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markhoh's review against another edition
4.0
Meltwater is the third instalment of the Fire and Ice series, set in Iceland, featuring Detective Sergeant Magnus Jonsson. Michael Ridpath does an amazing job of providing detailed descriptions of the Icelandic landscape, Reykjavik and surrounds in all of these books that really helps the reader get a sense of the setting. Having spent some time in Iceland, I personally love reading these descriptions as they transport me back to a memorable and special time.
This book is set during the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallojokull and uses this natural phenomenon as a feature of the story and adds to it's authenticity. The Freeflow internet activists who have stationed themselves in Iceland for this brief period parallel that of Wikileaks and while entirely fictional, there is an element of similarity with other world events from that time period.
Alongside the main story is the ongoing saga of Magnus's childhood, the death of his father and the real life saga of his grandfather and the neighbouring family on their childhood farm on the Snaefells Peninsula. This underlying story ties this series together and Meltwater finishes on a cliffhanger that makes me want to read the next book asap.
While there are elements that are a bit cheesy and cliche in these books, I really love them. Magnus is a bit of a cliche but I can't help liking him. Looking forward to the next one.
This book is set during the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallojokull and uses this natural phenomenon as a feature of the story and adds to it's authenticity. The Freeflow internet activists who have stationed themselves in Iceland for this brief period parallel that of Wikileaks and while entirely fictional, there is an element of similarity with other world events from that time period.
Alongside the main story is the ongoing saga of Magnus's childhood, the death of his father and the real life saga of his grandfather and the neighbouring family on their childhood farm on the Snaefells Peninsula. This underlying story ties this series together and Meltwater finishes on a cliffhanger that makes me want to read the next book asap.
While there are elements that are a bit cheesy and cliche in these books, I really love them. Magnus is a bit of a cliche but I can't help liking him. Looking forward to the next one.
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is my favorite of the series so far. It's set around the time of the big volcanic eruption in 2010 when flights to northern Europe were disrupted so that adds some natural suspense to the already-tense plot. This is about an organization similar to WikiLeaks working on a big exposé while its leader is being targeted. One member of the group is killed, and then things quickly get weird. Also we get to meet Magnús' brother, Ollie, and some other personal stuff comes to a head. Good stuff.
historynerd04's review against another edition
4.0
Once again, I am cursing the inability to rate with half stars because this is a solid 4.5 stars. ::Shakes fist at computer screen.::
'Meltwater' is the 3rd installment - and in my opinion, best - of the 'Fire and Ice' series about a Boston cop of Icelandic extraction who returns to his country of birth. Just like in Boston, Magnus works as a policeman in Reykjavik and is tasked to investigate murders on this small island of ~320,000 inhabitants.
This series just gets better and better with each book. While this one centered on the death of a member who belonged to a WikiLeaks styled group, there is a secondary storyline moving at a fast clip that involves Magnus's family and the skeletons that occupy a closet courtesy of his rather nasty grandfather, Hallgrimur.
Between killers on the loose and the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Magnus has a lot on his hands. Plus, he has to deal with a quasi-girlfriend reappearing and a brother who supposedly never wanted to return to Iceland doing just that -- returning to Iceland.
If you're a fan of Nordic Noir and you haven't checked out this series yet? Well...Remedy that right now! And, as always, I eagerly await the next in this fantastic series!
'Meltwater' is the 3rd installment - and in my opinion, best - of the 'Fire and Ice' series about a Boston cop of Icelandic extraction who returns to his country of birth. Just like in Boston, Magnus works as a policeman in Reykjavik and is tasked to investigate murders on this small island of ~320,000 inhabitants.
This series just gets better and better with each book. While this one centered on the death of a member who belonged to a WikiLeaks styled group, there is a secondary storyline moving at a fast clip that involves Magnus's family and the skeletons that occupy a closet courtesy of his rather nasty grandfather, Hallgrimur.
Between killers on the loose and the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Magnus has a lot on his hands. Plus, he has to deal with a quasi-girlfriend reappearing and a brother who supposedly never wanted to return to Iceland doing just that -- returning to Iceland.
If you're a fan of Nordic Noir and you haven't checked out this series yet? Well...Remedy that right now! And, as always, I eagerly await the next in this fantastic series!
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