Chilled to the Bone by Quentin Bates

Gunna stamped the snow from her boots and flinched as the overpowering heat of the hotel's lobby hit her like a slap in the face. The door whispered shut behind her as she looked around, spying a man wearing a grey suit and a worried look by the reception desk. He immediately hurried over to her.

'You're from the police?' He asked in a voice laden with drama but kept so low as to be almost a murmur.

'That's me. Look like a copper, do I?' Gunna replied brightly, shooting out a hand for the man to grasp and shake limply. 'Gunnhildur Gísladóttir. And you are?'

'Yngvi Jónsson, I'm the duty manager. Where are the rest of you?'

'Only me to start with. Can you show me what's happened?'

Title: Chilled to the Bone 

Author: Quentin Bates

ISBN:9781472100849

Publisher: C R Crime/2013

Pages: 266

Chilled To The Bone is the third in the series and is a stand alone novel. Gunnhildur Gisladottir (Gunna) arrives at one of Reykjavik’s smartest hotels where a middle aged shipowner is found dead, tied to the bed, naked. There has to be discreet investigation. Gunna discovers a bondage society and the people exploited by it are too embarrassed to come out in the open. Then there is another case of a laptop going missing. As it belongs to Govt officials, they want it to be found as soon as possible. The police force is not too keen to search for that laptop but Gunna finds out that these two cases may be related.

Hekla is the one involved in the bondage ring and she has an invalid husband, two small kids and a step daughter to care for. Then there is Baddo, who has recently got out of prison in the Baltics and is hired by someone to find the laptop. He is resourceful and as a reluctant hoodlum works great for the reader. Wecannot hate Hekla or Baddo. 

Police Sergeant Gunnhildur Gisladottir is a no-nonsense, witty and intelligent woman who tries to well balance the demands of her professional and personal life. She is calm and collected and very professional. Gunnhildur’s private life is not so smooth as her son, Gisli, had made two women pregnant and has conveniently gone to the sea, leaving his mother to deal with the mess. 

There is much detailing about the streets as well as the hotels of Reykjavik. The characters are interesting and the novel has a good pace. One of the best thrillers I read in 2014!