Published in the year 2000, ‘Jar City’ was an outrider for the explosion of Icelandic crime novels which hold such a prominent place in the country’s publishing industry today. It wasn’t the first Icelandic crime novel, nor was it the first appearance of the author’s most famous character—the sour-faced Detective Erlendur, had aldready appeared in previous books. However, this novel this novel is where Arnaldur found his stride, inserting the crime fiction genre into Icelandic culture with a tightly wound plot, strong characters, and a cold and succinct writing style that echoes the grittiness and attention to detail of Derek Raymond.
In 2006 the book was adapted into a movie directed by Baltasar Kormákur