Indriðason, Arnaldur. Voices. « BookSmith

In southern Europe and the U.S., Scandinavians frequently are thought of as dour, depressive, and alcoholic, all as a result of suffering through long, dark, cold winters. Actually, Danes and Swedes think of themselves as cheerful, ... And he begins with that assumption when a hotel doorman who also dresses up as Santa during the holidays is found stabbed to death a few days before Christmas in his tiny room in the hotel's basement, with his trousers around his ankles. ...