''Jar City'', also known as ''Tainted Blood'' ('' Icelandic: Mýrin'', "The Bog") (), is a crime novel by Icelandic author

Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Biography Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son of ...

, first published in Iceland in 2000. It was the first in the

Detective Erlendur series The Inspector Erlendur Series is a popular murder mystery series featuring Reykjavik detective Erlendur Sveinsson. Written by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason, the series is published in the U.S. by Minotaur Press and consists of more than a ...

to be translated into English (in 2004). In the UK, the title was changed to ''Tainted Blood'' when the paperback edition was released. The novel is at one level a fierce critique of the gene-gathering work of

deCODE genetics deCODE genetics ( is, Íslensk erfðagreining) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the huma ...

: :: far from reinforcing the kind of myths of Icelandic national identity promoted by eugenicists earlier in the twentieth century and re-invoked by the publicity machine around DeCODE, Indriđason’s novel uses the figure of the defective gene not only to expose and trouble national mythologies of social and familial cohesion and continuity but to ask some fundamental questions about the meaning of innocence and guilt, justice and punishment in the face of the identification of genes that bear the secret not of life but of death.Lucy Burke, 'Genetics and the Scene of the Crime: DeCODING Tainted Blood', ''Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies'', 6 (2012), 193–208. doi:10.3828/jlcds.2012.16.

Plot

The body of a 70-year-old man who was struck on the head with a glass ashtray is found in a flat in Norðurmýri. The only clues are a photograph of a young girl's grave and a cryptic note left on the body. Detective Erlendur discovers that the victim was accused of a violent rape some forty years earlier but was never convicted.

Awards

The novel won the Scandinavian crime writers'

Glass Key award The Glass Key award ( sv, Glasnyckeln, da, Glasnøglen, no, Glassnøkkelen, fi, Lasiavain-palkinto, is, Glerlykillinn) is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries. The award, named after the nove ...

in 2002 for best Nordic crime fiction novel. In 2003, Arnaldur Indriðason's following novel, ''

Silence of the Grave ''Silence of the Grave'' (''Icelandic: Grafarþögn'') is a crime novel by Icelandic writer Arnaldur Indriðason. Set in Reykjavík, the novel forms part of the author's regionally popular Murder Mystery Series, which star . Originally published i ...

'', also won the award, making him the first author to have won the award two years in a row.Scandinavian Books: Scandinavian crime fiction awards
Retrieved 2011-12-04.

Adaptations

The novel was adapted into the 2006 film ''

Jar City ''Jar City'', also known as ''Tainted Blood'' ('' Icelandic: Mýrin'', "The Bog") (), is a crime novel by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason, first published in Iceland in 2000. It was the first in the Detective Erlendur series to be transla ...

''. It was directed by

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson (born 27 February 1966) is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films ''101 Reykjavík'', '' The Sea'', ''A Little Trip to Heaven'', '' Contraband'' ...

and premiered in Iceland on 20 October 2006 and in the UK on 12 September 2008.

References

2000 novels Icelandic novels adapted into films Novels by Arnaldur Indriðason Icelandic novels Novels set in Iceland Icelandic-language novels {{2000s-mystery-novel-stub