The dancer

The Dancer by Óskar Gudmundsson is dark, and deeply disturbing. The violence begins in the first chapter, and is unsettling. The reader knows right from the start who the killer is. What's difficult to decide is, does one loathe him for his crimes or feel some sympathy for him because of the betrayals he has suffered.
The story is set in 1980's Iceland, in a time before mobile phones, emails and Google. Investigations are done the old fashioned way, and post mortem and toxicology reports take longer to reach detectives.
The Dancer was translated into English by Quentin Bates who, once again, has done a sterling job.
I enjoyed this book despite it's disturbing content. If cosy mysteries are your thing, The Dancer is definitely NOT for you.