Where the Shadows Lie

by Michael Ridpath

Overview

An ancient saga. A modern legend. A secret worth killing for.

Amid Iceland’s wild, volcanic landscape, rumors swirl of an ancient manuscript inscribed with a long-lost saga about a ring of terrible power. A rediscovered saga alone would be worth a fortune, but, if the rumors can be believed, there is something much more valuable about this one. Something worth killing for. Something that will cost Professor Agnar Haraldsson his life.

Untangling murder from myth is Iceland-born, Boston-raised detective Magnus Jonson. On loan to the Icelandic Police Force for his own protection after a Massachusetts drug cartel puts a bounty on his head, Magnus is eager work the Haraldsson case, a rare lethal crime for the island nation.  But his unorthodox investigative technique soon gets him into trouble with his more traditional superiors, intensifying his mixed feelings about returning to his native country—a place of tangled family loyalties haunted by his father’s unsolved murder—after nearly two decades. And as Magnus is about to discover, the past casts a long shadow in Iceland.

Binding Iceland’s landscape and history, secrets and superstitions in a strikingly original plot in the tradition of Arnaldur Indridason and Henning Mankell, Where the Shadows Lie is a heart-pounding new series from an established master.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848873995
Publisher:	Corvus
Publication date:	02/28/2011
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

MICHAEL RIDPATH spent eight years as a bond trader in London before giving up his job to write full-time.  He is the bestselling author of eight financial thrillers and has been published in 38 languages.  Where the Shadows Lie is the first in a new series featuring detective Magnus Jonson.  He lives in north London with his wife and three children. Visit him online at www.michaelridpath.com.

Read an Excerpt

Where the Shadows Lie

CHAPTER ONE

PROFESSOR AGNAR HARALDSSON folded the letter and slipped it back into its small yellowing envelope.

He glanced again at the address inscribed in an upright, ornamental hand: Högni Ísildarson, Laugavegur 64, Reykjavík, Iceland. The stamp bore the profile of a beardless British king, an Edward or a George, Agnar wasn't certain which.

His heart thumped, the envelope performing a tiny dance in his shaking hand. The letter had arrived that morning enclosed within a larger envelope bearing a modern Icelandic stamp and a Reykjavík postmark.

It was all that Agnar could have hoped for. It was more than that; it was perfect.

As a professor of Icelandic at the University of Iceland, Agnar had been privileged to handle some of the oldest manuscripts of his country's sagas, copied out by monks with infinite care on to sheaves of calf skins using black bearberry juice for ink, and feathers from the left wings of swans for pens. Those magnificent documents were Iceland's heritage, Iceland's soul. But none of them would cause as great a stir in the outside world as this single sheet of paper.

And none of them was his discovery.

He looked up from his desk over the serene lake in front of him. It glittered a rare deep blue in the April sunshine. Ten minutes before it had glinted steel grey, and in a few more minutes it would do so again as dark clouds from the west chased after thosedisappearing over the snow-topped mountains across the lake to the east.

A perfect location for a summer house. The cabin had been built by Agnar's father, a former politician who was now in an old-people's home. Although summer was still some time away, Agnar had escaped there for the weekend to work with no distractions. His wife had just given birth to their second child, and Agnar had a tight deadline to get through a pile of translation.

'Aggi, come back to bed.'

He turned to see the breathtakingly beautiful figure of Andrea, ballet dancer and third-year literature student, naked as she glided across the bare wooden floor towards him, her blonde hair a tangled mess.

'I'm sorry, darling, I can't,' he said nodding towards the mess of papers in front of him.

'Are you sure?' She bent down to kiss him, and ran her fingers under his shirt and through the hair on his chest, her mane tickling his nose. She broke away. 'Are you really sure?'

He smiled and removed his spectacles.

Well, perhaps he would allow himself one distraction.

WHERE THE SHADOWS LIE. Copyright © 2010 by Michael Ridpath. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Where the Shadows Lie and Michael Ridpath:

"Michael Ridpath is on the war path, trouncing the Scandinavians on their home turf.   This is international thriller writing at its best, fine characters, page turning suspense and a great, fresh location." —Peter James, #1 international bestselling author of Dead Like You

“The latest novel by British crime writer Ridpath is highly imaginative, with a striking setting and a marvelous story… Ridpath does a fine job of immersing us in Icelandic culture, and Magnus, who is the anchor of a proposed series of novels, is a thoroughly fascinating character, not so much a fish out of water as a man reconnecting with his own heritage. Exotic and compelling, a first-class mystery.” –Booklist, starred review

"Ridpath smoothly melds history, legend, and a police procedural in this first of a crime series set in Iceland... Ridpath deftly explores the influence myths have on contemporary, credit-strapped Iceland." —Publishers Weekly

"This highly atmospheric and addictive thriller brings in elements that will entice both crime fiction and fantasy readers. If your readers like a treasure-hunting chase, give them this one. With Tolkien groupies, Internet hacking, and revenge, this title has no shortage of appeal. Clearly, Ridpath, the author of eight financial thrillers, has his own trilogy in mind." —Library Journal, starred review

"Michael Ridpath’s latest offering, “Where the Shadows Lie” is a tight mix of crime and lore that takes the reader on a journey from crime-ridden streets to the slopes of a mysterious volcano. Fast-paced and well written, Ridpath keeps your attention while exploring 10th century sagas, corrupt policemen, contract killers, fanboys, family secrets, and a magical ring... Ridpath’s research into Iceland and its people, customs, and geography, makes the British author seem native. “Where the Shadows Lie” has a lot going for it and the reward is worth the journey." —Suspense Magazine

“A clever blend of murder mystery, myth and up-tothe- minute mayhem.. . Whether you’re a fan of orcs, Gimli and Legolas or Elmore Leonard and “The Sopranos”, there’s something in this. . . thriller for you.”  —The London Times

“This is a good story set in a fascinating place and spiced with some sharp observation.”  —Literary Review

“A superbly entertaining thriller. . . Michael Ridpath, no stranger to big sales figures, has another hit on his hands.”  —Shots Magazine

“Where the Shadows Lie is ingenious, and briskly narrated. Like many good thriller writers, Ridpath is adept at informing as well as thrilling — you can learn a great deal about Iceland, ancient and modern, here, and it’s fascinating stuff.”  –The Spectator

“Ridpath has that read-on factor that sets bestsellers apart” —The Guardian (UK)

“A five-star effort as an entry in the select genre called ‘Icelandic novels written by non-Icelanders’” —IceNews

"Fascinating echoes of Tolkien and Njal’s Saga and acute observations about the distinctive culture of Iceland." —Kirkus

"Fascinating... A real page-turner, and if you are a saga or Lord of the Rings fan, you'll like it even more." —Lögberg-Heimskringla

"The vivid descriptions of the modern city of Reykjavik contrast sharply with the eerie landscape of the Icelandic countryside, where the clues to Haraldsson's death lead the investigation. Michael Ridpath has created a mystery whose eccentric characters seem like they might have come from Middle Earth. The only question is whether or not Magnus will be able to separate truth from myth and find the killer before the Dominicans find him." —Jessica Howard, bookseller, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange

"The plot and characters in this novel are outstanding, and the unusual locale simply adds to the pleasure of reading this book." —marilynsreads.com

From the Publisher

An Icelandic-American cop, exiled to his homeland, finds himself caught in a centuries-old web of murder, power grabs and the One True Ring.

The arrest of his ex-partner, Det. Sean Lenahan, on corruption charges makes Boston a little too hot for Sgt. Det. Magnus Jonson. His boss, hoping to get Lenahan to role over on Dominican trafficker Pedro Soto, wants Magnus kept safe until he can testify. That means getting him out of the country—in this case, sending him back to the land of his birth, where he's seconded to the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police CID just in time to partner with Det. Árni Holm in the case of Agnar Haraldsson, clubbed to death and dumped into the icy waters. Who would kill a middle-aged professor of Icelandic? Inspector Baldur Jakobsson plumps for Yorkshire truck driver Steve Jubb, who under the pseudonym Gimli was determined to get his hands on a copy ofGaukur's Saga,a long-hidden manuscript Agnar had recently translated. What makes this particular saga so attractive is not only the important addition it makes to the corpus of Icelandic sagas but its apparent status as catalyst for the plot of Lord of the Rings. As Pedro Soto patiently follows leads in Boston that will bring him closer and closer to the witness he must silence, Magnus, digging deeper into the family background of gallery owner IngileifÁsgrímsdóttir, Agnar's former student and former lover, finds that the lusts for sex, wealth and power that inspired the sagas of 1,000 years ago are still very much alive.

This series debut from Ridpath (Trading Reality,1997, etc.) combines long-winded exposition, humdrum detection, fascinating echoes of Tolkien andNjal's Sagaand acute observations about the distinctive culture of Iceland.

Kirkus Reviews