Category Archives: Dark Iceland Series

Review: Blackout by Ragnar Jónasson

Title: Blackout by Ragnar Jónasson
Dark Iceland Series Book Three
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 272 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Hailed for combining the darkness of Nordic Noir with classic mystery writing in the tradition of Agatha Christie, author Ragnar Jonasson’s books are haunting, atmospheric, and complex. Blackout, the latest Ari Thór thriller, delivers another dark mystery that is chillingly stunning with its complexity and fluidity.

On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer’s night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person’s life hangs in the balance. Ari Thor Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjordur struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. What secrets does the dead man harbour, and what is the young reporter hiding? As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it’s a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies.

Review:

Blackout by Ragnar Jónasson is a perplexing mystery that takes place during the summer months in Iceland. This third installment in the Dark Iceland series is a slow-burning police procedural that takes place in between the first two novels since the translated editions are slightly out of order.

Ari Thór Arason, his boss Tómas and co-worker Hlynur Ísaksson are all distracted by their personal life during the investigation into the murder of Elías Freysson. Ari Thór continues to lament his break up with the love of his life, Kristín, who has rebuffed his efforts to reunite. Tómas is reeling in the aftermath of his wife’s decision to go to college in Reykjavík. Hlynur is wracked with guilt and shame for his actions in the past.

Tómas and Ari Thór immediately begin looking into Elías’s life and on the surface, he appears to be an unlikely victim. He is a subcontractor working on a tunnel project and renovating a house in the country. He is also involved with a charitable project but an unexpected discovery by Ari Thór raises many questions about Freysson’s activities.  The investigation also unearths shocking information about the victim, but will these findings lead to a breakthrough in the case?

Despite the twenty-four daylight, the setting is dark and oppressive due to the recent volcanic eruption. The city of Reykjavík is covered with ash clouds and psychologist turned reporter Ísrún jumps at the chance to cover the investigation into Freysson’s murder.  Trying to outwit an ambitious co-worker, she employs some rather underhanded tactics to get witnesses to talk to her about the victim. As she pursues her story, flashbacks from Ísrún’s past indicate something traumatic has occurred, but is there any connection to the ongoing investigation in the present?

Narrated by multiple points of view and switching seamlessly back and forth in time, Blackout is a fascinating, albeit slower paced, mystery. The setting is once again quite atmospheric and despite the unrelenting sunshine, the overall feeling of the novel is heavy. The investigation into Elías Freysson’s yields many shocking bits of evidence and  Ragnar Jónasson brings the novel to a twist-filled and completely unanticipated conclusion.  Old and new fans of the Dark Iceland series are sure to enjoy this latest outing starring Ari Thór Arason.

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Filed under Blackout, Contemporary, Dark Iceland Series, Minotaur Books, Mystery, Ragnar Jónasson, Rated B, Review, Suspense

Review: Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson

Title: Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson
Dark Iceland Series Book Two
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 240 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Chilling and complex, Nightblind is an extraordinary thriller from an undeniable new talent.

Ari Thor Arason is a local policeman who has an uneasy relationship with the villagers in an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland—where no one locks their doors.

The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by a murder. One of Ari’s colleagues is gunned down at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark Arctic waters closing in, it falls to Ari Thor to piece together a puzzle that involves a new mayor and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik. It becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.

Review:

Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson is a gripping mystery that takes place just as winter is beginning in a small Icelandic town on the coast. This second installment in the Dark Iceland series is a fast-paced police procedural starring Ari Thór Arason and takes place five years after the first novel ends since the translated editions are slightly out of order.

Ari Thór and his girlfriend Kristín have reunited and now live together with their ten month old son.  His former boss, Tómas, has relocated to Reykjavík and he does not know the new police chief, Herjólfur, very well. While  Ari Thór is recovering from a bout of the flu, he is stunned to discover that the small police department has been rocked by a shocking murder. With Tómas temporarily reassigned to help with the investigation, they start their investigation at the deserted house where the shooting occurred.

Although five years have passed since his introduction, Ari Thór is much the same. He is quiet  with a keen intellect and sharp instincts but he is not one to talk about his problems. The encroaching winter darkness still presses in on him and leaves him feeling claustrophobic. His relationship with Kristín remains troubled and despite his concerns about her recent emotional distance, Ari Thór finds it easier to ignore their problems instead of discussing them.  He is also still troubled by events from his childhood and he is still unable to discuss these issues with Kristín.

Despite some lingering  resentment over not being chosen as Tómas’s replacement, Ari Thór does not let this interfere with  the murder investigation.  He feels a bit of  kinship with the victim’s son and he keeps a respectful distance in order to allow him to process his grief in private.  Although Ari Thór is happy to be working with Tómas again, he cannot help but bristle a bit when his old boss takes complete charge of the police department.  Ari Thór might not be as experienced as Tómas but he is an excellent investigator with an uncanny ability to solve crimes.

Interspersed with the investigation are chapters containing diary entries from a patient at a psychiatric hospital. While the person’s identity remains shrouded in mystery, the pages from the diary paint a  fairly bleak picture of somewhat dodgy treatment for an unspecified condition.  The person’s identity and the significance of these chapters are not revealed until Ari Thór has unmasks the murderer and uncovers the motive for the crime.

Nightblind is an absolutely riveting police procedural that is fast-paced and compelling.  The plot is complex and the characters are well fleshed out. The investigation into the murder unfolds at a realistic pace and Ari Thór utilizes good old fashioned detective work to solve the crime. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this latest addition to Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series to readers who enjoy atmospheric mysteries.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dark Iceland Series, Minotaur Books, Mystery, Nightblind, Ragnar Jónasson, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

Review: Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson

Title: Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
Translated by Quentin Bates
Dark Iceland Series Book One
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors–accessible only via a small mountain tunnel.

Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik–with a past that he’s unable to leave behind.

When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life.

Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness–blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from the extraordinary new talent Ragnar Jonasson.

Review:

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson is an atmospheric police procedural set in an isolated small town in Iceland.  This first installment in the Dark Iceland series is a bit of a slow burner, but the characters and the setting make it very easy to savor the unfolding story.

A former philosophy and theology student, twenty-four year old Ari Thór Arason has finally found his niche at the police college in Reykjavík. However, finding employment proves elusive until he is offered a position in Siglufjörður.  After impulsively accepting the job without discussing it first with his longtime girlfriend Kristín who refuses to move with him, Ari Thór sets off for his new home.  With the winter darkness, seemingly unending snow and the isolation quickly becoming claustrophobic for Ari Thór, the sleepy village is soon shocked when beloved author Hrólfur Kristjánsson is found dead at the bottom of a staircase at the local theater. While everyone else is convinced Hrólfur’s fall is a tragic accident, Ari Thór wonders if the death might be the result of foul play.  When Linda Christensen is discovered stabbed and lying in the snow, Ari Thór cannot help but speculate the two incidents might be connected, but  how?

Ari Thór is an interesting young man with a rather complicated past that continues to trouble him.  Moving to the close-knit community of Siglufjörður might prove to be a smart career move in the long run, but in the present, his decision has a detrimental effect on both his relationship and his mental health.  Depressed by Kristín’s less than enthusiastic reaction and feeling claustrophobic by the isolation, darkness and unrelenting snowfall,  Ari Thór is already second-guessing accepting the job when Hrólfur’s body is discovered.

Enthusiastic about his first “real” case,  Ari Thór views the death as suspicious but police chief Tómas is ready to label it as an accident after a cursory investigation.  While he respects his boss’s opinion, Ari Thór  cannot help probing a little deeper into the circumstances surrounding Hrólfur’s fall.  However, in a town as small as Siglufjörður, it does not take long for rumors to begin circulating that Hrólfur might have been murdered and Tómas is none too pleased that Ari Thór is asking questions without permission.  Tómas is equally vexed when someone begins leaking details of the case to a newspaper reporter.  After Linda’s body is found, Tómas,  Ari Thór and veteran investigator Hlynur are definitely under pressure to find answers.  Ari Thór might not be an experienced policeman, but he has good instincts that help him piece together the various clues.

While initially a little slow paced, Snowblind is a compelling mystery with a cast of intriguing characters. The isolation, unrelenting snow and dark winter days underscore Ari Thór’s deepening depression and feelings of oppression.  The leisurely unveiling of the two cases provides plenty of time for Ragnar Jónasson to fully flesh out the various characters which allows readers to become fully acquainted with them on a much more personal level.  An outstanding beginning to the Dark Iceland series that will leave fans of the genre impatiently awaiting the next release.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dark Iceland Series, Minotaur Books, Mystery, Ragnar Jónasson, Rated B, Review, Snowblind