Meltwater: Volume 3 (A Magnus Iceland Mystery, 4) Paperback – 1 Mar. 2013

Excellent story, that was gripping from the start. The context of historical events that we all lived through adds authenticity to the story. Would recommend!

Enjoyed this one. A Boston cop, Icelandic by origin tries to solve a case in his homeland whilst dealing with a personal case too.All this is go in on while a volcano is erupting in the background. The plot is about investigating a murder to a member of Free flow, sort of like wikileaks. Good storytelling, and a solid set of characters, and plenty a red herring. Well worth the time.

Another splendid outing of the American/Icelandic detective Magnus. He is now an official policeman, badge and all. A grump of activists arrive in Iceland preparing to air publicly a video showing a violent incident in Gaza and featuring Israeli servicemen in a helicopter. Topical? Yes. But not surprising. This conflict has been going on for years. During a bit of respite tourism looking at an active volcano, Erika, the woman leading the team is attacked. Her companion protects her and dies. Other deaths follow. Is someone trying to suppress the video? Magnus works it all out and managed to include the continuing examination of his father's murder. His traumatized brother Ollie joins him in Iceland. So far so good. I enjoyed the story but the whistle blowing organisation annoyed me it was so self-satisfied and judgemental. Plus, there was a possibility the video had been doctored. Not visually but in the very blameworthy prejudicial audio. This was known to the detective but the video is aired without any reference to that fact. This rather shocked me. It was a serious lapse of judgement. However I enjoyed the book, especially the cliff hanger ending. The exploding volcano was dramatic. I recall such an explosion and all air traffic being stopped. What a thrilling beautiful country Iceland is. Highly recommended. Can't wait for the next one.

This is Fire and Ice part 3; fortunately I had already read parts 1 and 2 (Where The Shadows Lie and 66 Degrees North). Although there were times when I thought that I'd already read this book because of the overlaps with book 2, if you haven't read the first two in the series you'll be utterly confused and disappointed if you start with Meltwater as this is no more than a stepping stone from book 2 to book 4, in fact it feels like a very long preview of the first chapter of the next book.Set in Iceland, Meltwater is a very run-of-the-mill thriller, fast paced with a gossamer thin plot, and one dimensional characters but with such a cliff hanger of an ending that I know it won't be long before I pick up number four in the series, Sea & Stone just to finish the story.

Michael Ridpath began this Fire And Ice series with 'Where the Shadows Lie' and 'Meltwater' is number 3 in the series. I have not read number 2 '66' North' but 'Meltwater' seems to follow comfortably from the first in the series.FreeFlow (a fictional Wikileaks) convenes an undercover meeting of its key people in Iceland where its alternative approach to privacy finds political acceptance planning their next release of information which will infuriate and bring embarrassment to the powerful. They are holed up in a friendly house in Reykjavik working on a Middle Eastern video which portrays a brutal murder.One of the island's notorious volcanoes is erupting and the island becomes isolated as airlines cannot fly. While waiting for a member of their team to get a flight slot into Reykjavik one of the FreeFlow activists is murdered. Magnus Jonson, returnee from the US and detective in Reykjavik, takes on the investigation. The secretive FreeFlow activists are unwilling to co-operate with the police, the symbol of authority. Suspicion is rife between both sides of this investigation. There is a claustrophobic atmosphere throughout. Iceland is cut off by an ash cloud and the FreeFlow Team are confined for their safety to the safe house in Reykjavik.The search is on for previous and prospective targets of FreeFlow who may have put a killer into Iceland to take revenge or stop publication.In his free moments Magnus continues the quest to solve his own family murder, the murder of his father in the US. This is another case of revenge killing it seems. His determination makes for conflict with his brother who wants to put that and the misery which followed it behind him.The novel gets off to a great start and the plot(s) are gripping and fast moving. Clues are hard to come by and my attitude to the characters changed as more was revealed about them. The solution when it comes through a flash of inspiration by Magnus was less satisfactory for me and it brings the novel to a sudden conclusion. It ends like an episode of TV serial when Magnus discovers something shocking and I will ofcourse have to read the next in the series to find out what happens next.

Thoroughly enjoyable read, set in Iceland the murder occurs in the higher slopes of an active volcano. The story takes numerous twists as it is woven with other elements of the story, Iceland's past and Magnus family history. As one book I have read from this author and would certainly read more.

Good story

I love these Fire and Ice series of books. Magnus grows in stature through each book and he has some particularly exciting escapades. I was a little disappointed the sagas didn't feature as much this time, concentrating mainly on the story of "Freeflow", but it is an excellent read.I hope the romantic interest between Magnus and Ingileif fizzles out as Ingileif's character is a little insipid. Perhaps Magnus's dream gives us an insight that more romance is to follow. Can't wait for the next book as Michael has left us on a knife edge.

Meltwater continues the adventures of Iceland-born, Boston PD Homicide detective Magnus Jonson's (or Ragnersson while in Iceland) adventures as a exchange officer with Iceland's national police, this time investigating the murder of a key member of Freeflow, an international organization reminiscent of Wikileaks, that is temporarily based in Reykjavik. Not only does Ridpath write a page-turning police procedural, he also continues his course in the history and culture of Iceland, a frozen island-nation of only 300,000. If you are new to the Magnus series, I'd suggest you start at the beginning and work your way forward, if only to educate yourself about Iceland and Magnus. If you've already done that, be prepared for another suspenseful, nail-biting ride as Magnus peels back the layers of Freeflow and discovers things with considerable potential for upsetting Iceland's political elite.

Nachdem ich von EDGE OF NOWHERE, der short story, die zeitlich zwischen den Bänden 2 und 3 der FIRE AND ICE Seríe liegt, sehr enttäuscht war (zumindest im direkten Vergleich zu WHERE THE SHADOWS LIE und 66° NORTH in meinen Augen eine schwache Leistung), ging ich mit sehr gemischten Gefühlen und etwas widerwillig Band 3 MELTWATER an.Allerdings war schon nach einem Kapitel klar: YEAAH - MAGNUS IS BACK TO SAVE THE WORLD (AT LEAST THE ISLANDIC PART OF IT) ! Einem Kriminal-Roman - und wieder verbindet Ridpath beide Aspekte meisterhaft, den man nach 3 Kapíteln nicht mehr weg legen kann, der in sich spannend, logisch und sprachlich flüssig ist, kann ich nur 5 Sterne geben . . . . . obwohl ich nicht sehr zögerlich im Meckern bin und eigentlich Band 1 noch einen Tick besser fand !Und nun muss ich mich leider in meiner Rezension wiederholen, weil fast alles, was jetzt folgt, schon zu Band 1 und 2 geschrieben wurde - sorry - here we go:Sprachlich vom Feinsten: flüssig, situationsangepasst in Struktur und Wortwahl, geht runter wie Butter. Ridpath ist ein Autor, der ohne Einsatz von Vulgärsprache spannend, ansprechend und mit seinem typisch versteckt-trockenen Humor hunderte von Seite füllen kann. Nur klasse !Akteure: die Charaktere der Hauptpersonen werden hier sogar nochmals vertieft und alle Nebenrollen sind super besetzt, psychologisch nachvollziehbar und richtig angesiedelt. Bis zum letzten Wasserträger hat jede Person ihre individuellen Farbtupfer.Island und Ridpath: dazu braucht man schon fast nichts mehr zu sagen. Seine Landes- und Personenbeschreibungen lassen jeden Touristik-Profi-PR-Menschen nass und kalt im Regen stehen.Fortführung der Serie: sehr wenige, dafür gut verstreute Rückblicke auf die Bände 1 und 2 und sogar auf den Bonsai zweikommafünf. Für Leser, die alle Bände kennen, nicht störend langweilig, für Neueinsteiger trotzdem eine in sich abgeschlossene Story, die prinzipiell keine Vorkenntnisse erfordert.Zum Inhalt sage ich mal wieder nichts, nur zum Handlungsablauf - ganz ohne Spoiler: wieder läßt Ridpath 2 per se getrennte Handlungsstränge ihren Lauf nehmen, dieses Mal beide im hier und jetzt. Übersichtlich angelegt, nie verworren, immer hübsch chronologisch - und vor allem beide nachvollziehbar, glaubhaft, interessant mit kontinuierlicher Spannungssteigerung, allerdings wieder völlig ohne Effekthascherei. Wer Blutrausch, Porn-Einlagen, Gewaltorgien oder ähnliches sucht, ist hier definitiv falsch !Persönliche Highlights: 2 Dinge haben mir besonders imponiert:1) Der Background WIKILEAK an sich ist schon eyecatching genug. Zusätzlich läßt es der Autor aber nicht dabei bleiben, sondern spricht auch unverfroren die potentiellen Nachteile, Auswirkungen, Verflechtungen und Manipulationsmöglichkeiten der Offenlegung um jeden Preis an. Toll - die Welt ist halt doch nicht nur weiß oder schwarz, es gibt unheimlich viele Graustufen . . . .2) Der zeitlich Background des Vulkanausbruches auf Island und seiner Folgen im März/April 2010, sowie die Datierung der Abläufe haben mich ungebremst mitten ins Geschehen gezogen. Immer wieder kam die Frage auf "wo war ich an dem Tag - was habe ich da gemacht - war das nicht da wo wer-auch-immer keinen Flug wegen Aschenregen bekommen hat ?" So hautnah war ich noch nie mit dem Background einer fiktiven Story verwoben.Es gibt ganz sicherlich literarisch wesentlich anspruchsvollere Bücher . . . . but on the other side: life is short, time is precious and in reading I want to enjoy both of it . . . with MELTWATER I certainly did ! Therefore, with one of the story lines not having been completely concluded at the end of this book, there is hope that the next sequence is already in making - and you bet that I am looking forward to it !

Magnus Jonson was born in Iceland but moved to the US when he was twelve. Now, partly as a cultural exchange and partly to protect him from a violent gang he will testify against, Magnus is acting as a homicide detective in Iceland.Two parallel stories inhabit the book: one is the story of Freeflow, a WikiLeaks-like organization holed up in Iceland temporarily to ready and publish video evidence of a war crime, the other the continuing story of Magnus' investigation into his father's murder. While the first storyline is standalone, the second makes it preferable for one to read the books of the series in order. They are: Where the Shadows Lie, 66 degrees North (published in the US as Far North), Meltwater and Sea of Stone.I gave the first two books in the series 5 stars. These books are well written and Magnus is an interesting character in a compelling situation. I give this one four stars for several reasons. First, while Ridpath's descriptions of Iceland's landscapes and sagas are terrific, the main mystery itself is lacking in action or genuine tension. Granted, it's tough to dramatize a group of computer hackers sitting in a room with an unknown assailant waiting outside, but the sequence of trying to escape the jokulhlaup (a flash flood resulting from volcanic activity) was far more exciting than anything to do with the main storyline. Secondly, there were several threads that were never reconciled, which I always find annoying in a mystery, and no development of any of the series' recurring characters. More importantly, though, I am waiting and waiting through these books for some movement on the story of Magnus' father's death, and it has become boring. One or two facts emerge about the family history, but it is moving glacially. From the description of the next novel, Sea of Stone, it sounds as if this family mystery will finally be addressed in that fourth book, but I feel that it's past due. Magnus' relationship is in limbo, this case was rather boring, with an unlikable character in jeopardy and a not-very menacing villain, and still nothing is happening about Ragnar's murder. Come on, already. While the descriptions of the country itself redeem this entry in the series, it mainly felt like treading water.

If you liked its two predecessors you'll like this one too. I don't think Ridpath's writing style is very sophisticated - rather blunt if you ask me - but the setting is great and the tension develops nicely.And the story continues....

Entertaining and enlightening. As I read this a volcano was sinking the island of Kauai in Hawaii and I got to read about similar problems in Iceland. I vowed never to visit a volcanic island. In any event this is the third thriller in a series set in Iceland. About a third of the populous has been killed off but everyone still gets along. That's nice. The stories are plausible and the tails filled with Icelandic lore. So, if you, like me, have just had to cancel your Icelandic cruise this is likely a pretty good substitute. We still do not know if the hero will stay in Iceland or return to the Boston PD. Probably another tale here.