WRITER

Arnaldur Indriðason

1961 - Today

Photo of Arnaldur Indriðason

Icon of person Arnaldur Indriðason

Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced [ˈartnaltʏr ˈɪntrɪðasɔn]; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Arnaldur Indriðason has received more than 428,286 page views. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 36 in 2019). Arnaldur Indriðason is the 1,593rd most popular writer (up from 1,648th in 2019), the 16th most popular biography from Iceland (down from 14th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Icelander Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 430k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 57.96

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 37

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 8.37

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.28

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Jar city
Police, Fiction, Erlendur Sveinsson (Fictitious character)
2004
Voices
Mystery, Police, Fiction
Following the huge success of Silence of the Grave, another spellbinding thriller from the winner of the CWA Gold Dagger.Detective Erlendur encounters memories of his troubled past in this gripping and award-winning continuation of the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries. At a grand Reykjavik hotel the doorman has been repeatedly stabbed in the dingy basement room he called home. It is only a few days before Christmas and he was preparing to appear as Santa Claus at a children's party. The manager tries to keep the murder under wraps. A glum detective taking up residence in his hotel and an intrusive murder investigation are not what he needs. As Erlendur quietly surveys the cast of grotesques who populate the hotel, the web of malice, greed and corruption that lies beneath its surface reveals itself. Everyone has something to hide. But most shocking is the childhood secret of the dead man who, many years before, was the most famous child singer in the country: it turns out to be a brush with stardom which would ultimately cost him everything. As Christmas Day approaches Erlendur must delve deeply into the past to find the man's killer. Voices is a tense, atmospheric and disturbing novel from one of Europe's greatest crime writers.
2006
Hypothermia
Fiction, Mystery, Erlendur Sveinsson (Fictitious character)
The latest thrilling instalment in Indridason's CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning Reykjavik Murder Mystery series.One cold autumn night, a woman is found hanging from a beam in her summer cottage by Lake Thingvellir. At first sight it appears to be a straightforward case of suicide; the woman, Maria, had never recovered from the loss of her mother two years earlier and had a history of depression. But when Karen, the friend who found her body, approaches Erlendur and gives him the tape of a seance that Maria had attended, his curiosity is aroused.Driven by a need to find answers that even he does not fully understand, Erlendur embarks on an unofficial investigation to find out why the woman's life ended in such an abrupt and tragic manner. At the same time he is haunted by the unresolved cases of two young people who went missing thirty years before, and, inevitably, his discoveries raise ghosts from his own past.
2009
Tainted Blood
Fiction, Mystery
A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery - Val McDermid.A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads at all. Delving into the dead man's life he discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Finally, Erlendur's search leads him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. This prizewinning international bestseller is the first in a new series of crime novels set in Iceland.
2005
Silence of the Grave
Mystery, Fiction, Erlendur Sveinsson (Fictitious character)
Downtrodden detective Erlendur and his team must once again investigate Reykjavik's hidden past to unravel a case of human nastiness. Alive with tension and atmosphere and disturbingly real, this is an outstanding continuation of the Reykjavik Murder MysteriesBuilding work in an expanding Reykjavik uncovers a shallow grave. Years before, this part of the city was all open hills, and Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario; perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. Things are never that simple. Whilst Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, his case unearths many other tales of family pain. The hills have more than one tragic story to tell: tales of failed relationships and heartbreak; of anger, domestic violence and fear; of family loyalty and family shame. Few people are still alive who can tell the story, but even secrets taken to the grave cannot remain hidden forever.
2005
Jar City
Fiction, Mystery, Police
A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery - Val McDermidA man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads at all. Delving into the dead man's life he discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Finally, Erlendur's search leads him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. This prizewinning international bestseller is the first in a new series of crime novels set in Iceland.
2005
The Shadow District
Fiction, mystery & detective, historical, Fiction, thrillers, general, World war, 1939-1945, fiction
2017
Silence of the Grave
Mystery, Fiction, Erlendur Sveinsson (Fictitious character)
Downtrodden detective Erlendur and his team must once again investigate Reykjavik's hidden past to unravel a case of human nastiness. Alive with tension and atmosphere and disturbingly real, this is an outstanding continuation of the Reykjavik Murder MysteriesBuilding work in an expanding Reykjavik uncovers a shallow grave. Years before, this part of the city was all open hills, and Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario; perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. Things are never that simple. Whilst Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, his case unearths many other tales of family pain. The hills have more than one tragic story to tell: tales of failed relationships and heartbreak; of anger, domestic violence and fear; of family loyalty and family shame. Few people are still alive who can tell the story, but even secrets taken to the grave cannot remain hidden forever.
2005
Voices
Mystery, Police, Fiction
Following the huge success of Silence of the Grave, another spellbinding thriller from the winner of the CWA Gold Dagger.Detective Erlendur encounters memories of his troubled past in this gripping and award-winning continuation of the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries. At a grand Reykjavik hotel the doorman has been repeatedly stabbed in the dingy basement room he called home. It is only a few days before Christmas and he was preparing to appear as Santa Claus at a children's party. The manager tries to keep the murder under wraps. A glum detective taking up residence in his hotel and an intrusive murder investigation are not what he needs. As Erlendur quietly surveys the cast of grotesques who populate the hotel, the web of malice, greed and corruption that lies beneath its surface reveals itself. Everyone has something to hide. But most shocking is the childhood secret of the dead man who, many years before, was the most famous child singer in the country: it turns out to be a brush with stardom which would ultimately cost him everything. As Christmas Day approaches Erlendur must delve deeply into the past to find the man's killer. Voices is a tense, atmospheric and disturbing novel from one of Europe's greatest crime writers.
2006
Tainted Blood
Fiction, Mystery, Iceland, fiction
A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery - Val McDermid.A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads at all. Delving into the dead man's life he discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Finally, Erlendur's search leads him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. This prizewinning international bestseller is the first in a new series of crime novels set in Iceland.
2005
Darkness Knows
Germanic literature
2021
The Shadow Killer
Iceland, fiction, Fiction, mystery & detective, historical, Fiction, mystery & detective, police procedural
2018

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Arnaldur Indriðason ranks 1,593 out of 7,302. Before him are Namık Kemal, Attila József, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Silvina Ocampo, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, and Clarissa Pinkola Estés. After him are Natalie Clifford Barney, Yaşar Kemal, Mário de Andrade, Rafael Sabatini, Robert Faurisson, and Jan Guillou.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1961, Arnaldur Indriðason ranks 54. Before him are Armin Meiwes, Ian Rush, Aziz Akhannouch, Daniele Massaro, Wayne Gretzky, and Walter Mazzarri. After him are Danny Blind, Erna Solberg, Ferenc Gyurcsány, Andy Fletcher, Susan Boyle, and Toby Keith.

Others Born in 1961

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In Iceland

Among people born in Iceland, Arnaldur Indriðason ranks 16 out of 190. Before him are Egill Skallagrímsson (904), Katrín Jakobsdóttir (1976), Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (1894), Jón Sigurðsson (1811), Kristján Eldjárn (1916), and Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (1968). After him are Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889), Bjarni Benediktsson (1908), Ari Thorgilsson (1067), Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir (1000), Magnús Scheving (1964), and Halldór Ásgrímsson (1947).

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Among WRITERS In Iceland

Among writers born in Iceland, Arnaldur Indriðason ranks 4. Before him are Snorri Sturluson (1179), Halldór Laxness (1902), and Egill Skallagrímsson (904). After him are Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889), Magnús Scheving (1964), Jón Arason (1484), Sæmundr fróði (1056), Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614), Guðbergur Bergsson (1932), Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807), and Matthías Jochumsson (1835).

Icelander born Writers

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