Translated from Icelandic by Quentin Bates

This boy has been through hell states someone who has narrowly escaped death at the hands of Óskar Guðmundsson’s murderous ballet dancer. It’s a surprisingly empathetic statement given the circumstances, but 100% true. You only need to catch sight of Tony’s twisted, gnarled feet to understand that. Read the novel to witness the impact on his psyche and the resulting outward manifestation. But be prepared: this narrative is as dark as it comes.

At times, I wanted to look away, but could not. This novel takes a firm hold as the naked dancer pirouettes around his first victim in the chapter one and does not let go. Moving back in time we see the events that led up to this, with subtle signals that the boy, Tony, on the surface an affectionate grandson and dutiful son to his disabled mother, is mentally unbalanced. By the time we understand what led to the events of the first chapter, we know that this boy, once the victim of bullying, both at school and at home, is not to be bullied any longer. We also know that slighting him in any way shape or form is dangerous … even if the slight is imaginary. His psychosis is that severe.

For me this is a case of the worm turning. And once he has turned, he plots and takes revenge too quickly. Leading him to kill someone for mistaken reasons, triggering escalation to the final cataclysm. Which Guðmundsson stages with all the drama of the most tragic of ballet finales.

Pursuing the unknown-to-them deranged killer are the veteran detective Valdimar and his protegée Ylsa. Because Tony’s story is so compulsive, I confess their characters didn’t make much of a mark on me. Not to worry their day will come. The Dancer is the first in a new crime series. Bring on the second.

The Dancer is now available in e-book format. The paperback edition will be released on 1 February 2024.