Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Author Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson was born April 12, 1955 in Akureyri, Iceland. In the year 1983, he got his B.Sc. degree in civil engineering from ICET (Icelandic College of Engineering and Technology). During summer vacations, he worked for the Icelandic Road Administration, a job he started in the year 1969. he would begin working there full time in the year 1983. Starting in 1985, he was supervisor of the institution’s publications and was a contributor to Public Relations.

Ingolfsson has taken classes in writing scripts from the Icelandic Film Producers, as well as the Institute for Continuing Education at University of Iceland.

In 1990 and 1995, he went to classes in Public Relations at George Washington University.

He has been nominated for the Glass Key award two times, it is awarded by the Crime Writers of Scandinavia.

In 2008, the book “Daybreak” was adapted for a television series called “Hunting Men” that aired in Iceland.

“The Flatey Enigma” is the first stand alone novel, which was released in the year 2012. The year is 1960 on Ketilsey Island. Close to this almost deserted island off Iceland’s western coast, the spring comes and there is new life for the wildlife. A decaying body is found by a trio of seal hunters, and winter is a permanent matter. The body was a Danish cryptographer that had been missing for months. The investigation that follows shows a link between him and the Book of Flatey (which is a medieval manuscript).

Another body is found on another very small island off the western coast that is called Flatey. This victim’s back was mutilated with a so called blood eagle, keeping with the ancient Viking tradition. Kjartan (who is a representative for the district magistrate) is dispatched to investigate the murders, and quickly finds himself sucked into the dangerous and dark world of old legends, secret societies, and symbology to catch the killer.

Some were able to figure out who the killer was, but still enjoyed the story because it taught them about Iceland. Fans of the novel found that this is a captivating book, so much so, you will not want to put it down until Kjartan has been able to solve the case. There is a surprising amount of humor, brooding intensity, and some complex clues. The book is quirky with some interesting characters.

“House of Evidence” is the second stand alone novel, which was released in the year 2012. A frigid morning in early 1973. Jacob Kieler Junior lies in a pool of blood after he was killed by a gunshot wound in his chest. Detective Johann Palsson, who is an expert in the field of forensics, (now just in its infancy) gets called to come to the scene and finds something that is more unsettling than the killing itself.

Jacob’s dad, who was a railroad engineer, was shot and killed in the exact same living room, a crime that was committed thirty years before. The case was later closed and officially ruled a botched robbery.

Palsson is able to find some diaries that show Kieler Senior to be a man of ambition that wanted to get the railroad to Iceland no matter what. The detective believes a deeper and much darker mystery is afoot. He and his colleagues put together, through the diaries, the family history. It is one full of deceit.

The book teaches the reader about Iceland, making the story interesting and adding to the police procedural story at the core of the book. Fans of the novel found this author wrote a great whodunit, and is able to keep the identity of the killer under wraps until the end of the story. Some are interested in reading more by this author after just this one.

“Daybreak” is the first “Birkir and Gunnar” novel, which was released in the year 2013. When a goose hunter’s shotgun riddled body is found, the police think they have some suspects who may have wanted the guy dead. His property’s caretaker or maybe his young wife. There is another body and it is another hunter, who is found with a similar wound. Then there is a third victim. The pattern starts emerging, they are all goose hunters, that were shot at dawn. Birkir and Gunnar (Reykjavick cops) are looking at the possibility that there might be a serial killer about in their idyllic countryside in Iceland.

They set a trap for “The Gander”, as they call him. It soon starts being a wild goose chase while the killer plays tricks of his own on the police. Time is running short, and the prospect of finding another corpse is just about a guarantee. The police have to figure out if there is a connection to each of the victims or if the killer is just playing a twisted game.

This is another enjoyable mystery from this author. Fans of the novel like the unique presentation that Ingolfsson has, as it sets him on his own. The book has great character development and a gorgeous backdrop to it. Some cannot wait to read every single book by Ingolfsson, as they enjoy each of his works.

“Sun on Fire” is the second “Birkir and Gunnar” novel, which was released in the year 2014. A gutted businessman’s body is found in Iceland’s embassy, in Berlin, the best detectives Iceland has are dispatched to Germany to investigate. Both the wounds and the elegant hunting knife (used for the murder) point to the crime being a ritualistic thing. The only possible suspects were some of the cultural elite on the island. Like Jon the Sun Poet and Ludvik Bjarnason (a ceramics artist).

The victim of the crime is not someone a lot of people are going to miss. Birkir and Gunnar, who are joined by Anna Thordardottir (a forensics expert), bet this is an open and shut, slam dunk of a case. It turns out to be far from it. This crime stinks of premeditation and revenge. It leads this team into a scandalous tale of child abuse on an international scale, retribution, and arson.