Grimmd (Cruelty) – Crime novel of the year!
STEFÁN MÁNI has been awarded The Blood drop (Blóðdropinn) 2014 for his latest novel Grimmd (Cruelty).
This makes him the only author to have received the award three times. In 2007 Skipíd (The Ship) received the award and the second novel featuring police detective Hörður Grímsson, Húsið was awarded 2013.
The prize is hosted by the Icelandic Crime Writers’ Association and the winner goes on to represent Iceland in the Glass Key – best Nordic crime novel – an award given annually to a crime novel from on of the Nordic countries.
Grimmd (Cruelty) is based on true events in Iceland in 2006.
Fans of Hörður will be happy to rejoin him once again. As he works on a murder case and chases a criminal, we are told a horrifying story of a kidnapped infant and a desperate mother. And sometimes help can be found where it is least expected.
Motivation:
In this hard-core crime novel we get to know an anti-hero with a rough childhood that has made him what he is – charismatic and hard as nails.
The reader feels highly sympathetic towards the main character even though he uses unconventional and brutal methods to solve everyday problems, the goal always justifying the means.
The reader is sent on an exciting journey in the greater Reykjavik area and across the country and the suspense rises, page by page.
Like in Stefán Máni’s earlier works this one is quite violent and the author manages, now as before, to shock and repel but at the same time executes with an artistic stroke and leaves an unforgettable impression on the readers mind. In this ruthless urban jungle, kindness towards others is still kept alive and even the worst brutes have human, sensitive sides.
One of Stefán Máni’s greatest skills is his ability to create memorable characters and write convincing conversations that flow easily. The descriptions of the characters are accurate and visual, allowing the reader to get to know them very well. The backdrop and the scenes are both realistic and very much alive and believable in the readers mind.
Grimmd (Cruelty) is a thrilling read that keeps the reader on edge from the beginning to the end!
