Kalmann and the Sleeping Mountain by Joachim B. Schmidt

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.

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.

Review

It was such a joy to be returning to Kalmann’s world and this was an engaging story that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the first book and couldn't wait to pick this one up and it didn't disappoint as Kalmann was as beguiling and beautiful as before. The author has this uncanny ability to turn some dark moments into a feeling of a sense of hope!

Somehow Kalmann has got entangled into the riots at Capital Hill in January 2021! He had travelled to visit his American father and ended up being arrested and deported for being present during the demonstrations and riots. Very random! But then Kalmann is a random character, the self-styled Sheriff of Raufarhõrn. Neurodivergent, Kalmann is a beautifully drawn character full of wonder, innocence and charm. I have fully taken him to my heart. In this outing is struggling with his beloved grandfather’s death and after finding out he was a Russian spy believes that he was murdered rather than died peacefully in his care home. This leads him on a merry dance of discovery and it was an engaging and nuanced narrative!

This is a story packed full of engaging and interesting characters - from the villagers who indulge Kalmann, to his right-wing militia paternal family. I flew through this one and was it one of those books you were sad to have finished as it means you are leaving this beautifully created world. Yes, it is set against the background of the pandemic but it doesn't really feature to much mainly due to Kalmann’a character but also its location, the north of Iceland.

Let me know if you pick this one up!