Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, a Reykyavik attorney, receives an unusual request. A German university student has been found murdered under unusual circumstances, and his family isn’t satisfied with the police investigation. Although the murderer has supposedly been arrested, the family doesn’t think he did it. They want Thóra to work with their German representative, Matthew Reich, to see what she can turn up.
Thóra soon learns that the student, Harald Gottlieb, was obsessed with Medieval witch hunts. His apartment is decorated with bizarre artifacts from his grandfather’s collection of torture instruments and folk spells. His own body is covered with piercings and markings as well as embedded objects. His thesis is supposed to be a comparison of witch burnings in Germany and Iceland, but Thóra and Matthew find his research more scattered.
Despite his appearance and apparently rowdy behavior, Harald seems to have been well-liked by his fellow students although not by all the faculty. He has founded a historical society centered around witchcraft practices, and the members of it all give each other alibis for the night of the murder—they were all out clubbing together.
Although because of its macabre subject matter and occasional creepiness, this mystery seems as if it is going to be fairly grim, I would place it closer to the cozy category. We get to know Thóra’s kids and find a source of humor in Thóra’s surly receptionist Bella (although I thought Sigurdardóttir could have skipped the fat jokes). Also interesting is Thóra’s growing relationship with Matthew.
This is a pretty good mystery, too. I enjoyed this novel and will look for the next one.
whatmeread 
I was hooked that it’s set in Iceland then got a bit worried but glad that you finished with cozy!
Yes, I really enjoyed it. It starts off seeming as though it’s going to be really dark, but it isn’t.
This has been sitting on my TBR since 2015! I read one of the later ones in the series and enjoyed it, and really intended to go back to the beginning and read them all, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans. Glad to hear it’s enjoyable, and yes, I seem to remember thinking the one I read was reasonably cosy too, which isn’t always the case with Sigurdardottir. Really must try to read it sometime…
I think I have the second one on my pile.