The Shadow Killer

In 1940 Britain occupied Iceland to deter Germany from invading the country. In 1941 the defence of Iceland was transferred to the Americans who at the time were not involved in the war. The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason is a sequel to The Shadow District.

In Reykjavik in August 1941 the body of a man is found in a basement flat. He had been shot, execution style, with a military firearm. Detective Flovent investigates and discovers that the murdered man is not the owner of the flat. So, who is he and why was he murdered? A military policeman, Thorson, working for the American army assists with the enquiry as it is suspected that the murderer may have connections with the armed forces.

Themes occuring in the novel include possible espionage for the Germans, an illegal experiment conducted on young boys at a school, the mistrust of many Icelanders towards the military occupiers - especially in regard to their involvement with Icelanic women - and the mistrust of the military hierarchy of the Reykjavik police investigation. Flovent and Thorson encounter danger and prejudice as they endeavour to discover the truth.