Rupture

Siglufjördur, Iceland, police officer Ari Thór Arason and ambitious Reykjavik reporter Ísrún return (following Blackout, 2018) to investigate a mystery woven into local lore and a scandal linking Iceland's prime minister to murder. Siglufjördur, in Iceland's far north, is quarantined after a tourist succumbs to a deadly, highly contagious virus. With the town's residents reluctant to venture out, Ari Thór has few peacekeeping demands. So, when a beloved local, Hédinn, asks Ari Thór to help identify a mysterious teenager in an old family photograph, he welcomes the diversion. Soon, Ari Thór is immersed in a mystery; around the time the photo was taken, Hédinn's aunt, Jórunn, died after accidentally ingesting rat poison. Ari Thór's investigation into the locals' stories about Hédinn's isolated family farm reveals unanswered questions, including whether the teen could have had a role in Jórunn's death. Against the backdrop of the quarantine and the contrasting bustle of Ísrún's Reykjavik investigation, Ari Thór's dive into haunting oral history cloaks Siglufjördur in eeriness; evocative Nordic crime fiction.--Christine Tran Copyright 2018 Booklist