Thriller novelist Michael Ridpath intends to set his next series entirely in Iceland. The first book in the series, Where the Shadows Lie, is due this June.
When asked “why Iceland?”, Vísir reports that Ridpath replied, “I came to Iceland in 1995 to promote my book Free to Trade. I found the country fascinating. From that point on, I always had the idea to write a book that took place in Iceland.” He has been back to Iceland three times in the past two years alone.
Icelandic publisher Bjarni Þorsteinsson told reporters that the translation of the book into Icelandic is nearly complete. “We wanted to get this out before Christmas”, which is peak season for book sales in Iceland, “but that didn’t happen. It will instead come out next year.”
The plot of the book revolves around a detective from Boston named Magnus Jonson, himself of Icelandic ancestry, who spent the first 12 years of his life here before moving west. A Boston drug ring takes him back to Iceland, and rekindles his interest in trying to solve his father’s murder.
Michael Ridpath is a best-selling author of thrillers, most of them focussing on the world of high finance. So naturally, many are already speculating that Iceland’s financial collapse will find its way into future books in the series.

(Photo: Nemira Books)