Erlendur

Erlendur is the protagonist of the novel. He is a middle-aged divorced man who is a detective with the police department. Erlendur went through a rough divorce and no longer has contact with his ex-wife. Due to the divorce, he has a rocky relationship with his two children, Eva Lind and Sindri. He genuinely loves his children, but has had little contact with them and his wife has told their children terrible lies about him. Despite this, he drives through the city desperately trying to find and save Eva Lind when she asks for his help. While she is in the hospital, Erlendur spends most of his time there talking to her.

Erlendur grew up in rural Iceland, but moved to the city to join the police force. He keeps to himself most of the time and feels that he is out of place in the big city...