Cold Comfort: An Officer Gunnhildur Mystery (Officer Gunnhildur Mysteries)
When the notorious Long Omni escapes from prison a few months before he is eligible for release, the newly transferred Sergeant Gunna knows that something isn’t quite right. And when Omni’s known criminal sidekicks turn up badly beaten, she starts to wonder whether they are connected to the suspicious death of a former TV actress and fitness instructor. Bates creates an atmospheric tale that draws on the Icelandic real-estate crash. As Gunna digs deeper, she realizes that the real criminals may be among the highest levels of Icelandic society, prompting serious pressure from her bosses to tread carefully. But Gunna has always gone her own way, from deciding to commute into the city after her transfer to resolving to solve the case, no matter the political implications. Twisty, complex, and dark, Bates’ second mystery falls nicely between Icelandic crime authors Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Arnaldur Indridason—a little darker than the former but quite as gloomy as the latter. --Jessica Moyer