Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain by Joachim B. Schmidt

 Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain

 by  Joachim B. Schmidt


Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain by Joachim B. Schmidt was published on 18th July 2024 by Bitter Lemon Press and was translated by Jamie Lee Searle.

My thanks to the author, translator and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.




Synopsis

A NORDIC CRIME THRILLER WITH A DIFFERENCE. No gratuitous violence, no revenge porn, but a tightly plotted thriller that is chock full of humour. It is set in Washington DC and northern Iceland, both highly exotic locations. AN ENDEARING PROTAGONIST: Our mentally challenged hero, described with empathy and psychological tact, is faced with two murders and the threat of more to come. 

Kalmann is back! But he’s already in trouble; in an interrogation room at the FBI headquarters in Washington, no less. All he wanted to do was visit his American father, but the loveable sheriff of Raufarhöfn got himself mixed up in the January 2021 Capitol riots. Thanks to sympathetic FBI agent Dakota Leen, he’s soon on a plane home. But not before she informs him that his grandfather was on a blacklist, suspected of spying for the Russians during the Cold War. Back in Iceland, there’s a murder and one heck of a mystery to unravel. And what role does a mysterious mountain play in all this? Somehow Kalmann never loses heart. There’s no need to worry; he has everything under control.


My Review

For me this was a book I had to persevere with until I got my head around Kalmann's neurodiverse character and even then it took some time to get into his head and work within his autism and possible ADHD to get to know his character. once I had though I really started to get into the book . There are no major shocks it just moves gently fowards in either Washington or Iceland to develop the story and unravel the mystery of the murder and the link to the mysterious mountain. 

You do need to get yourself into "being" Kalmann to get the most out the book and the writing is straightforward and written in the way that a neurodiverse character would think and converse in. It is very clever with the thought processes, drawing away from conventionality, and engaging your brain in a different process for you to experience the humour and alternative look at life and its events . 

At the end of it you will possibly find yourself a far more rounded person with a greater understanding of how different peoples brains work and assimilate facts and information. You will also side with Kalmann in what he says and does on many occasions.

I really wish I had read Kalmann ( An Icelandic Mystery ) first as I would have found the book more engaging earlier on if I had known the character beforehand.  

I will however, be looking out for future books about Kalmann now that I understand how he thinks and works.

About the Author



Joachim B. Schmidt, born in 1981, emigrated from Switzerland to Iceland in 2007. He is the author of several novels and short stories and a journalist and columnist. Joachim, who is Swiss and Icelandic, lives in Reykjavik with his wife and their two children. 

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