In the wake of an earthquake, the water level of
an Icelandic lake drops suddenly, revealing the
skeleton of a man half-buried in its sandy bed.
It is clear immediately that it has been there
for many years. There is a large hole in the
skull. Yet more mysteriously, a heavy
communication device is attached to it, possibly
some sort of radio transmitter, bearing
inscriptions in Russian. The police are called
in and Erlendur, Elínborg and Sigurður Óli begin
their investigation, which gradually leads them
back to the time of the Cold War when bright,
left-wing students would be sent from Iceland to
study in the Èheavenly stateÉ of Communist East
Germany. The Draining Lake is another remarkable
Indriðason mystery about passions and shattered
dreams, the fate of the missing and the grief of
those left behind.