One of the best books I've read in years.

There are three narrative threads: the present-day investigation, Erlendur's private life, and the story of a family sometime in the past. As these threads are visited in turn, each begins to affect the others, and the timing and dramatic tension gradually increase right up to the book's very last page. The characters are well drawn and each speaks with their own voice. But most of all, the author's burdensome empathy with the tragic lives of the characters is tangible and gripping.

Highly recommended.