On a blazing hot summer's day, holidaymakers at a guesthouse on a Norwegian island are shocked to discover that a fellow guest has been found murdered on a desolate plain. The nameless narrator, an author, was the last person to see the victim alive; shortly afterwards, he is disturbed by a noise like `a rattling of chains'. A local tells him this is `the iron chariot', which is said to presage death. Detective Asbjorn Krag is summoned from the capital, Kristiania, and sets about investigating the murder. When a similar death occurs on the plain, it is again preceded by the eerie sound of the iron chariot, which leaves no tracks. Mystery is added to mystery when the victim turns out to be a man believed to have died several years earlier. Drawn unwillingly into the investigation, the narrator is puzzled by the enigmatic detective's apparent inaction, and troubled by unfolding events. These begin to take a toll on his mental wellbeing and he sinks into a state of dread, exacerbated by mysterious happenings at the cabin where he is staying. So profound is his unease that he feels he must leave the island. Then Krag promises to tell him the solution to the mystery...

`This is a classic Norwegian crime story. It was written over 100 years ago. Riverton is regarded as the founder of the modern Norwegian crime novel and he is a great writer' - Jo Nesbo, 'A tale of haunting psychological terror: among the best crime novels ever written' - Nils Nordberg, A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB PICK

About the Author
Stein Riverton was born Kristoffer Elvestad Svensen in a small Norwegian town near the Swedish border in 1884. Changing his name to Sven Elvestad he moved to Kristiania (Oslo) to work as a journalist. Under the pen name Stein Riverton, he wrote a series of crime novels featuring the retired police detective Asbjorn Krag. Published in 1909, Jernvognen (The Iron Carriage) is regarded as his masterpiece. He died in 1934. The Riverton Prize, awarded annually to the best Norwegian crime story, is named after him.

Reviews
'Taut with tension and paranoia - a paradise disturbed by the most brutal of acts' - Buzz Magazine, 'A clever blend of gothic suspense - all swirling mists and the melancholia of the midnight sun - and the art of intertwined plots, in which sleight of hand and deductive reasoning simultaneously confound and reward the reader' - Murder Mayhem and More, 'In many ways this is an archetypal Golden Age of Detection novel, a good decade short of the form's beginning' - The Invisible Event, 'A sultry premonition of the coming Golden Age' - Moonlight Detective, 'Little wonder that this literary gem and its author inspired the creation of the Riverton Prize, now given annually to the best Norwegian crime novel' - European Literature Network



Book Information
ISBN 9781785631610
Author Stein Riverton
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Lightning Books
Publisher Eye Books
Weight(grams) 150g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 11mm