Where the Shadows Lie

Ridpath (Fatal Error) smoothly melds history, legend, and a police procedural in this first of a crime series set in Iceland. When a Dominican drug cartel targets Sgt. Det. Magnus Jonson of the Boston PD's homicide unit, Magnus is taken out of harm's way and assigned to the Icelandic police force in a country where handguns are banned even for cops. Magnus joins the investigation of the murder of Agnar Haraldsson, a professor who specialized in Icelandic sagas and legends, which also are Magnus's lifelong hobby. Agnar uncovered a lost saga that may have been the basis for Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. In particular, the saga maintains that a powerful and extremely valuable ring is hidden in Iceland. The clues lead to a worldwide group of Tolkien fanatics and an in-debt art gallery owner. The tension rises after the Dominicans go after Magnus's loved ones in Boston and also travel to Iceland. Ridpath deftly explores the influence myths have on a contemporary, credit-strapped Iceland. (Aug.)