In 2004 English readers got their first glimpse of Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson in the superb novel Jar City, and over the next ten years got another nine novels in this wonderful series, one of my very favorites. With Strange Shores it seemed the series could be over, but here we are and we're given the great gift of a prequel.This novel takes place when Erlendur is 28 years old -- a fairly new traffic cop stuck with the night shift, and begins with a homeless man found drowned in marsh water near a residential area of Reykjavik. The death seems straightforward. The old guy must have been drunk and fell into the water. There is another disappearance at the same time so the case gets little attention. But Erlendur knew the man just a little, and to him the facts don't necessarily add up, so at night when he can't sleep he walks the streets of Reykjavik. He talks to people who knew the dead man, and he begins to gather evidence that could mean the man was murdered.This is a fantastic book, especially if you're familiar with the series. Here you get to see Erlendur as he begins his explorations of the city, as he begins a family and when he meets his future mentor Marion Breem. Other characters who appear in later novels are here as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed this welcome dose of Erlendur when I'd feared there would be no more. I hope there will be another prequel. There easily could be and I, for one, would be thrilled.The mystery is compelling and Erlendur's quiet but dogged pursuit of the truth rings true.