Icelander

the long version

"A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie ; a madcap mystery in the deceptive tradition of The Crying of Lot 49 ; The Third Policeman meets The Da Vinci Code. Icelander is the debut novel from a brilliant new mind, an intricate, giddy romp steeped equally in Nordic lore and pulpy intrigue. When Shirley MacGuffin is found murdered one day prior to the annual town celebration in remembrance of Our Heroine's mother -- the legendary crime-stopper and evil-thwarter Emily Bean -- everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the case. She, however, has no interest in inheriting the family business, or being chased through steam-tunnels, or listening to skaldic karaoke, or fleeing the inhuman Refurserkir, or-- But evil has no interest in her lack of interest, and thus ; adventure ensues."