The Shadow District

By: Arnaldur Indridason

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The Shadow District is the stunning first book in the compelling new series from award-winning Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, whom reviewers are calling "a master".

A 90-year-old man is found dead in his bed, smothered with his own pillow. On his desk, the police find newspaper cuttings about a murder case dating from the Second World War, when a young woman was found strangled behind Reykjavik's National Theatre.

Konrad, a former detective, is bored with retirement and remembers the crime. He grew up in "the shadow district", a rough neighborhood bordered by the National Theatre. Why would someone be interested in that crime now? He starts his own unofficial enquiry.

Alternating between Konrad's investigation and the original police inquiry, we discover that two girls had been attacked in oddly similar circumstances. Did the police arrest the wrong man? How are these cases linked across the decades? And who is the old man?

A deeply compassionate story of old crimes and their consequences, The Shadow District is the first in a thrilling new series of novels by the worldwide best-selling author Arnaldur Indridason.

©2017 Arnaldur Indridason (P)2017 Recorded Books

Have you ever read a book and wondered...

Have you ever read a book with so many flaws and problems and wondered why you still enjoyed it? I have.

I actually enjoyed this book very much and will probably read more from the author.

It has a plethora of problems, none of which escaped me as I listened, but they didn't dim my appreciation of the work.

It is repetitive. The same clues and information are restated umpteen times to the point I could recite them in my dreams.
The characters are interesting, but not well fleshed out, really.
The plot was predictable. I knew what was coming all along the way.
The "twist" really wasn't much of one.
While not the fault of the author or reader, the Icelandic names and places were sometimes difficult to follow (and the one main character's name was the same as my cat's asthma medicine, lol. "Flovent")
The narrator was good, but not exceptional.

Honestly, I can't even really explain WHY I liked it, but I did. The characters were interesting. The juxtaposition of the two crimes across time was well done. The setting was interesting.

At any rate, I would actually recommend it, but with the proviso that it is far from perfect... I just found it a good read.

Liked this stiry

Excellent..deeply hidden secrets revealed after decades, good twist at the end..deep, dark, well performed

Confusing!

The story switches back a nd forth between two time periods and you don't know which period you are in, names are confusing as well.

Cold Case mystery in Icelandic setting

I love the Icelandic location, the character development, the mystery, and dealing with two eras simultaneously. it was missing a few layers for me personally but would fail at providing more clarity if pressed.

Well worth a credit!

I really enjoy Arnaldur Indridason's work. You get the flavor of the Icelandic character in his novels, as well as a really good police procedural/suspense story line. This particular novel had a lot of twists and turns, and traced the events thru through 3 timelines: far past, the recent past and the present - incredibly well done and it flowed effortlessly. Loved it, could not put it down, with surprises all the way to the end.

Even better the second time

I really enjoy the author and particularly this series, and decided to listen to this one again. It is such a tragic story in so many ways, and moves along at a good pace. The author moves back and forth seamlessly between Konrad's story and that of Thorson and Flovint. I will probably listen to the second book too.

Should be an interesting series

Well developed characters inhabit a complicated world in turmoil and then a very cold case gets new life.

Recommend to any and all who love a good story

excellent mix of who-done-it and icelandic history

the story is simple and complex at the same time. the writer skillfully worked into the story the actual historic events and public sentiments towards class, love, marriage and sexuality.

New Author for Me--and Enjoyed the book!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Shadow District to be better than the print version?

Because I love listening to Guidall, I would always opt for audio.

What did you like best about this story?

Plot and writing.

Which character – as performed by George Guidall – was your favorite?

All performances by Guidall are excellent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

......

Top drawer, as usual

Mysteries are generally not my genre of choice by I have loved each and every Indridason book without qualification and this was no different. George Guidall's fantastic narration really brings the work to life as well.