Sunday, September 30, 2007

Voices-Arnaldur Indridason

Voices
Arnaldur Indridason
Dunne, Oct 2007, $23.95
ISBN: 9780312358716

The grand hotel is loaded with tourists vacationing in Iceland during Christmas. However, the management calls the Reykjavik police to inform them someone murdered their doorman who doubled as Santa Claus. Police inspector Erlendur and Detectives Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg arrive at the crime scene to find in the basement the bludgeoned corpse of Gudlaugur Egilsson; a used condom hangs from his penis.

As saliva is taken from all the guests and employees, the three cops interview everyone, but no one admits knowing the victim outside of the hotel. The hotel manager confesses that he had just fired Gudlaugur, but had no motive to kill him. Erlendur and his companions soon learn that Gudlaugur was a popular soprano as a young boy so the sleuths turn towards his family, whom he was estranged from after an incident with his father left the older Egilsson wheelchair bound. Erlendur personalizes the case as it reminds him of his own family, but diligently continues seeking the motive that will lead to the killer’s identity if DNA testing fails to do so.

This terrific Icelander police procedural combines a strong murder investigation with Erlendur’s personal crisis as the case is wearing him down. His daughter visits him though everyone assumes she is a hooker he hired, and he considers an affair with a crime scene technician. Readers will appreciate Arnaldur Indridason’s fabulous whodunit due to predominately Erlendur (see his previous case SILENCE OF THE GRAVE).

Harriet Klausner

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

6
勤)今(13)日發布 酒店上班重大訊息,包美及子公司璞建設合 寒假打工計以100億元價格出售集團所擁有亞百貨大樓B1、B2、1~2F及6~1 暑假打工4-1F,共14個樓層、約12826建坪予邦人壽,其中勤處分收益約14.14億元 酒店PT,璞建設處分利益約28.4億元,勤美可依持股比例60.88%認列。


勤表示,集團早在2006年3月起 禮服酒店,由旗下璞真建設開始購買亞百貨的不良債權,後又陸續在2007年底向台產資產管理股份有限公司以21.82億元取得1~2F產權;2008年3月透過法院公開標售,以37.168億元 兼差取得6~14-1F共10個樓層的產權;其後又在2008年5月法院公開標售B1及B2兩個樓 打工層時,以16.69億元承受而取得其所有權,並在2009年4月開出第一張美的發票。


美說,耗時3年多的整合,終讓 台北酒店經紀亞百貨大樓成為一棟沒有不良債權陰影的商業大樓,並以處分的方式實現其整合利益,可以看出美轉型成多 酒店經紀角化的地產開發商的苦心及整合能力。


美指出,環百貨大樓地處 酒店打工辦公室租金最高區域之ㄧ的敦北商圈,又因松山機場及小巨蛋,有著極高的國際能見度;加上施工中的捷運松山線、及即將開幕的台北金融中心及東方文華 酒店兼差酒店,實為台北市內獨一無二的地標性的建築。


勤表示,以100億元的價格處分 酒店兼職給邦人壽,對勤集團來說,除可以獲取不錯的整合利益,更樂見新東家得以繼續享有及整合敦北商圈發展未來的 酒店工作增值空間,可以說是一個雙方都滿意的結果。


原環生活購物廣場自6月中開始舉辦亞結束的更喝花酒名大拍賣,該檔次將在8月23日告一段落。雖然勤已將大樓出售,但仍將在8月底斥資千萬進行大樓交際應酬局部修繕及改良,美原負責該棟樓管理的子公司—勤正物業管理公司也仍將繼續負責該棟樓的現場管理及招商,粉味商場部份將依工程進度封館至多一週後,9月4日再度開幕正常營運,原辦公室承租戶及進駐廠商的營運及權益不受到影響。


在獲利認列的部份,勤可認列直接持有B1及B2的處分收益酒店喝酒約為14.14億元,璞建設所有的其他12個樓層預估處分利益約28.4億元,勤可依持股比例60.88%認列。


勤表示,董事會同時通過美集團、璞真建設將 酒店先捐出1000萬元響應莫拉克颱風台灣災民的急難救助。
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