Quentin Bates

Officer Gunnhildur investigates the discovery of a body in an Icelandic fishing village and uncovers a web of political intrigue and corruption.

Frozen Assets

Snowed in with a couple of psychopaths for the winter... When two small-time crooks rob Reykjavik's premier drugs dealer, hoping for a quick escape to the sun, their plans start to unravel after their getaway driver fails to show. Tensions mount between the pair and the two women they have grabbed as hostages when they find themselves holed upcountry in an isolated hotel that has been mothballed for the season. Back in the capital, Gunnhildur, Eiríkur and Helgi find themselves at a dead end investigating what appear to be the unrelated disappearance of a mother, her daughter and their car during a day's shopping, and the death of a thief in a house fire. Gunna and her team are faced with a set of riddles but as more people are quizzed it begins to emerge that all these unrelated incidents are in fact linked. And at the same time, two increasingly desperate lowlifes have no choice but to make some big decisions on how to get rid of their accidental hostages...

An Inspector Gunna Mystery

Thin Ice

The discovery of a corpse washed up on a beach in an Icelandic backwater sparks a series of events that propels the village of Hvalvik's police sergeant Gunnhildur into deep waters. Although under pressure to deal with the matter quickly, she is suspicious that the man's death was no accident and once she has identified the body, sets about investigating his final hours.The case takes Gunnhildur away from her village and into a cosmopolitan world of shady deals, government corruption and violence. She finds herself alone and less than welcome in this hostile environment as she tries to find out who it was that made sure the young man drowned on a dark night one hundred kilometres from where he should have been - and why.

Frozen Out

Cold comfort

'Superior crime fiction set in Iceland' The Times 'As chilling as an Icelandic winter' S. J. Bolton Following her promotion and working now from Reykjavik, Gunnhildur is given responsibility for two cases - the first in tracking down an escaped convict who's keen to settle old scores, and the other, the murder of a TV fitness presenter in her city centre apartment. With the police short staffed and underfunded following the financial crash, Gunnhildur and her team set about delving into the backgrounds of both, where they uncover some unwelcome secrets and some influential friends of both who have no wish to be in the public eye. Set in an Iceland that is coming to terms with the deepening recession, Gunnhildur has to take stock of the whirlwind changes that have taken place as she investigates criminals at opposite ends of the social scale as some uncomfortable links appear between the two cases. The second dark and atmospheric thriller in Quentin Bates's Icelandic crime series. A chilling page-turner perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and Søren Sveistrup's The Chestnut Man. Praise for Quentin Bates: 'A great read - leaves you craving the next installment' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 'A perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire' The Bookbag 'Well written and absorbing' Woman's Way 'Captures the chilly spirit of Nordic crime fiction . . . Fans of Arnaldur Indridason's Reykjavík mysteries will want to add Bates to their reading lists' Booklist '[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity' Publishers Weekly 'A superb new series' Eurocrime

A chilling and atmospheric crime thriller full of twists

Cold Comfort

'Superior crime fiction set in Iceland' The Times 'As chilling as an Icelandic winter' S. J. Bolton When a shipowner is found dead, tied to a bed in one of Reykjavik's smartest hotels, Sergeant Gunnhildur sees no evidence of foul play. However, she still suspects things are not as cut and dried as they seem and, as she investigates the shipowner's untimely demise, she stumbles across a discreet bondage society whose members are being systematically exploited and blackmailed. But how does all this connect to a local gangster recently returned to Iceland after many years abroad, and the unfortunate loss of a government laptop containing sensitive data about various members of the ruling party? What begins as a straightforward case for Gunnhildur soon explodes into a dangerous investigation, uncovering secrets that ruthless men are ready to go to violent extremes to keep. The third dark and atmospheric thriller in Quentin Bates's Icelandic crime series. A chilling page-turner perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and Søren Sveistrup's The Chestnut Man. Praise for Quentin Bates: 'A great read - leaves you craving the next installment' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 'A perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire' The Bookbag 'Well written and absorbing' Woman's Way 'Captures the chilly spirit of Nordic crime fiction . . . Fans of Arnaldur Indridason's Reykjavík mysteries will want to add Bates to their reading lists' Booklist '[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity' Publishers Weekly 'A superb new series' Eurocrime

An Icelandic thriller that will grip you until the final page

Chilled to the Bone

Cold Breath

'As chilling as an Icelandic winter' S. J. Bolton 'Superior crime fiction set in Iceland' The Times The discovery of a corpse washed up on a beach in an Icelandic backwater sparks a series of events that propels the village of Hvalvik's police sergeant Gunnhildur into deep waters. Although under pressure to deal with the matter quickly, she is suspicious that the man's death was no accident and once she has identified the body, sets about investigating his final hours. The case takes Gunnhildur away from her village and into a cosmopolitan world of shady deals, government corruption and violence. She finds herself alone and less than welcome in this hostile environment as she tries to find out who it was that made sure the young man drowned on a dark night one hundred kilometres from where he should have been - and why. The first chilling and atmospheric thriller in Quentin Bates's Icelandic crime series. A dark page-turner perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and Søren Sveistrup's The Chestnut Man. Praise for Quentin Bates: 'A great read - leaves you craving the next installment' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 'A perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire' The Bookbag 'Well written and absorbing' Woman's Way 'Captures the chilly spirit of Nordic crime fiction . . . Fans of Arnaldur Indridason's Reykjavík mysteries will want to add Bates to their reading lists' Booklist '[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity' Publishers Weekly 'A superb new series' Eurocrime

A dark and chilling Icelandic noir thriller

Gunnhildur has been taken off police duties to act as bodyguard to a high-profile stranger. Hidden away in a secure house outside Reykjavik, the pair are thrown together - but they soon find they are neither as safe nor as carefully hidden as Gunna had thought. As conflicting glimpses of the stranger's past start to emerge, the press sniff him out - and they're not the only ones interested in finding him. As they move from safehouse to safehouse, Gunna struggles to come to terms with protecting the life of a man who may have the lives of many on his conscience. And as the friction grows between them, Gunna realizes they are increasingly out of their depth as the trail leads from the house outside Reykjavik to Brussels, Russia and the Middle East.

Detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir, beter bekend als Gunna, is nog maar recentelijk van haar functie in het landelijke dorpje Hvalvík gepromoveerd naar Reykjavík, waar ze aan het hoofd staat van de afdeling Ernstige Delicten. Reykjavík is net opgeschrikt door een moord, een reeks mishandelingen en een bankoverval, waarbij steeds dezelfde notoire crimineel betrokken lijkt: Lange Ommi. Tegelijkertijd zit Gunna op de moordzaak van een vrouw, een sexy fitnesscoach die op gruwelijke wijze om het leven is gebracht in haar eigen appartement. In de loop van dit onderzoek haalt Gunna een aantal feiten boven water die niet voor iedereen even welkom zijn, met name niet voor hooggeplaatste, invloedrijke personen uit de omgeving van het slachtoffer. In de hoogste machtsregionen van IJsland zijn blijkbaar figuren actief die niet terugdeinzen voor moord... Net als Quentin Bates' eerste IJslandmsyterie 'Bevroren tegoeden' speelt ook het tweede deel in de serie ten tijde van de financiële crisis die IJsland kort geleden aan de rand van de afgrond bracht. Opnieuw schotelt thrillerschrijver Quentin Bates ons een meeslepende combinatie van moord, corruptie en financiële meltdown voor.

Schrale troost

'Grimmig als de IJslandse winter... een must voor de lezers van Indridason!' - S. J. Bolton Gunnhildur Gisladottir, beter bekend als Gunna, staat aan het hoofd van het politieteam in het dorpje Hvlalvik in het zuidwesten van IJsland. Gunna is toegewijd en getalenteerd, maar omdat ze een vrouw 'van zekere leeftijd' is, is ze wat carrière betreft voorbijgestreefd door een aantal ambitieuze mannelijke collega's, die nu op aantrekkelijker posten zitten. Als er een lijk aanspoelt in de haven van het anders zo doodstille Hvlalvik is de druk op Gunna om dit geval van verdrinking snel af te handelen groot. Toch ontkomt ze niet aan de indruk dat de dood van de man geen ongeluk was en verdiept ze zich in de reconstructie van de laatste uren van zijn leven. De zaak voert haar naar de zakenwereld van Reykjavik, vol dubieuze zakendeals, corrupte overheidsdienaren en geweld. Gunna voelt zich al snel geïsoleerd en onwelkom in deze vijandige omgeving, maar toch zet ze door, vastbesloten uit te vinden waarom een jongeman in een donkere nacht verdronk, meer dan honderd kilometer van waar hij eigenlijk had moeten zijn - en waarom... Bevroren tegoeden speelt zich af in de periode die voorafgaat aan de ineenstorting van het IJslandse bancaire systeem. Dit was een nationale ramp waardoor de economie van het land volledig tot stilstand kwam, juist op een moment dat de kleine IJslandse gemeenschap al gepolariseerd was door een hele reeks maatschappelijke gebeurtenissen op onder meer op gebied van politiek en milieu. 'Duistere plotlijnen en getroubleerde personages als in Mankell, Nesbø en Karin Fossum... een fantastische toevoeging aan het genre Scandic noir!' - amazon.com

Bevroren tegoeden

Ragnar Jonasson

On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer's night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person's life hangs in the balance. Ari Thór Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjörður struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it's a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies... Dark, terrifying and complex, Blackout is an exceptional, atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland's finest crime writers. 'Jónasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic Noir' Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express 'A distinctive blend of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction ... economical and evocative prose, as well as some masterful prestidigitation' Laura Wilson, Guardian 'Jónasson's writing is a masterful reinvention of the Golden Age classic style, both contemporary and timeless ... enclosed by the poetic beauty of the location' Crime Review 'A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended' Lee Child 'A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...' Ian Rankin

Black Out

Originally published in hardcover in 2011.

Reykjavík detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir tries not to believe in ghosts. But when Helgi, one of her team is certain he's seen a man who had been declared dead more than fifteen years ago, she reluctantly gives him some unofficial leeway to look into it. Has the not-so-dead man returned from the grave to settle old scores, or has he just decided to take a last look around his old haunts? Either way, there are people who have nursed grudges for years, hoping for a reckoning one day. Even the rumour of his being alive and kicking is enough to spark a storm of fury and revenge, with Gunnhildur and Helgi caught up in the middle of it. Praise for Quentin Bates: 'A great read - leaves you craving the next installment' - Yrsa Sigur?ardóttir 'A meticulously constructed thriller, peopled with exceptionally convincing characters and shot through with black humour. Frozen Out is as chilling as an Icelandic winter' - S.J. Bolton 'Superior crime fiction set in Iceland... this is a well constructed, well written and satisfying police procedural' - The Times on Cold Comfort '[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity' - Publishers Weekly on Frozen Out

Cold Malice

Reykjavík detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir tries not to believe in ghosts. But when Helgi, one of her team is certain he's seen a man who had been declared dead more than fifteen years ago, she reluctantly gives him some unofficial leeway to look into it. Has the not-so-dead man returned from the grave to settle old scores, or has he just decided to take a last look around his old haunts? Either way, there are people who have nursed grudges for years, hoping for a reckoning one day. Even the rumour of his being alive and kicking is enough to spark a storm of fury and revenge, with Gunnhildur and Helgi caught up in the middle of it. Praise for Quentin Bates: 'A great read - leaves you craving the next installment' - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 'A meticulously constructed thriller, peopled with exceptionally convincing characters and shot through with black humour. Frozen Out is as chilling as an Icelandic winter' - S.J. Bolton 'Superior crime fiction set in Iceland... this is a well constructed, well written and satisfying police procedural' - The Times on Cold Comfort '[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity' - Publishers Weekly on Frozen Out

Gunnhildur reluctantly allows herself to be taken off police duties to act as bodyguard to a man with a price on his head . . . Hidden away in a secure house outside Reykjavík, Gunna and the high-profile stranger, a guest of the interiors minister, are thrown together - too close for comfort. They soon find they are neither as safe nor as carefully hidden as Gunna and her boss had thought. Conflicting glimpses of the man's past start to emerge as the press begin to sniff him out, as does another group with their own reasons for locating him. Gunna struggles to come to terms with protecting the life of a man who may have the lives of many on his conscience - or indeed may be the philanthropist he claims to be. Isolated together, the friction grows between Gunna and the foreign visitor, and she realises they are out of their depth as the trails lead from the house outside Reykjavík to Brussels, Russia and the Middle East.

Quentin Bates

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