Draining Lake

In The Draining Lake a skeleton from the 1970s emerges near Reykjavik, attached to a Russian Cold War listening device. The past is as important as the present in Detective Erlendur Sveinsson's investigation.

Inspector Erlendur returns in this international Bestseller

Following an earthquake, the water level of an Icelandic lake suddenly falls, revealing a skeleton. Inspector Erlendur's investigation takes him back to the Cold War era, when bright, left-wing students in Iceland were sent to study in the "heavenly state" of Communist East Germany. Teeming with spies and informants, though, their "heavenly state" becomes a nightmare of betrayal and murder. Brilliantly weaving international espionage and a chilling cold case investigation, The Draining Lake is Arnaldur Indridason at his best.

ARNALDUR INDRIÐASON won the Glass Key award for Best Nordic Crime Novel for both Jar City and Silence of the Grave. He lives in Reykjavík.

"[A] remarkable series."--The New York Times Book Review

"Indridason keeps readers guessing . . . until the very last pages of this moody investigation."--The Washington Post Book World

"The missing-persons theme and the exploration of Icelandic history and society remain the trademarks of this outstanding series; this time the addition of international espionage will remind readers of Henning Mankell in The White Lioness and The Dogs of Riga."--Booklist

"This is exceptional fiction that transcends its genre."--Library Journal

"An  undiluted pleasure . . . This series places Indridason at the center of the best of contemporary crime fiction. He is a master storyteller and has a real gift for evoking the complex humanity at the heart of the most dour-seeming individuals."--The Guardian (UK)

"A book as subtle and moving as it is suspenseful."--The Wall Street Journal

Publisher: Picador
Distributor: MPS
Publication Date: 09-01-2009
Pages: 336
Measurements: 8.290in X 5.470in X 0.985in