Nicely paced Scandi Thriller from Iceland. Some interesting twists along the way. The structure of the story is very clever, as pieces of information, past and present, are released to complete the various parallel stories. And as required by every great noir, a totally unexpected end.
Unfortunately, and I have no way of knowing if this is due to the translation, or to the original authorship, the language is rather wooden and simplistic. I find that journalistic, easy writing style (Paterson, Grisham) does not distract from a story, and excellent writing enhance the pleasure of reading. Poor writing damages even the best construed and constructed stories.

Reviewed for Euro Crime by Michelle Peckham:

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir is a short time away from retirement. One of the few women on the detective team, she feels she has worked hard, and is one of the best detectives, dedicating her life to the force. And yet she feels isolated and undervalued. Not looking forward to her retirement, suddenly she is called into her bosses' office to be told that she can leave now, taking her last couple of months as 'leave', and at the very least she has to leave within two weeks, as a new young hotshot male detective is arriving and needs her office.

All her cases have been re-assigned and there is nothing left for her to do. In shock, Hulda asks for something to occupy her time for a few more days until she has to leave, and is allowed to choose a cold case. She chooses a case of a Russian girl, a 27 year-old called Elena, found dead on some rocks near the beach a few miles away. Her death has been dismissed as probably an accident or suicide. She was a girl no-one really seemed to care about. A mere asylum seeker. Moreover, the investigation into her death was handled by one of her colleagues, Alexander, someone she thinks does sloppy work. A last chance perhaps to show her skills as a good detective, before her inevitable lonely retirement.

As the investigation unfolds, two different stories are told side-by-side. One is the story of a single mother and her attempts to bring up her young daughter, someone we quickly realise is Hulda. This works well to provide some lovely background insight into Hulda's character. The other story, which starts later on in the book, relates to Elena and her disappearance. There is also Hulda’s burgeoning relationship with Petur, a friend from the walking club. Both Hulda and Petur lost their partners some time ago, and Peter is clearly interested in developing his relationship with Hulda, and in finding out more about her.

Hulda's character, the way in which she responds to her shock at her enforced early retirement and the subsequent choices she makes, drive this story. She could just relax, spend time with her friend Petur and simply stop and start to enjoy her retirement. Or, she could carry on with her one last case: a decision that will have a critical consequence for Hulda. This is a fascinating story, touched with an underlying sadness that skilfully unveils Hulda’s life as she carries out her last investigation.

Good grief, what was that! I’m in shock from this book. With how gripping it was and from the ending!

Ragnar Jonasson is an Icelandic author and I first came across him with his debut novel Snow Blind which I have previously reviewed on my blog. I just fancied a non UK crime writer as I was fed up with the procedural inaccuracies that made me angry and caused a fairly stressful read! So one day in Stanfords in Covent Garden I was in the Scandinavian section and found Ragnar. Haven’t looked back!

The Darkness has a 64 year female protagonist, Hulda, who is close to retiring from her long career with the Reykjavik police. The book follows her during her last investigation which revolves around the mysterious death of a young Russian asylum seeker.

Hulda is a loner and pretty lonely to be honest. Her husband died some years ago, aged 52 and there are scant mentions of her daughter. Hulda is a career police officer though her passion for the job is about seeking justice for the vulnerable rather than being part of the group. She basically doesn’t get on with anyone and is pretty bitter about the male clique that she feels exists around her. Men playing golf and getting promoted by their mates whilst she does a good job and gets over-looked.

I totally sympathise with her!

At the start of the story Hulda is summoned by her boss, Magnus, who tells her that her replacement has been recruited and will be here in 2 weeks so she should tidy out her desk and take early retirement. She thinks she still has months left and is shocked by this change to her plans, particularly because she really has nothing happy to look forward to. She lives alone in a block of flats having had to sell her beautiful home by the sea after the death of her husband. Her low state pension and no savings does not give her anything to look forward to. She is in the early stages of a relationship with a man she has met in her walking group but it is very early stages and she is clearly nervous about progressing.

Hulda protests the need to retire early and Magnus grants her another few weeks suggesting that maybe she review an old case. She knows exactly the one because she thought the initial investigation was appalling and shoddy and that the detective that ran it is one of those cronies that has been over promoted.

She doesn’t advise Magnus which case she is taking on and just sets about reviewing it. Visiting the asylum centre where the dead girl had lived prior to her body being discovered, visiting with her asylum solicitor, interpreter and the police officer that attended the discovery of her body.

No one seems very forthcoming. Everyone seems like they have something to hide.


Perhaps Holda has lost sight of what good police work is about. Perhaps Holda should have followed her instincts.

I was blown away by this book. I was pleased to have a female protagonist and an aged one. How unusual is that? I definitely understood how Holda felt in the male dominated police force, having been there myself. My goodness I left at 40 completely disillusioned with the buddy promotion system, how on earth would I have behaved at 64? No wonder she is bitter and cynical and a bit irrational. She’s done well not to let rip until now! The story is set over only a few days and the pace of that kept me turning the pages. I genuinely couldn’t put this book down. Not only that but it was an easy read. I liked Holda, I felt sympathy for her. I thought she was tenacious but human. I could tell why her colleagues didn’t like her much. She was a bit like me. As everyone else is useless it’s best to get on with it by yourself and do the job well. Bless her!

I really like the author and his books are definitely improving with each release. I love the landscape in the books, all set in snowy and dismal Iceland with it’s weird weather and volcanic vistas. Totally the setting for some seriously crazy murderers to live, though in reality not that many happen of course.

One of the things I like with Jonassons’ work is the comment he always passes on Icelandic culture, making mention in this book of the financial crisis but also the import export relationship Iceland had with Eastern European countries. I find it really interesting to read about the different things that have happened historically in the country, knowing as little as I do about it. In his first book I found reading about the Cod Wars and the disappearance of the herring fascinating.

This is one of the most shocking books I have read this year. I won’t add any spoilers and I suggest you don’t read any, if you can avoid them! The ending will take your breath away.

Highly recommended crime fiction novel. Yeah!

This is the first book that i have read by this author and what an enjoyable read it was. I rarely write what a story is about for fear of spoiling for others, but it is well worth a read. Good plot, good characters and plenty of twists and turns. Hope to read more books by this author.

I was originally introduced to Ragnar Jónasson and the Dark Iceland series by another member of The Rick O Shea Book Club (Kate over at the brilliant Bibliophile Book Club ) after having read and flown through that series, I was very interested to learn of a new book by the author. Having shaken off my initial disappointment that this book was not starring Ari Thor, I was very interested to learn that it was part of a second series of books entitled “The Hulda Series”.

This time round our protagonist is the aforementioned Hulda, a no nonsense cop, on the cusp of retirement, who is about to take on her final case, the case of a young woman who died in mysterious circumstances the previous year. Originally this case was swept aside and not investigated properly, but now Hulda has taken it on, and refuses to let it go.

Once again Ragnar Jónasson has written a cracker of a book. The descriptions of Iceland with it’s snowy and mountainous landscape were once again mesmerising, and left me looking up trips to Iceland online (while at the same time wondering if I would die from hypothermia).

The story here is quite different to that of the Dark Iceland series, and I found that it built slower, however Hulda’s investigation was totally enthralling and I found it hard to tear myself away from it. Throughout the book we are given nuggets of Hulda’s past experiences from both her professional and personal life, which give the character great shape, and allow us a possible glimpse at the forthcoming sequels (if you can read Icelandic you can already get these 😉 ).

I thought this was a great read, and I would have no hesitation recommending it. 5 Stars.

Nordic Noir- A One-Sit Wonder

"The advantage of darkness is that there are no shadows."

I was really keen to read this author's work, knowing he's a writer, lawyer and lecturer and started translating the works of Agatha Christie at 17. Also, Anthony Horowitz had written an article that named this book as one of his picks for top thriller novels, so was eager to see if it was up to the hype. It was. I was in from the first page. It didn't let up and the twists and turns kept me on my toes to the finish - I sat and read it in one go.

Set in Iceland, which here is a character in itself - freezing, inhospitable and beautiful, this is a well-written mystery/thriller. Quite often I have found that books are EITHER page-turners or are cleverly written and here the joy is that the book is both.

The lead characters are all well-drawn - with the lead detective a female nearing retirement, whose services are not appreciated by the younger generation. We find out more about Hulda as the book progresses. She is put in contrast with the men of of the novel, only one of whom is anything close to likeable, which makes sense as we are brought into Hulda's perspective.

I am really excited that this is to be part of a series and will eagerly await the next installment!

I found this book really enjoyable. My own complaint and it is minor, is the fact Hulda kept going on about her age. I loved the story and the investigation into the missing Elena that lead onto another missing Russian girl Katja. Until towards the later part of the book I had not worked the killer out then bang it hit me but that ending wow I did not see that coming. Really enjoyed this book and will definetly be catching up on the authors other books.

Without giving anything away, it's the ending that really gets you with "The Darkness", the tale of a female detective facing enforced retirement and allowed to reopen a cold case. It's rare to have a book surprise you but this one manages it. Unpredictable and gripping, it'll have you wanting to read in one sitting to find out who did it.

Great atmospheric book set in perma- dark Iceland. Really liked this character and the ending was amazing. It was great not to have an ending like the usual predictable thrillers. Makes me want to read more by this author - right up my street!

The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson is an exciting Icelandic crime story, that's dark, moody and realistic in both setting and characterisation.

The moment Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police was rudely told to leave her job and take early retirement to make way for a younger replacement I knew I was going to love this book. From there on, I wanted her to succeed in anything she touched, if only to get her own back on her boss.

After negotiating whilst still in shock, the detective was told she could stay on, but only if she worked on one of the cold, unsolved cases during her final two weeks. The fact that her current cases and other work had already been distributed to other staff angered both me and Hulda!

Fortunately, Hulda kept her cool and immediately decided which case to pick, since it was one she'd felt her colleague Alexander had never dealt with properly in the first place, but at the time she was not in the position to argue with him.

With two weeks in her position left she re-opened the cold case of the Russian girl and asylum seeker, Elena. eager to prove she didn't kill herself by drowning but was murdered. And in the first 24 hours she knew more than what was put on Alexander's original report. Go girl!

From here on, we follow Hulda's investigation, in third person point of view, and we also hear the story of an unknown girl's own narrative in first person.

Oh, how I loved Alexander's reaction when he discovered Hulda looking into his closed case. If that's not the sign of a guilty man then I don't know what is! Brilliant!

In addition, when Hulda's two weeks on the case were reduced to only one day by her angry boss, I raced through this book as if reading it faster would help her solve the case even quicker!

Hulda is one of my favourite 'older' characters, who has been through a lot, with secrets of her own, and I rooted for her throughout this story. She's a courageous, hardworking and down-to-earth character who has faced a lot of prejudice during her career in the police force just for being a woman. The fact that Ragnar Jónasson has clearly emphasised this point right up to her last few days on the job, makes the sucker-punch of an ending even harder to deal with.

I loved every minute of this book, and even the sad, disappointing, yet shocking and annoying ending cannot sway me from awarding this book five stars. Want to know something else? I only picked this book up to have a brief look, with the thought of getting to it soon. But once I picked it up I couldn't put the bloody thing back down again...

I hadn't read any of the previous books by this author so I hadn't any idea what to expect from his writing, but I found this book easy to read and Hulda a flawed, but quite likeable, character. Nearing retirement, and to her boss more of a hindrance than an asset, she is told she can pick a cold case to investigate. The cold case she picks leads her to infuriate her boss even more and also leads her into danger. The ending puzzled me slightly as I understand this book is to be the first in a trilogy but I shall look forward to reading the others in the series.

There's noir, and then there's totally bleak and depressing. The main character has had a life filled with sadness and trauma, side-lined despite competence at work and imminently to be put out to grass. Her errors of judgement left me incredulous and the ending was massively depressing. I am left super frustrated.

A speedy read, with a great character in the about to be forcibly retired Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir.

I enjoyed her tenacity, and her inner reflections on her history in the police as she doggedly tries to uncover the killer before she finishes work.

With a whopper of an ending it's highly recommended.

I am currently developing a section of the school library that will present a diverse and eclectic range of contemporary crime and thriller novels. This genre has been so popular in terms of what is being borrowed, but I feel like the young people are sticking to 'what they know' in terms of titles or writers that they've already heard of or have seen their parents reading. My mission is to include more novels like this one and improve the range and diversity of fiction that they can choose from in order to expand their reading horizons. I absolutely loved this book. It kept me gripped from the very first page and without giving away any spoilers, was a dark, intense and satisfying journey. I think that the young people will love its distinctive voice as well as be gripped by the story and intrigued to follow it to its tense conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for intelligent, credible writing with a strong hook that won't let you go. Treat yourself to The Darkness!

Loved this book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I usually enjoy a nice detective thriller but this seemed just that little bit different from the norm - set in Iceland and a retiring female detective. It had enough to keep ticking along nicely and then really reach a good climax with a gripping finale. I'm really grateful for the preview copy of this book and would recommend it to all. 5 stars from me no question.

Loved reading this book- set in Iceland and with an older lead female detective Hulda- through her perspective not many of her colleagues are likeable which is understandable as they don’t appreciate Hulda, seeing her as past her best and not worthy of their time. Iceland itself
Is stark and cold, the perfect backdrop.

Hmm. Not sure I actually liked this rather bleak book to be honest. I found the main character, Hildur, quite irritating, and didn't like any of the other characters. The desciptions of the landscape and Iceland in general were well written. The pace of the book seemed to change towards the end, and I didn't expect the ending, which I found rather disappointing.

I understand that this is the LAST in a series that will go back in time from Hildur's last case, so I might read another...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent, went to Iceland a couple of months ago so I really wanted to read this book, as I have heard so much about this author. The book is full of twists and turns and keeps my attention. Will definitely read other books by Ragnar Jonasson.

Well Ragnar Jónasson is on my list to devour everything written!!!

Brilliant characters and I NEED to know what happens next!

Scandi crime has another one to watch

This fast paced, quirky crime novel flirts with the topic of senior dating as the second story line, and I hope that there is more of this to come in future publications as much more could be done to enhance this element. There is a lot of believable soul searching undertaken by Hulda (the main character), a few well worked red herrings, and a cinematic tour of Icelandic scenery - from mountaintop to coastal shoreline. However, I was nonplussed by the ending and for this reason have given this otherwise well written story a 3 star rating.