William Wordsworth famously noted that “the child is father of the man.” It is that truism that makes REYKJAVIK NIGHTS so interesting.

Readers encountering Erlendur Sveinsson for the first time will find this book to be a grand introduction to Arnaldur Indridason’s series. But for those who are already familiar with these novels, it serves as a prequel of sorts, pulling back the veil of the past to when Erlendur, Indridason’s troubled Icelandic detective, was still fresh on the police force, tasked with traffic patrol as well as policing the frequent car crash, occasional robbery and weekend disturbances. Veteran readers additionally will not be surprised at all that this younger version of Erlendur is obsessed with cases involving missing persons, his official duties notwithstanding. Indeed, one wonders how or when he sleeps, given that he turns over so much personal time to researching a missing child or an adult gone absent.

"Indridason is one of the absolute best of the crop of Nordic noir practitioners, and this fine addition...will serve as an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with one of the best detective series being published on any continent."

The case that primarily occupies the young Erlendur does not concern a missing person, but a dead one who may not have been murdered. Rather, it is an alcoholic vagrant known as Hannibal who was found by some schoolboys in a groundwater pond, the apparent victim of a drowning. Erlendur had encountered the somewhat unpleasant Hannibal on occasion during foot and traffic patrols. While one could hardly say that they had formed a familiar relationship, Erlendur had helped Hannibal back to his somewhat primitive living quarters on occasion when the latter was too intoxicated to make it back by himself.

Erlendur begins investigating the circumstances behind Hannibal’s death simply because no one --- including the deceased’s surviving siblings --- seems to be much interested in what happened to him. The conclusion that Hannibal died as a result of an accidental drowning while in an inebriated state seems obvious to everyone. Erlendur, though, cannot let it go; he is troubled by a couple of things, including a fire that occurred in the basement that Hannibal called home shortly before his death. He sees the investigation as part of his job, even though, ironically, he finds and follows the almost non-existent evidence on his own time. When an acquaintance of Hannibal is subsequently found dead, also from an apparent accident, Erlendur wonders if there is perhaps a connection.

Yet it is a case that appears unconnected to Hannibal that ultimately puts Erlendur on the right track. A seemingly cold case --- the disappearance of a young woman after an evening of nightclubbing --- unexpectedly and tenuously ties into Erlendur’s investigation of Hannibal’s death. Erlendur must cope with resistance, as well as outright hostility, in order to obtain justice on behalf of two different and dissimilar individuals.

Those who had been hoping for more in the current Erlendur canon will not be disappointed in the least by REYKJAVIK NIGHTS, which serves both as an introduction of sorts to the series (however belated) and an opportunity to fill in some of the holes of Erlendur’s past. Indridason is one of the absolute best of the crop of Nordic noir practitioners, and this fine addition, ably translated by Victoria Cribb, will serve as an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with one of the best detective series being published on any continent.