In my search for a Scandinavian mystery series that I want to keep following, I decided to try to read a novel by Stella Blómkvist, especially as it is set in Iceland. Much to my initial confusion, I found that the main character of the novel is also named Stella Blómkvist. I wondered whether I was reading true crime or another mystery series that features the author as a character only to find that Stella is the nom de plume of an anonymous author whose sex is even unknown.
On New Years Eve 2009, Stella has an unpleasant encounter with some thuggish young police academy students that leads to her meeting a Latvian prostitute named Dagnija. When Dagnija learns that Stella is a lawyer, she asks her to find her friend Ilona, who has been missing since she left a party the two were attending.
Stella also takes a case from an old man named Hákon Hákonarson, whose dying wish is that Stella find a woman he believes is his daughter.
Iceland is in chaos because of corruption in the government, banking system, and police. Demonstrators are practically living outside the legislature. But everyone is shocked when a fat cat financier is murdered in a church across from the president’s residence where a major reception is in progress. It is Stella herself, arriving to attend a christening, who finds the body of financier Benedikt Björgúlfsson beaten to death.
Within a few days, Stella is assigned to defend a drug addict named Sverrir Guðbjartsson. He has been charged with the murder of Benedikt on the basis of the police having found candlesticks used to beat him under Sverrir’s bed after a tip-off. Sverrir says he was at the church sleeping in the back seat of a friend’s car but did not go into the church. Oddly, the CTV footage that would show whether he left the car seems to be unavailable.
Finally, Stella is requested by a drug mule named Robertas who claims just to have been delivering a car. He says he had no idea it was stuffed with drugs.
The novel skips around among these cases, some of which are connected. Frankly, so many names are mentioned that I kept losing track of who was who, particularly as characterization doesn’t seem to be a strong suit of Blómkvist’s.
Stella is a salty, libidinous personality. I don’t mind sharp-tongued heroines, but I don’t think Stella is a convincing character. I have lots of reasons for believing there is no way the author is a woman or at very least is someone who has no knowledge of children. Stella has a daughter who is conveniently only mentioned as an afterthought and is apparently perfectly behaved and never wants any attention. It is hard to tell how old she is, but I actually thought she was an infant because of what Stella said about her until she suddenly spoke at the end of the novel.
whatmeread 
That’s interesting. I know the sex of the author shouldn’t really matter, but I prefer to know! This doesn’t sound like a series I would enjoy, anyway.
I don’t plan to go back to it.
My head’s spinning just from your summary of all these different strands! Sounds like there’s far too much going on.
Yep.
The search continues!
Maybe!