With her unerring nose for trouble, her trademark razor tongue and an inability to suffer fools, Stella Blómkvist is on several trails…

Book blurb

Sometimes murder runs in the family. Or does it?

When a well-known artist is found in Snorri’s Pool with an axe buried deep in his chest, Stella Blómkvist is immediately thrown in at the deep end, brought in to defend the apparently harmless young man the police have in their sights as the killer.

The man’s mother had spent time prison, convicted of the killing of a personal trainer, despite her protestations of innocence. Stella can’t help being drawn into both the cold case and this fresh murder, with a trail of guilt that stretches half-way around the world.

As if she doesn’t have enough to keep her busy, Stella’s pursuing a political high-flyer suspected of being a serial rapist, and defending a senior police officer on corruption charges that have all the hallmarks of a vendetta. But the toughest challenges Stella faces are among her own loved ones…

With a razor-sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble. Her trademark explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise has made this one of Iceland’s best-loved crime series.

My thoughts

In this multilayered and captivating story. Stella is working a number of enquiries for the various clients she takes on in this the fourth in a wonderful series.

Stella is supporting Rannveig who is making a documentary film on women who have been failed by the justice system. When they go to meet, Hjordis, one of the women who may potentially be part of the documentary. She is also asked by Hjordis to look into her case.

Then as she’s out for a walk Stella finds a body!

It turns out to be Kristin Ofeigsson a local artist and Stella gets herself the job of defending Gunnar the young man who is accused of the murder.

Whilst these cases are ongoing Stella’s assistant, Lisa Björk, asks Stella to meet her friend and TV journalist Diana Vilhelmsdottir who has been prohibited from further investigation into a prominent political advisor Olafur Bjarni Hreggvidsson by her boss. She has evidence of his sexual abuse over a significant number of years and a case that was badly, if at all, investigated. Stella agrees to look into this and to store Diana’s evidence in her safe.

Then a very intriguing case lands in Stella’s lap, that of a senior police officer accused of corruption! It doesn’t feel right to Stella that he has been arrested in the way he was and treated as if already guilty.

Lovers of this series will know how Stella thrives on work and, of course, Jack Daniels so it’s no surprise that she’s got such a heavy case load. This in itself makes for a gripping story as you move between each case and when you add Stella’s unique style, straight talking, cynical eye and sharp yet humorous tongue you are totally ensconced in this latest and I believe best yet book of the series.

On top of all this comes a very personal storyline that has Stella showing us her more vulnerable side and how deeply she loves the two people closest to her. A storyline that took my breath away and has me eager for the next book in this series.

As Stella works on each case she faces challenges that bring her into conflict with very dangerous characters that seem to be determined to stop her at any cost putting Stella into a life threatening situation!

Layer upon layer of mystery is revealed bringing Stella, her clients and the reader to some shrewd, some dramatic and some yet to be concluded storylines. Which makes me all the more curious and excited about what the next book will bring.

The Murder Pool is a fantastic story that will keep you intrigued and hooked from the first page as each case is played out in the author’s inimitable and thrilling style. I highly recommend reading it.

It is always a pleasure to be able to read stories from around the world, with The Murder Pool from Iceland, which is only made possible by dedicated publishers like Corylus Books and through the expertise of translators such as Quentin Bates whose work allows us to read this terrific book with ease.

Thanks

Many thanks to Ewa Sherman for the invite to join this terrific BlogTour and to Corylus Books for an eCopy of The Murder Pool by Stella Blómkvist.

BlogTour

Why not take a look at all of these lovely blogs and then pop on down to the links below to grab a copy of The Murder Pool?

Information

Published: Corylus Books Ltd | 5 Mar. 2026 | 296pp | ISBN-13 : ‎978-1917586269 | ISBN: 978-1-917586-25-2

Buy: Amazon | Hive | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | Your local bookshop | Your local library

Translator

Quentin Bates has personal and professional roots in Iceland that go very deep. He is an author of series of nine crime novels and novellas featuring the Reykjavik detective Gunnhildur (Gunna) Gísladóttir. In addition to his own fiction, he has translated many works of Iceland’s coolest writers into English, including books by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Guðlaugur Arason, Einar Kárason, Óskar Guðmundsson, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Jónína Leosdottir, Ragnar Jónasson and the elusive Stella Blomkvist. Quentin was instrumental in launching Iceland Noir in 2013, the crime fiction festival in Reykjavik.

You can find more information about him, his translations and his books on his website.

Author

With a devoted following in Iceland where the Stella Blómkvist books have been a bestselling series since their first appearance in the 1990s, published under a pseudonym that still hasn’t been cracked – the author’s identity remains a firmly under wraps, and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heida Reed aired. The question of Stella Blomkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

The books feature unforgiving, razor-tongued, Reykjavik lawyer Stella Blomkvist, with a nose for trouble, a taste for neat whiskey, a liking for easy money and a moral compass all of her own and who is at home in the corridors of power as in the city’s darkest nightspots.

Bestsellers in Iceland for more than twenty years – they are now, thanks to Corylus Books, making an appearance in English!

Follow: @StellaBlómkv

Books

Murder at the Residence | Murder Under the Midnight Sun | Murder Tide | The Murder Pool