The Island Of Lies (Citizen Detective Book Two) by O. Huldumann

 

The Island Of Lies (Citizen Detective Book Two) by O. Huldumann.

Translated by Chris Ould.

Published 5th September 2024 by The Huldumann Project.

From the cover of the book:

In the midst of Capital City's November crime wave Citizen Detective (Grade III) Arne Blöm finds himself appointed as a Konstable of the State Court and tasked with the arrest and detention of a man he's pretty sure is actually dead.

However, being the Detective he is, Blöm quickly discovers that his assignment to the island of Huish has more sinister undertones. Faced with a series of strange and similar deaths, Blöm dispenses with traditional methods for solving the crimes and begins to suspect that certain sections of the island's population are not what they seem, nor as harmless as they might appear…

O. Huldumann's second novel featuring Citizen Detective Blöm firmly establishes the detective as a force to be reckoned with, albeit with damp brogues and missing a glove.

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Capital City's Citizen Detective (Grade III) Arne Blöm is faced with a peculiar case when two intriguing arrest warrants arrive on his desk. Appointed as a Konstable of the State Court, he has little choice but to action the these bizarre orders, even though it appears at least one of the people named is actually dead. 

Much to the consternation of his boss, who is very unhappy about losing a good detective amidst the heavy workload thrown up by the November crime wave, Blöm heads for the island of Huish to perform his court-appointed duty. However, it is not long before he realises that his assignment here will be much more than a brief affair, and begins to understand why Huish is also referred to as the island of lies. Presented with a series of strange deaths that he suspects might actually be murders, Blöm is hard-pushed to get to the bottom of exactly what is going on in this weird island community, all while trying to keep his beloved brogues dry...

This is my first introduction to Huldumann's writing, and I do not think I have ever read a Nordic noir crime story quite like it. Its setting, of an unnamed, post-revolution, communist-esque state is highly unusual, but somehow this works beautifully as a backdrop for a mystery that thrums with authentic noir atmosphere, albeit with undercurrents of dystopia and political malaise.

The story picks up the threads of the first book featuring Blöm, Citizen Detective, which I gather introduces the metropolis of Capital City, and has a secret service twist. This second book concerns itself with small community weirdness on the remote island of Huish, far removed from the administrative centre (but not its history), making it self-contained. Everything you need to fully commit to the story as a standalone is here, but I guarantee you will be searching out more Huldumann when you are done. 

I do not want to give away too much about the plot, because it was an absolute delight to follow the twists and turns of a mystery that nicely incorporates noir grit, gentle humour, shady shenanigans, murky motivations, political ideology, and a dollop of folklore. But suffice to say, Blöm's quick little jaunt out of the city explodes into a complex case about multiple murders fuelled by the kind of revenge that only a detective of his calibre could solve, and he does it all while being totally bemused by the odd traditions of the islanders; mentoring keen, but wet-behind-the-ears rookie cop, Tore Tolker; worrying about the suitability of his city clothing for the snowy conditions; and being bowled over by his first experience of a tasty crab supper. There is even a little hint of a romance too.

I thoroughly enjoyed the quirky flavour of Huldumann's writing, setting and characters. Blöm is a protagonist that makes himself at home in your affections from the first chapter - especially if you are a cat person. There is an undoubtable bumbling quality to him that is very endearing, but he is also no fool, and even though circumstances constantly conspire to throw sizeable obstacles in the way of his investigation, he proves himself eminently resourceful, and genuinely caring.

Translator Chris Ould makes this book sparkle, and you can feel the love he has for Huldumann's genius. His use of colourful idiom is a delight (particularly when it comes to Blöm's boss), and the explanatory notes sprinkled throughout the text are very helpful. Pace and tone are judged perfectly too, making this is a book so engaging that you can easily consume it in one tasty bite - which I most certainly did! 

Forget what you think you know about Nordic noir... Huldumann  throws out the rule book and captures something very special in these pages. I cannot wait to go back and read the first book!

The Island of Lies is available to buy now in hardback, paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to The Huldumann Project for providing me with an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Ewa Sherman for inviting me to be part tis blog tour.

About the author:

O. Huldumann is a bit of an enigma, and it has been impossible to establish the true identity of the author. However, due to the painstaking dedication of translator Chris Ould and Project Huldumann, Huldumann's writing, which is widely held to be some of the best of what has later become known as Nordic noir, is now available to enjoy in English.