The trio to date is part of a long-running series. The first thing you should know is that Stella Blómkvist is a pseudonym. Very few people know the true identity of the writer, it is one of the best kept secrets in Iceland. Despite speculation, remember what happened to Elena Ferrante, the mystery remains. Like their protagonist they may be a lawyer but perhaps we should just respect her/his/their right to privacy.
There is no doubt the island of Iceland, with a population roughly the size of Cardiff, punches well above its weight on the international crime scene with several top writers; Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Arnaldur Indridason, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, and newcomer Jón Atli Jónasson.
Then there’s Stella, a unique voice; her protagonist, with a shared moniker, is an unforgettable creation; funny, clever and fierce in defence of her clients and the law.
The high profile Reykjavik lawyer first appeared in 1997 with a temporary hiatus in 2006 before reemerging, more fiery than ever, in 2012. Since, there has been an Icelandic TV show and in 2023 we were introduced to the novels here:
Murder at the Residence by Stella Blómkvist. Originally published in 2012, this is the first case for the returning celebrity lawyer, she has clients queuing up to be represented and a collection of axes to grind. Starting with the financiers and political criminals who bankrupted the country, leaving the ordinary citizens to pick up the tab. There’s never a dull moment around Stella.
New Year’s Eve in 2009, Dagnila approaches Stella because her friend Ilona has gone missing since being collected for an exclusive private party. The two women are sex workers from Latvia and Ilona’s pimp doesn’t care that she has vanished. He tries to dissuade Stella but will soon learn she isn’t easily put off.
Meanwhile, Hákon is dying, he wants Stella to find the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby in 1972. With his last breath, he confesses to killing two men. A drug mule working for the Lithuanians muscling into the Icelandic trade and a girl who claims to have been run over deliberately need help. Then to top it all, there’s the death of billionaire financier Benedict Bjogúlfsson. Stella finds the body. That victim the police do care about which doesn’t mean they are competent.
To add spice to an already boiling pot of mystery Stella fears one her friends, a woman she loved, may be involved in what’s going on. Stella is about to uncover secrets that go to the heart of government, revealing blackmail, sex trafficking, corruption and murder.
Stella is a brilliant creation, she doesn’t suffer fools and is razor sharp. She can pillory an adversary and the whole rotten system is in her sights. Stella is the champion for the downtrodden, a spokesperson for the abused and battered masses failed in the financial crisis. As an advocate for her client she’s the enemy of bad policemen, dodgy prosecutors and hypocrites in all forms.
The personal plights of a handful of people create a deftly plotted mystery that speaks to the state of the nation. At times this is poignant and hard hitting, the calm way the story of the sex workers is told only adds to the power of their plight, it’s empathetic and insightful. An indictment of misogyny and sexism. This is why crime fiction sometimes is elevated to the level of social commentary.
Quentin Bates, a fine crime writer in his own right has rendered the darkness, the vibrant energy, the black humour of the novel into English perfectly.
Murder Under the Midnight Sun. Still Iceland’s best kept literary secret. There’s a lot to live up here as expectations are high after the critical success of the first outing. High-profile celebrity lawyer Stella still has lots of irons in the fire. Fortunately for us, some of her cases are pretty incendiary and she’s constantly in trouble. Her sexual appetite and love of whiskey are only matched by her propensity to put herself in harm’s way. The acerbic lawyer is determined and fearless and loves taking on the bad guys and the law.
It’s 2010 and Stella is hired by a Scottish businessman to find his missing niece, Julia. She went missing while touring Iceland on the motorbike ten years ago. Her mother has terminal cancer, so it’s urgent for her to know what happened back then. The investigation at the time assumed she crashed somewhere in the wilderness, her body naturally hidden never to be seen again. The search was soon halted.
Stella isn’t really convinced she can help but Gregory Mackenzie is insistent and is offering a lot of money. Immediately it’s clear to Stella that the original investigation wasn’t thorough. She is able to make a couple of connections that lead her to think something sinister happened to Julia. It’s not long before it’s made clear some people want this issue dropped, with Stella no chance.
Journalist Maki is a thorn in the side of the authorities, always looking to dig up dirt on the rich and powerful, they’d like to fix him. He discovered a now prominent politician was a spy in his 1960s student days. The security service and government lawyers threaten Maki to drop it; the evidence wasn’t obtained legally. Maki is boasting about an exposé book. Stella has to look out for him when his source meets a grizzly end.
Stella nearly dies on a glacier after a snowmobile crash but serendipitously discovers a frozen corpse, (no spoilers, this is more than coincidence). An American academic contacts Stella speculating on the victim’s identity and again we’re back in the Cold War.
Stella, swimming in murky waters, is relentless in her pursuit of the truth and her clients interests. In the land of the midnight sun and endless light everyone is blindsided by something physical or emotional. This is more murder mystery than spy story but it does reflect on Iceland’s role during the Cold War.
Just to make things more interesting Stella has other things on her mind. A blast from the past turns up claiming to be the father of her daughter, Sóley Ardís and she has to figure out what to do about that. The novel is told in the first person so we are privy to Stella’s thoughts and her wry take on everything is a lot of fun. She is sharp as a katana and wickedly funny with it. It’s her voice that gives the narrative and complex storylines real pazazz. It gets pretty personal and Stella has to be at her best to outfox her opponents.
Murder Tide. It’s not for her loveable nature that Stella is the most popular and successful defence lawyer in Iceland, she is a winner. A little scary but exactly who you want on your side if you’re up against it. Ever ready to take a whack at authority, corruption, abuse of power and the patriarchy. Fiercely committed to the truth and quick with her acid tongue and temper. Her voracious appetite for Jack Daniels and sex may not benefit her clients’ cases but those traits spice the plot nicely. She is a character you will admire and enjoy spending time with.
It’s 2011, three years after the financial crisis which still blights the economy. At the office one morning. Stella, complete with hangover, is in a bad mood, which darkens. The first appointment of the day is Dyrleif, a medium. Dyrfeid wants Stella to help her prevent the death of a man she foretold in a vision involving Stella’s mother from beyond the grave. Stella hates timewasters.
Next up is a young girl. Her mother has died but she left documents with Stella that will finally tell Úlfhildur, 17, who her dad is. Konrád is a priest who lives in Keflavik and is not happy that his unacknowledged daughter wants to meet him. He’s worried how his parishioners would react to the news and whether she’s after money. When he spurns Úlfhildur it makes Stella angry, and that’s not smart.
Then the police ring, a body has turned up. Businessman and former MP Grimúlfur Haldórsson was tied up in the water at the Grótta lighthouse and left to die at high tide. It soon emerges that Haldórsson has plenty of enemies, local people with grudges to bear and revenge in mind, which relates to fishing quotas and the way people were exploited in the wake of the crash. That includes Stella’s client, Vilmundur, a fisherman the police are interested in talking to because his boat was near the scene of the crime at the crucial time. Dyrleif, the psychic, naturally claims to have warned everyone.
As if that wasn’t enough, alleged drug dealer Psycho Sævar, an old sparring partner, wants Stella to represent him. He thinks he has a way of getting off the latest charges if she can broker a deal for him. If the plan fails the fall-back option might involve serious, if not fatal, witness tampering. Success means danger for Stella, as it could put one of the city’s top gangsters in the frame.
It’s a delight to spend time with Stella, a wrecking ball of a character; unforgettable, sexy, sassy, fearless and smart as a whip. Vulnerable clients, and even the sexist ones, obstructive authorities and damning evidence only cause Stella to raise her game. The cases play out in a fast-paced multi track mystery with a couple of neat twists. The dry wit and crackling dialogue are a treat.
The Murder Pool will be published on 5th March.