March 16, 2009
In Sigurdardóttir's engaging second crime novel to feature attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir (after Last Rituals
), Jónas Júlíusson, a client Thóra assisted with a land purchase in West Iceland, calls for more help. The superstitious Júlíusson, who believes one of the farmhouses on the land he bought to develop a spa and hotel is haunted, invites Thóra to stay at his facility and investigate. Her arrival coincides with the discovery under some seaweed on the beach of the sexually abused corpse of architect Birna Halldórsdóttir, who was working on a new building. Júlíusson, who apparently sent a text message arranging a rendezvous with the victim at the time and place where she died, becomes the prime suspect. The lawyer shifts gears from ghost busting to amateur sleuthing. As Thóra pursues an array of suspects and clues, Sigurdardóttir keeps readers guessing whodunit.