La violenta erupción de un volcán en Islandia obliga a desalojar una pequeña isla. Las cenizas y la lava sepultan una población. Sus habitantes se ven en la necesidad de iniciar una nueva vida en duras condiciones, y muchos abandonan la isla.
Treinta años después aquel trauma parece superado, pero el proyecto Pompeya del Norte decide desenterrar algunas de las viviendas. En las excavaciones de una de las casas, junto a objetos y utensilios cotidianos, se realiza un hallazgo sorprendente: cuatro cadáveres habían quedado ocultos por las cenizas todo ese tiempo sin que nadie sospechara de su existencia. Una abogada se ve forzada a investigar qué había ocurrido realmente con aquellos cuerpos y cómo habían llegado allí. La evidencia de un antiguo crimen hará aflorar una sórdida historia de violencia que parece no haber finalizado todavía, estremeciendo la aparentemente tranquila vida de un pueblo de pescadores.

Strong trigger warning for eating disorder (not for this review, but for the book - a supporting character has an eating disorder and it is described in detail).

I bought the first three books of the series and intended to start with the first, but somehow I confused them and read this one, the third book. It did not matter, though, because the story did not lack any necessary info and it was possible to understand the plot easily without previous knowledge.

The English title of this book is Ashes to Dust and the main character is called Thóra, but it is Dóra in the German version, so I am sticking to that one because I don't want to confuse myself.

This is the first Icelandic novel that I have read, and I enjoyed many things about it. It mainly takes place on the island of Heimaey in the Westman Islands. Large areas of the island were buried by lava and ashes when a volcano erupted in 1973. Now some of the houses are excavated as part of an archaeological project. A local man tries to prevent the excavation of his old family home. Dóra, the main character of the series, is his lawyer. However, things do not look good at all when the house is excavated after all and three bodies are found there, plus another severed head in a box...
As you can see, the case is quite gory and I could have done with less details and less blood. However, the story was exciting and I enjoyed the twists and turns, and trying to solve the riddle with Dóra. She goes deep into the history of the island and its families, uncovering secrets and old stories, feuds and alliances. The historic events surrounding the eruption of the Eldfell are real and it seems to me that the research was well done. This gave the novel an authentic feeling and an interesting backdrop going further than just the crime story.
The reason that I cannot give it four stars is that some characters felt very flat and sometimes I was annoyed because the police, and Dóra, seemed a little blind to the obvious. There is also a lot of focus on appearances, especially women's bodies, and while the novel might simply show its age, it still felt unnecessary.
All in all, while it is not a masterpiece, it was a quick and easy read that kept me turning page after page, and I am looking forward to reading the first book of the series when I need a read like that again. ( )

Quite a complicated tale of volcanos, bodies, seafaring men, and, oddly, an attorney.

Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is hired by Markus, who is being held on suspicion of the murder of his good friend Alda. On the Westman Islands, a remote part of remote Iceland. In 1973 an eruption of a volcano on the main island caused all of its inhabitants to flee to the mainland. Some did not leave, however. Four of those remained in the basement of Markus's parents' house. Where they were discovered many years later, in the presence of archeologists.

Who were they? Why were they in the basement?

Different law enforcement agencies went to work on the case, but Thora didn't feel she could leave it to them. She set about finding out the truth, hoping it did not lead to her client.

At times I felt she talked too much. She revealed too much, just couldn't shut up while working. I also found the conversations a bit off. But in general I enjoyed the hunt and the complexity of the case. Why Thora worked as her own investigator was never explained - maybe that's the way in Iceland? ( )

Auf den isländischen Westmännerinseln werden bei Ausgrabungen im Sommer 2007 drei Leichen und ein abgetrennter Kopf gefunden. Sie liegen im Keller des Elternhauses von Markús Magnússon, das bei einem Vulkanausbruch vor mehr als dreißig Jahren verschüttet wurde. Da Markús mit Hilfe seiner Anwältin Dóra die Ausgrabung unbedingt verhindern wollte, steht er plötzlich unter Mordverdacht: Hat er als Jugendlicher drei Menschen getötet und verstümmelt? Und was hat seine Jugendliebe Alda mit dem Fall zu tun? Rechtsanwältin Dóra glaubt an Markús' Unschuld und will herausfinden, was wirklich geschehen ist. Doch dann wird Aldas Leiche entdeckt ...

This is the second Thora G novel I've read and it did not disappoint. One reason I am drawn to the Nordic/Scandanavian mysteries is the complexity of plot and well defined characters - both traits that are in grand display in this novel. Yrsa S has done a masterful job of weaving a very complex and at times convoluted set of events into a fluid plot line. A supporting cast of characters are well defined and cross paths at very critical junctures during the novel. Is it an easy book to read? No, I did find it a bit cumbersome at times but I had to remind myself that something with this many layers takes time to develop. I thoroughly got lost in the details as we journeyed towards a very satisfying ending. Good read! ( )