Writing In Ice: A Crime Writer’s Guide To Iceland

Non-fiction guide

If you had to choose a new location for a crime series, where would you look? In 2009, Michael Ridpath had to do just that.

He chose Iceland, a country of fjords, glaciers and volcanoes, of long, manic summer days and long, sinister winter evenings, a place where everyone is on Facebook and everyone's grandmother has spoken to an elf.

This is his account of researching the country: the breathtaking landscape, its vigorous if occasionally odd people, the great heroes and heroines of its sagas, and (of course) those troublesome elves; with a little bit thrown in about how to put together a good detective story.

Entertaining and informative, it's a guide to Iceland for the visitor and a guide to crime writing for the reader.

"A very entertaining book about a crime writer's experience of writing books that take place in Iceland. So knowledgeable and humorous, yet kind toward our country's quirkiness."
 – Lilja Sigurdardóttir, bestselling Icelandic author.