an eight-year-old girl in 2004, is freed from prison after serving a little more than a decade behind bars. Once again, Huldar asks Freyja to assist him with a tragic case that exposes the imperfections in Iceland's criminal justice system. The flawed hero chain smokes, drinks too much, and is riddled with anxiety. In a moment of weakness and abject stupidity, he commits a blunder that he immediately regrets. The characters, with some notable exceptions, range from unlikeable to downright obnoxious. Among their odious traits are arrogance, ruthlessness, selfishness, and a craving for retribution. Although there are humorous and satirical passages that relieve the dour tone, there is an excess of gore, too many scenes about the emotional and physical harm inflicted on young people, and a bleak conclusion that is unlikely to lift your spirits. "The Reckoning" is engrossing and suspenseful, but its over-the-top plot requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Moreover, it is a harrowing to read about the horrific consequences of unbridled hatred and malevolence. We encounter too many wretched souls who could have profited from intensive psychiatric help. In some cases, however, it is unlikely that even the most skilled practitioner could have mended their fractured lives. ( ) booklover1801 | Aug 9, 2024 | Could have done with some proofreading as the translation has some inconsistencies. (  ) cathy.lemann | Mar 21, 2023 | ) SkuliSael | Apr 28, 2022 | ) hemlokgang | Jan 6, 2022 | The story - about the rape and murder of a young girl and a hitlist discovered ten years later of certain people related to a previous case who will be killed in revenge - was fairly straightforward, give or take one or two twists in the tale. What bugs me about this series is the lead characters, a police detective named Huldar and a child psychologist called Freyja who he fancies. They have history, after a one night stand in which Huldar gave her a false name and occupation and then left without word, and when they acting professionally - which is rarely - they are fine, but all we seem to get is Huldar trying to hook up with Freyja and her (so far) sensible response of 'No thanks'. This isn't a romance series, I don't care about how sex-starved Freyja is, looking after her brother's dog and now his love child, or how sad Huldar looks when Freyja tells him to leave her alone. There isn't even any real tension but their inappropriate relationship on active cases - he keeps enlisting Freyja's 'psychological insight' and dragging her along to interview suspects - should get both of them demoted to office boy and girl, never mind being on probation! I would have thought that a female author might have written a slightly less annoying male protagonist who thinks with his head and not his trousers. Anyway, high school flirtations aside, a good read with a gruesome and emotionally charged investigation. ( ) AdonisGuilfoyle | Jan 4, 2022 | ) SusanWallace | Jul 10, 2021 | Fast forward to 2016, and detective Huldar and child psychologist, Freyja, are involved in a mysterious case. A school time capsule from years ago is opened, and among the letters describing what the children thought 2016 would be like, there is a threatening letter inside, stating that certain people will die in that year. The list is nothing but initials. But, people start disappearing. And one of them has initials that match one of those that are slated to die this year. This is an interesting story. It moves slowly at times, but the mystery is definitely intriguing and difficult to figure out. Because this is a foreign, translated work, the unfamiliar names were difficult, at times, to keep straight. Also, the writer gives details that are later abandoned and deemed unimportant. That made this story a bit confusing at times. However, for a translated work, this was enjoyable. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ( ) Sandralovesbooks | May 4, 2019 |  ) librarianarpita | Dec 25, 2018 | This seems to be the second novel in a series, and, although there are references to the past, I thought it stood pretty well on its own. The translation into English was good, apart from the use of the word "patronymic", which I would argue is not remotely in common use. A time capsule buried by school children is dug up, and one of the letter describes (using initials only) a list of people who must die. Huldar and his psychologist colleague/love interest Freyja look into the child who might have written this. In the meantime, gruesome murders start to occur. Some of this was fairly grisly, although mainly towards the end. I thought it was well plotted and well-motivated, although something about the ending was a little unsatisfactory. It was certainly extreme. I look forward to the next book in the series. ( ) pgchuis | Oct 10, 2018 | |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)839.6935Literature German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Old Norse, Old Icelandic, Icelandic, Faroese literatures Modern West Scandinavian; Modern Icelandic Modern Icelandic fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.76)
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Huldar is assigned to look into a threatening letter written by an unnamed fourteen-year old ten years earlier. In it, the writer alluded to six murders that he predicted would occur in 2016, the year during which most of the action is set. Soon, body parts and corpses start cropping up in various locales, but no one knows the perpetrator's identity or motive. Huldar's tough boss, Erla, begrudgingly allows him to take part in the homicide investigation. Another issue is the fury that erupts when Jón Jónsson, who was convicted for assaulting and killing an eight-year-old girl in 2004, is freed from prison after serving a little more than a decade behind bars. Once again, Huldar asks Freyja to assist him with a tragic case that exposes the imperfections in Iceland's criminal justice system.
The flawed hero chain smokes, drinks too much, and is riddled with anxiety. In a moment of weakness and abject stupidity, he commits a blunder that he immediately regrets. The characters, with some notable exceptions, range from unlikeable to downright obnoxious. Among their odious traits are arrogance, ruthlessness, selfishness, and a craving for retribution. Although there are humorous and satirical passages that relieve the dour tone, there is an excess of gore, too many scenes about the emotional and physical harm inflicted on young people, and a bleak conclusion that is unlikely to lift your spirits. "The Reckoning" is engrossing and suspenseful, but its over-the-top plot requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Moreover, it is a harrowing to read about the horrific consequences of unbridled hatred and malevolence. We encounter too many wretched souls who could have profited from intensive psychiatric help. In some cases, however, it is unlikely that even the most skilled practitioner could have mended their fractured lives. (