Cold Comfort. Quentin Bates. C & R Crime (1 Nov. 2013)

An enjoyable Icelandic police procedural. Sergeant Gunnhildur, just promoted to a position in Reykjavik has two problems, an escaped convict who is settling  violently settling scores and the murder of a fading celebrity in her apartment.The shadow of the financial crisis that racked Iceland is everywhere, from the pressure on resources for the police to the ripples of bankruptcy and debt that are still spreading. The escaped convict is a puzzle, he was close to the end of his sentence, escaping will simply create more trouble for him. Clearly he has strong reasons for his actions and as they slowly come to light the connections with the death of the celebrity fitness instructor also come into view. A varied group of people who have a great deal to loose ans well as those who have already lost a great deal find unexpected connections with each other. The investigation is managed with confident competence and the plot threads are nicely tied up to the satisfying conclusion.
The plot mechanics are very well done, a smart use of sub plots complicates the story very nicely and allows for a large cast to be involved. The Icelandic context is never window dressing , it is essential to the dynamic of the story and the way that the excesses of the boom are drowning the present is skillfully done.
Gunnhildur is a well developed character, she is given the chance to establish herself as a competent professional who has a credible personal life. Operating out of her comfort zone in a new position in a new location, she has an edge that is never dysfunctional.The supporting cast are all given the opportunity to make an impression and they do. The plot threads and the sub plots give the whole cast a lot of room to act and react and they give the story a lot of range and depth.
I found the book a little dry and not fully engaging, the plot mechanics and the cast moved the story forward effectively, they just never aught fire and captured me as a reader. I kept anticipating a pivot in the story as the shape of the plot started to emerge, there is not one, the story follows a fairly straight line. This is not a problem, they story has enough depth to carry it off, my expectations were slightly baffled and that did not seem to be part of the plan for the story.
Cold Comfort is a very good crime story set in a very interesting context, I did not completely catch it, I did enjoy it.