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    Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense
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    Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense
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    Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense
    Ebook405 pages7 hours

    Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense

    By Yrsa Sigurdardottir

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    At a university in Reykjavík, the body of a young German student is discovered, his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Police waste no time in making an arrest, but the victim's family isn't convinced that the right man is in custody. They ask Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, an attorney and single mother of two, to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts. But there are very contemporary horrors hidden in the long, cold shadow of dark traditions. And for two suddenly endangered investigators, nothing is quite what it seems . . . and no one can be trusted.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061844812
    Author

    Yrsa Sigurdardottir

    Yrsa SigurdardÓttir is an award-winning author of five children's novels and a division manager with one of Iceland's largest engineering firms. She lives with her family in Reykjavík, Iceland.

    Read more from Yrsa Sigurdardottir

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    Reviews for Last Rituals

    3.5/5

    50 ratings32 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Truly excellent! Superb protagonist, complex plot, keeps you guessing until the very end, can’t wait to read more from this author and meet Thora again!
    • 4/5
      At the University of Iceland the mutilated body of student Harald Guntlieb falls onto one of his professors when the door to a small room is opened one morning. Police soon arrest Harald’s friend Dori, who they believe to have been his drug supplier. However Harald’s family in Germany are unsatisfied with the investigation and send an investigator they know, Matthew Reich, to Iceland who teams up with a local lawyer, Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, to find what the police might have missed. Together they re-trace the steps Harald took during his research into the history of witchcraft and magic, believing that might have played a role in his death.

      As Thora and Matthew investigate the circumstances of Harald's death, Thora herself has to cope with a domestic crisis in her own family involving her son. Thora is a great character and I very much liked how she was portrayed in this book. She and Matthew have a bantering, witty relationship that is nicely understated. That sense of humor is part of what's notable about the story. The subject matter is quite dark, menacing and more than a little bit weird.

      Last Rituals is a highly readable and entertaining debut novel which introduces two strong main characters amid some fascinating historical and cultural storytelling. I definitely plan to continue the series.
    • 3/5
      Thora Gudmundsdottir is an Icelandic lawyer forced by financial necessity to take a case looking into the grisly ritual murder of a German student at the University of Reykjavik. She is soon joined by Matthew Reich, the family representative and the case leads them through Iceland’s history of heinous witch trials. This novel was written in Icelandic and translated into English. I found it interesting to read a book set in Iceland and written by an Icelander. But true to form, crime and mystery is crime and mystery in any language. It was a good read and I am anxiously waiting for my reserve on the sequel to come in at the library.
    • 4/5
      All at once, Thora began to pity him. Her maternal instinct kicked in. Or was it her grandmotherly instinct? 'Who said I wasn't going to help you?' she said. 'Let's see what I can find out. I won't touch your defence with a bargepole, but I'll be in court. I wouldn't miss the trial for all the tea in China.'A short, fun murder mystery (423 pages, but a large font ) set in Iceland. German history student Harald Schmidt has been murdered in strange circumstances, and one of his friends has been changed with his murder, but the Schmidt family do not believe that he is guilty. So one of their employees is sent to Reykjavik and hires a Rekjavik lawyer to help him investigate the crime. There is a bit too much info-dumping for my taste and the characters state the obvious a few too many times, but this was still an enjoyable read, as I tried to work out how the members of Harald's witchcraft society were involved in his death, and why his relationship with his parents had soured so much.
    • 4/5
      At a university in Reykjavík, the body of a young German student is discovered, his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Police waste no time in making an arrest, but the victim's family isn't convinced that the right man is in custody. They ask Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, an attorney and single mother of two, to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts. But there are very contemporary horrors hidden in the long, cold shadow of dark traditions. And for two suddenly endangered investigators, nothing is quite what it seems . . . and no one can be trusted.

      An intriguing mystery with an engaging lead in Thora and a fine case of supporting characters.

      The historical aspect of the novel; the medieval witch hunts which took place in Iceland was interesting and fitted with the bleakness of the setting. I thought the partnership of Thora and Matthew worked really well and gave the story a nice light, humorous touch with their mis matched interplay. In spite of the dark subject matter, it is at times wickedly funny. Recommended
    • 3/5
      Relaxing in a bloody sort of way. Reminded me a bit of the Cadfael books the way the main characters ambled around the countryside - perhaps also the medieval references although a few hundred years later, brought the Cadfael murders to mind. Unlike many of the modern icelandic murder books leaves you thinking Iceland might be a cheerful place to visit rather than the normal gloom and doom.
    • 3/5
      I felt this novel was the author's almost amateurish attempt at a first novel. I don't know whether it was me, the unpleasant characters, the bad translation from Icelandic or the dated pop cultural references, but I was not captivated by this novel in the least. This series might improve in subsequent volumes.A German exchange grad student studying witchcraft folklore in Iceland, Harald, is strangled; his eyes are removed and odd markings made on his body. Thora, a lawyer, and Michael from Germany investigate. Thora feels the suspect the police have arrested is innocent. Involved are a group of Harald's "hippie"-type friends. I did learn something of medieval Icelandic witchcraft, although I'm not sure how authentic the author's information was.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This is a pretty straightforward detective story, but with the bonus that it takes place in Iceland, so, Iceland! A lawyer is asked to look into the murder of a German student, who it turns out was obsessed with the occult. That part was a little ho hum, gee, of course everyone involved with THE OCCULT ends up ritualistically murdered, but still, the Iceland background made a lot of the details much more interesting. I was hoping there would be even more of that -- it goes into a little background about witch hunts in Iceland, and even more information would have been terrific.My biggest issue with this book is that the translation seemed extremely clunky. I kept wanting to sit down with the author and the editor and point out passages and ask "Look, is this really what you meant to convey here?" At one point, when faced with the graphic details of the student's death, the lawyer says "Yuck." Just like that, which to me, makes it almost a comic, or at least sarcastic, statement. If something is that horrific, do you say "yuck PERIOD"? There's another bit where someone is described as sitting, statue-like, like a statue (this lack of English synonyms happened a lot). And then there was a thing that seemed to involve a play on a word in Icelandic (a German is making a mistake about an Icelandic name), which maybe was supposed to indicate something, but it either needed to go away completely or get some exposition about what it was revealing.
    • 3/5
      This book was for the mystery discussion group. It was good because I didn't know who it was until the end. The relationship between Thora and Matthew was funny in parts. I'm not sure if they needed to add the drama with the son. It seemed a little out of place. It was an entertaining read about sorcery and the death of a German student with a mutilated body. The lawyer trying to figure out what was going on for the family. And the background story of why the son turned out the way he did.
    • 3/5
      A good read, interesting setting. I'm not a big fan of witchcraft, though, so found some of the details disturbing. But great characters, including the bad-tempered Goth secretary, Bella! Also, this author is great at end-of-book plot twists; you really have no clue who did it (at least I didn't!)
    • 4/5
      At the University of Iceland the mutilated body of student Harald Guntlieb tumbles onto one of his professors when the door to a small room is opened one morning. Police soon arrest Harald’s friend Dori, who they believe to have been his drug supplier, for the murder. However Harald’s family in Germany are unsatisfied with the investigation and send an investigator they know, Matthew Reich, to Iceland who teams up with a local lawyer, Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, to find what the police might have missed. Together they re-trace the steps Harald took during his research into the history of witchcraft and magic, believing that might have played a role in his death.

      When Last Rituals won the ‘what shall I read next’ roulette wheel spin I dove in without even reading the blurb let alone taking another look at the reviews that must have prompted me adding it to the TBR pile in the first place. Consequently I wasn’t anticipating a funny book so the laughs generated by Thóra’s humorous and somewhat cynical internal monologue and her sarcastic bantering with Matthew were a wonderful surprise (and a tribute to the translator as I think linguistic humour must be a difficult thing to get right). Probably because I tend to have a similarly bent view of the world I really appreciated Thóra’s attitude which, though irreverent in some circumstances, never got in the way of her getting things done. She also demonstrated genuine backbone when it came to standing up for her son in the face of overwhelming disapproval and I found myself liking Thóra, and the overall tone of the book, very much.

      The plot is a standard whodunit despite the macabre overtones provided by the mutilated body and the research topic chosen by Harald. His small group of friends, all part of a group devoted (at least part-time) to the performance of sorcery, provide a pool of potential suspects although I have to admit I didn’t find these characters quite as believable as the two main characters. However the fact that the case led Thóra and Matthew to discover interesting tidbits about Iceland’s history of dealing with witches and witchcraft was interesting (if a bit complicated at times).

      Last Rituals is the author’s first adult novel (she also writes children’s books) and it’s quite a stellar debut. The characters and style are original and the plot is intricate but logical. I’m looking forward to more from Yrsa Sigurdardottier.
    • 2/5
      Last Rituals. Yrsa Sigurdardottir. 2005. The cover describes this book as follows: “An Icelandic novel of secret symbols, medieval witchcraft, and modern murder.” And it was all of these but it was not as suspenseful and it should or could have been. A young Icelandic lawyer is asked to investigate the murder of a German student by the student’s parents. She works with a German associate and discovers that the student and his friends were obsessed with Icelandic witchcraft. The promised suspense never materialized, maybe because the murder had already occurred and the living characters were never in any danger. It was interesting and if a series does evolve, I’ll probably read the next book.
    • 2/5
      Harald Guntlieb, a university student from Germany, is killed in Iceland and a friend of his is arrested. Harald's family doubts the police explanation and sends Matthew Reich to investigate further. Since Matthew speaks no Icelandic, he hires a lawyer, Thora Gudmundsdottir, to assist him. The murder investigation soon leads them to research the history of sorcery in Iceland, Harald's thesis topic.What this mystery really lacks is dramatic tension. There is virtually none. There are macabre touches but a "yuck" factor is not the same as suspense. The investigation plods along and no one is ever in any real danger. A great deal of luck and coincidence helps to solve the case: "'the evidence came from two different sources on the very same day'" (272). To make matters worse, there are plot tangents, mostly into Thora's personal life; she has to deal with some family issues which are totally irrelevant to the main plot. How she handles one particular family crisis is clearly intended to develop her character, but her traits could have been shown in her involvement in the murder investigation.There are problems with Thora's characterization. She seems immature for her age. She is so scatter-brained that she serves a guest a meal without a main course (254). She is so naive that she seems not to have discussed safe sex with her sixteen-year-old son. In addition, her knowledge of the law seems weak. She and her partner in a law firm are not particularly astute: "Who would consult a legal firm that specializes in contractual law yet messes up its own contracts" (6)? Later, "She was wondering whether she could be disbarred for serious abuse of her position and a flagrant conflict of interest. In fact she was unsure whether the law made such a provision . . ." Then she asks a police officer, "'Can I see [the accused] alone or am I supposed to be present when he's interrogated'" (271)?The relationship between Matthew and Thora is stereotypical. They are obviously intended to be foil characters in the vein of Brennan and Booth in "Bones" or the Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis characters in "Moonlighting." There is little original in their depiction - (not so)witty repartee with some unacknowledged sexual attraction. Two other novels in this series have been translated into English and I may read them, but only if nothing else demands my attention more strongly.
    • 4/5
      This author's books are a refreshing change from other Scandinavian thrillers where the main character is a dark depressive brooding sort of police officer. I like those too but young lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir is a cheerful single mother whose often hilarious private life enlivens the story. A lively and entertaining read.
    • 3/5
      Maybe the book suffered in translation. The plot is excellent. And the descriptions of Iceland, contemporary and historical, are very interesting. But the characters are two-dimensional. Matthew is particularly problematic - he starts out a critical cold fish. The transition to a witty debonair lover is not done well. On the other hand, the protagonist, Thora, starts out clever and independent, but ends up scared to accept a relationship with Matthew and bumbling about trying to deal with her ex-husband (and father of her children) whom she calls worthless but who actually doesn't seem all that bad and her two children, who could not be more stereotypical. Troubled adolescent son and precocious, angelic but acerbically tongued 6- year old daughter. Along the way, we get the typical mother angst about having a career and not enough time with the kids. I liked the book enough to read the second in the series, but it's only going on list for when I get around to it.
    • 4/5
      When a German student is found ritualistically murdered at his Icelandic university, his family hires attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir to liaison with the local police due to the language barrier and because they think the police has arrested the wrong person. However, it turns out that they are asking Thóra for much more: they are asking her to find the real killer. Apart from some wonky mistranslations (due to the translator's lack of knowledge on a specific topic rather than actual errors), this is quite an enjoyable murder mystery. The characters are believable and the descriptions of Iceland quite intriguing, but the real bonus is Sigurðardóttir's detailed knowledge of Icelandic history, which she uses deftly as background to the contemporary story.
    • 3/5
      I think my background in magic anthropology kept me from liking this book as much as I'd wanted to; the magical aspects and magic history simply weren't well-researched enough, and were far too fanciful. I wanted more on the tradition of witch hunts and witch executions in Iceland, as they're so different than those conducted elsewhere in Europe - and the author mentions this several times, but never really follows through on the information.That said, the thriller plot itself is rather well done, and the mystery is somewhere between a hard-boiled murder and a cosy, as the detective isn't exactly a hard case herself. She cares about her kids and her family life, and is more interested in getting the job done and going home than making a name for herself, having adventures, and being a sex symbol, which I like.The settings are very well done, and made me want to visit Iceland even more than I already did. And the translation was excellent; I felt like I was reading an original, with nuanced and locally flavoured dialogue, rather than an interpretation.
    • 2/5
      Okay book. Characters were a bit two-dimensional.
    • 3/5
      Good basic mystery novel. I find in reading novels placed in other countries I become more focused on the culture and physical description of the locations. That was the case with this as well. Look forward to reading the next in this series; both for the mystery story and to hear more about Iceland
    • 4/5
      Fascinating for its look into modern and mediaeval Iceland, this mystery gets pretty creepy. The victim is a German PhD student, obsessed with witchcraft and the historical persecution and torture of witches. He's found dead with mediaeval symbols carved in his body and his eyes missing. Our protagonist is a local Reykjavik lawyer hired by the victim's family, who think the police have arrested the wrong man. She's a warm,likeable and funny character, and the byplay between her in her practical clothes for the cold and the visiting German lawyer in his shiny town shoes and sharp suit is most amusing. I thought the writing was a bit on the clunky side, but perhaps that's the translator's fault.
    • 5/5
      This book is the first in a series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. The book is based in Iceland, and it is fascinating to learn about the Icelandic witch trials (mostly men were prosecuted in Iceland). There is a bit of humor to offset the dark, somewhat grisly storyline. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next story in the series.
    • 5/5
      Yrsa Sigurdardottir is an excellent writer from Iceland. ‘LAST RITUALS: A Tale of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft and Modern Murder.’ Thora Gudmundsdottir is a single mother of two and a struggling attorney who is approached by the German parents of an exchange student whose body was found, mutilated, in a closet at the university. Harald Guntlieb had come to Iceland to study medieval history. He was particularly interested in the myths surrounding the witches of Iceland, men hunted as witches rather than women the accused in most countries. The police believe that Harald’s deaths is related to drugs and a suspect is arrested. But the Guntlieb’s don’t believe the police have the right person. They are willing to pay Thora a significant amount of money if she concentrates on finding the person really responsible for their son’s death.Thora is soon joined in her investigation by Matthew Reich, a former German police detective, also hired by the victim’s parents. As they investigate they discover that the murder is connected to Iceland’s very dark, mythic past. As Harald’s life in Iceland and Germany are examined, Thora and Matthew find that he was a man of many secrets. Harald seemed to be less involved in working on his thesis than he was on discovering a mysterious manuscript from the Middle Ages, “The Witches Hammer.” Was Harold involved in a coven? Has witch hunting continued down through the ages?This is an excellent story begging to be read straight through to the end but it is more than a bit grisly. I admit to scanning some of the details. There is a difference between a story like LAST RITUALS and a Hannibal Lecter type story in that the latter makes everyone realizes their own vulnerability. Anyone can be a victim. In LAST RITUALS, Harald has willingly entered into the nightmare. We can read safely because we aren’t like Harald.Yrsa Sigurdardottir has written a book that captures the reader because, secretly, we believe that there really are people who choose to seek out the darkside. Thora is a wonderful character.
    • 4/5
      Set in Iceland, this novel features lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir, an appealing character trying to juggle a fledgling law practice, two small children, and a limited income. She is hired by the family of a young German student in Iceland, who was brutally and weirdly murdered. The plot gets pretty gothic, but the setting is interesting and Thora is a most engaging protagonist.
    • 4/5
      When a college student is found murdered with what seem to be ritual overtones, lawyer Thora Gudmundsdottir is asked by the family to investigate, along with with German former police officer Matthew Reich. Turns out the student was a grad student in the study of witchcraft and may have stumbled upon some secret. Or perhaps one of the other students in his coven killed him.It took me a bit to get into this. The interaction between Thora and Matthew was felt stilted and awkward at first, but since that's how they felt around each other, it worked. And it eased itself out. I very much enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      First Line: The head caretaker, Tryggvi, stood by the coffeemaker.Lawyer and single mother Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is contacted by Matthew Reich, an ex-German police officer, for help. A wealthy German family's son has been studying at university in Reykjavík, Iceland. His body was found with his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. His family doesn't believe that the Reykjavík police have the right man in custody. Since Thóra's law practice is struggling, she needs the money and agrees to conduct her own investigation.It quickly comes to light that the murdered student was studying Iceland's history of torture, execution and witch hunts, and the more that Thóra and Reich investigate, the more likely it seems that his studies played a part in his murder.I was greatly anticipating this book. One of the reasons why I love reading mysteries set in other countries is because I'm an armchair traveler. I love learning about other countries, and a feeling of place can add so much to a story. Sadly, there was very little sense of place in Last Rituals, and the plot didn't have much that was new either.What I did enjoy a great deal was the character of Thóra, her dual careers of lawyer and mother, her dedication to both, her stubbornness, and her sense of humor that would flash unexpectedly and make me laugh. If not for Thóra, I doubt very much that I would read the next book in the series. Thóra sparkled to such a degree that I know I will be reading more about her in future.
    • 4/5
      Thora Gudmundsdottir is a lawyer and investigator in Iceland. A family hires her to find out how their son died. It appears to be a ritualistic murder because his eyes have been cut out and symbols were carved in his chest. The family attorney, Matthew Reich, joins in the investigation. There are a number of suspects from friends of the deceased who were into the same cultish rituals to professors. The deceased had been researching the ancient practice of witch hunts and how in Iceland it had been the men targeted rather than women. The deceased was also searching for old letters and writings to further prove his research. Thora is an engaging single mother with a keen intellect and balances home and work life with engaging humor.
    • 4/5
      Thora Gudmundsdottir (have I mentioned how fascinated I am by the Icelandic patronymic naming system?) is very… normal. She’s a lawyer, but not the usual sort you find in crime novels. She specializes in contractual law. When a German woman offers her more than her yearly salary to find out who really murdered her son, Thora finds she really can’t refuse. After all, she’s a divorced mother of two whose car is in the shop, yet again. Thora is matched up with Matthew Reich, who works for the family of the murdered young man. Thora and Matthew start out awkwardly, but soon grow into an easy companionship that pulls you through this story of witchcraft and rituals and bitterness and jealousy. I doubt we’ll see more of Matthew later in the series, but I wouldn’t mind it. I liked the simplicity and realness of Thora, and I look forward to meeting her again.
    • 3/5
      I started reading this with high hopes because lets face it,the book seems to have it all.It has murder (needless to say,it takes place in Iceland which has to be an unusual setting,it involves mutilation and black magic too. Why then does it not work ?It could of course be the fact that it is translated from Icelandic and works often lose something in translation. However I think it is more than that. The investigation (if you can call it that) is undertaken by the unlikely team of a woman lawyer and someone sent by the victim's family. They seem to be more interested in each other than solving the crime. The police are even worse. It seems to me that everything except the kitchen sink,has been thrown in to try to make this rather tedious story work. It doesn't. The blurb tells us that it is a 'Number One Bestseller' in Iceland ! if one is to believe that,then all I can say is that the Icelandic nation is a lot stranger than I had imagined.
    • 4/5
      All in all a good read. The plot is well paced and the main characters likeable. I agree with another reviewer that the constant flirting between the two main protaganists was annoying by the end, but not enough to distract. The plot has enough turns to keep you from figuring it out too early, but the low number of characters does narrow the suspect list down quite a bit. Sigurdardottir is a good writer and this was a smart first adult novel. I am certainly interested in her next book.
    • 3/5
      Very good. Good atmosphere, well developed story and a good central character. The Icelandic setting is excellent and the historical documentation seems authentic.