My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penquin UK - Michael Joseph for the ARC.
This is the second book of a planned trilogy, the first one The Darkness I haven't read - but intend now to do so. "The Island" is just SO good.
Set in Iceland and written between two timelines 10 years apart. Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottr presently is approaching her 50th birthday and retains a bitterness that over the past 10 years she has had to continually prove herself within a man's world, being passed over on promotion she knew she deserved, and now has her younger and less-experienced rival Lydur as her boss. Lydur had cemented his position 10 years before following a murder investigation into a young woman's death at an isolated summer house in the Westfjords.
Hulda is called to the remote island of Ellioaey - only accessible by boat, where 4 life-long friends were using the only house on the island for a weekend break. Only now there was just 3 of them, as Klara had apparently fallen to her death from a dangerous cliff. Or did she?
Slowly, but surely, Hulda's investigations lead her to Lydur's murder case of 10 years earlier. How could these two cases be connected? Like peeling back the layers of an onion she is determined to find out.
This mystery is brilliantly constructed and so well-written. Whilst gradually unfolding the investigation, the narrative also builds us a picture of Hulda's past, and present, almost tragic, personal situation. I really felt sorry for her but you can sense the determination she puts into her work..
The scenic descriptions underline not only the beauty of the landscapes as the backdrop to the investigations but also the bleakness and the isolation underpinning them - Nordic Noir at its best.
A roller-coaster of thoughts as I tried to work out 'whodunit' but failed miserably - the final twist!
I also liked the Epilogue which tied up any lingering questions - and even that threw up more twists.
Absolutely loved this book.

An excellent whodunnit. I love Hulda - a unique character who we got to know in The Darkness. This is book 2 in the trilogy which goes back in time. This time Hulda takes us in two stories from current to 10 years ago. Set in two remote Icelandic locations you can feel the isolation and the atmospheric weather and skies around. Several suspects in this gripping mystery. I can't wait for Book 3 to discover Hilda as a younger, happier lady.

As soon as I saw this book I just knew I had to read it as I am an avid fan of Scandi/ Icelandic crime so I then did something I never do and plunged headlong into book two without reading the book one of the series. and although this can be read as a standalone its was a shame to miss the the first in the series. So because I just loved this book and it is everything you would want in a thriller it’s dark, atmospheric and the settings are to die for plus the writing is just superb and I will go back and read book one while I am impatiently waiting for book three!! The book is written in a backwards timeline and this may seem strange but no it’s works fantastically well and in fact enhances the book all the more. The mystery part is gripping, DI Hulda will I’m sure become a firm favourite of mine, the backstory is really cleverly done and there is one hell of a lot going on but it’s done so damn well you just can’t put the book down.
So a beautifully and uniquely constructed book this is a joy of a read and that I would highly recommend and I thank Ragnar Jónasson for a wonderful read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Michael Joseph- Penguin UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Intriguing middle volume in this going backwards trilogy. As I already know the main characters fate this tale of two murders set ten years apart is an interesting study of strange friends having a reunion and the following investigation into the death of one of them. Our heroine is relentless in her search for the truth but I can't help but wish the tales had been told in chronological order! Still I'll look forward to the final/first episode in what is a starkly good series.

Another tight mystery from Jonasson's assured hands, the strands of which wind gradually tighter to another mesmerising climax. Hulda is a marvellous literary creation, and one that carries a unique poignancy. Another comfortable winner.

Four friends visit an isolated island to remember another friend and sister who was murdered 10 years ago. Her father was found guilty of the murder but hung himself and a family was torn apart.
This time another friend is found murdered. Are the deaths connected and if so why and how?
Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is in charge of the case and she begins to suspect that someone is lying and hiding the truth and it could be closer to home than she thinks.
This will keep you guessing to the end with its twists and turns.

Another case for the Icelandic Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, after the success of the first book in the series, The Darkness. I really like the low-key style of this unshowy sleuth, who uncovers the truth of an historic and a linked recent death of two friends by solid police-work and attention to detail, in stark contrast to her dynamic superior officer, who has made his reputation and career on the back of the original case. The uncovering of the mysteries surrounding these two cases runs parallel to the probing of Hulda's own family past and the gradual process of coming to terms with her own recent personal history. A beautiful Icelandic backdrop to an absorbing unravelling of the truth.

Excellent, tightly plotted crime novel that reveals its secrets in a way that I hadn’t anticipated, and also manages to foreshadow events in the previous novel (chronologically later) and set more questions to be answered in the third of the trilogy. Thoroughly recommended

This is the second book I've read by Ragnar Jónasson (the first being 'The Darkness' which really did have a twist!). I enjoyed this one but wonder if it would have been better to read this one first, as the events in 'The Darkness' take place after this novel, so I was wondering how the author is going to develop the character of Hulda, the detective. Leaving that aside, this is a really good thriller, with several twists and turns. The characters are well developed and I would definitely read more by this author.

When I started reading The Island, Hidden Iceland Series Book 2, I had no idea this is a trilogy written backwards. So, this precedes Book 1 in chronological order and had me confused when I soon encountered Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir. Hang on a minute, isn't she....? And then the penny dropped! Book 3 will no doubt go back even further. It's of no consequence as this reads well as a standalone. And what a cracking read it is as Hulda travels to the isolated island of Elliðaey to investigate the unexplained death of a young woman, one of four friends who had visited the island. There seem to be similarities to a notorious case from ten years ago, another woman found murdered in the equally desolate Westfjords. It doesn't help matters that this earlier case was investigated by her senior colleague, Lýdur. What part did detective Andrés have to play? There is something not quite right here.

Hulda has three suspects and it seems that no one is telling the truth about what really happened on Elliðaey. Do past events have a bearing on this case? Didn't someone confess to the earlier murder and later commit suicide?

Beautifully constructed this haunting tale had me gripped throughout as our tragic protagonist conducts her rôle with persistence to unravel this intriguing mystery. Another excellent piece of Icelandic noir from Ragnar Jónasson and highly recommended.

My thanks to Michael Joseph Penguin UK and NetGalley for this ARC of The Island.

The unusual technique of publishing a trilogy, Hidden Iceland, in reverse is employed here in The Island, the second in the series, at the end of which the reader is promised that Icelandic Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir will return in The Mist, the first installment of the trilogy. After reading the stunning Nordic noir meets Agatha Christie in The Darkness, so many readers will welcome the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with this enigmatic detective.
They will not be disappointed. Hulda is on the case of a murder on a remote island with a group of life-long friends as the only suspects. She begins to link this case with a ten year old murder which had been solved to almost everyone's satisfaction. It would be only too easy to divulge spoilers in my enthusiasm to entice more readers to get to know Hulda Hermannsdottir, but I encourage all lovers of a good murder mystery to become familiar with Iceland's female Hercule Poirot, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir.

This is the 2nd book in a planned trilogy by Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson, featuring Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavic police and like its predecessor, it’s another fine novel. In some ways, it is a straightforward almost classical whodunit but the author has used this simple format to explore complex issues around relationships and to provide further insight into the character of Hulda, his central character.

We meet her this time approaching her 50th birthday, embittered by her lack of promotion despite her success, racked with guilt over the suicide of her daughter and unable to move on to new relationships following the death of her husband. She immerses herself in her work and whilst carrying out a weekend shift, she is asked to take charge of a case involving an unexplained death on a remote island.

It seems to me that this series has three great strengths. Firstly, Mr Jonasson’s plotting is meticulous. He builds tension, not through the use of violent set-pieces, but through his ability to gradually reveal the truth as the lies and fabrications are peeled away. Secondly, unlike so many fictional detectives, Hulda is not a particularly likeable character. She lacks empathy and is highly driven but gradually, despite her flaws we warm to her and her constant search for the truth. Finally, the author has used the bleak, unrelenting Icelandic environment not simply as a backdrop but as an integral component of the story thereby adding another layer to the chilling nature of the plot.

Once again, thoroughly recommended.

Hilda is back,still smarting from not getting the promotion she believes she deserves and overwhelmed by family issues. This time she solves two murders one of which has been handled wrongly by her competitor in the promotion stakes. She shows up his miscarriage of justice. Although there are few possible culprits in these two murders, the eventual solution is not easy to guess. The story is intricate and well developed. There is a lot of description of Icelandic scenery but it is important to the plot and gives the story its unique quality.

This is the second in the Hidden Iceland series and it was just as compelling as the first! Hulda is a fantastic protagonist. Despite sexism holding her career back, and having to cope with personal tragedy, she doggedly investigates her cases. She sees clues where others don't, and is relentless in seeking the truth. In this case, Hulda's suspects are a group of friends, and she manages to unravel their history and uncover true relationships. Like the author's other books, I couldn't put this down.

A superb read and I am really looking forward to the next book, The Mist, in 2020. Hopefully not upsetting any Icelandic folk I am classing this in the Scandinavian group of books. Compared with the usual goods train speed of Scandinavian authors this one is in the high speed grouping but still makes time to explain characters and feelings...
Two murders, separated by 10 years, are cleverly linked together in the story and you are never certain until the end who was responsible for each murder or maybe it was the same person. A wonderful read and definitely not to be missed.

I was a huge fan of Jonasson's first book in the Hidden Iceland series and was thoroughly engaged with his near retirement female detective DI Hulda Hermaannsdottir.
This second book didn't disappoint - although it did take a while to join the plot lines together as by its very format the author had to give us a time lapse back to Hulda's earlier years, more of her personal life and the circumstances which draw her into a young woman's death on the Island of the title.
When four friends visit the island of isolated and rugged island of Ellioaey to commemorate the ten year anniversary of the death of one of their friends the mood is often distinctly volatile and there seem to be many undercurrents. The past lives of Benedikt seem to link him to the murder and Dagur is the son of main suspect (Veturlidi) and sister of the murdered young woman found in the family summer house. Veturlidi's arrest has had a huge impact on his family and the reunion seems to give a premonition of further violence.
Hulda, ten years on also from a personal tragedy that has had implications for her own family is on weekend duty when the death on the island occurs and soon realises not only are there connections, but that her present boss Lydur who is a high flyer in the police had his reputation stamped on the original murder inquiry "All the evidence points to him".
The loneliness of people's lives, including Hulda and the cold bleak scenery, particularly the parts in the western fjords are evocatively described and add to the growing suspense of the plot. The murkiness of police corruption and the tragic fallout from trauma amongst families are a thread throughout this boo.
I enjoyed it, but maybe not quite so much as the first' 'The Darkness''because I had already established Hulda as a character in my imagination and wanted to move her forward, when of course her age and timeline need to be put into context. Surprised no TV company has taken Hulda on as she's a bit of an Icelantic Vera! However the settings and characters pull you into these crimes in Iceland and I'll look out for the next edition in the series with much interest.

Nordic Noir: the second instalment of the Hidden Iceland series

I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy (The Darkness) and wondered, given the ending, where this would go next. The answer is: to an entirely different period of Hulda Hermannsdottir's police career. For that reason, The Island actually could read as stand-alone novel because it doesn't rely on the reader having any knowledge of the events of the first book.

There are a lot more characters to keep on top of here with multi-narrator perspectives and we go back in time and then forward ten years. This made it at first a little complex, but added to the overall the depth of the mystery. As with The Darkness, there is a cold sense of foreboding that comes partly from the isolated settings and partly from the characters' own iciness.

Without wanting to be overly gushy, this book has restored my faith in reading after a couple of recent harder-going novels that made me think 2019 might not be a good year for me with books. As with The Darkness, this book is both a page-turner and is well-written. There is an incredible build of tension from the first page that compels the reader to stay up all night to solve the mystery. It allows a proper canter through each of the chapters.

It is also worth saying that this is an amazing translation - it is clear, humorous where intended and feels true to the original.

I can't wait for the third and final book in 2020!

‘The Island’ also known as ‘Drungi’ by international best seller Ragnar Jonasson is the second instalment in the Hidden Iceland series.

It is set 10 years before the first instalment ‘The darkness’ also known as ‘Dimma’. This is one of the things I find so compelling about the series. You are told the story in reverse.

The main character, Detective Inspector Hulda (literally meaning, hidden woman) is nearing 50 years of age at this point in her life, she has lost her husband, daughter and most recently her mother. We hear about these tragic loses - some more tragic than others - throughout the series.

We learn more about Hulda’s grief this time around and as a female her need to fight and prove herself to be respected and taken seriously in a male driven profession. She has watched her fellow male colleagues work their way through the ranks while she has had 2 insignificant promotions in spite of having more experience than them all. She is still living in a box flat and driving the same car she’s had for 10 years whilst the men spend the weekends at their holiday homes.

We don’t only learn more about Hulda though, of course there is a gripping double homocide investigation going on throughout. The homocides, like the novels, are set 10 years apart, but involve the same group of friends. Hulda is determined to uncover the truth and may even expose a few snakes along the way.

The Hidden Island series is one of my favourites and there is many a reason why Ragnar Jonasson is a best selling author. His character development and world building is second to none, the detail and research which goes into each case is exceptional and most importantly for me, it is full of twists and turns but stays believable and sincere.

I cannot wait to read the third and final instalment to finally put all the pieces together. This is a series I can see myself reading over and over again but each novel also holds its own as a stand alone novel.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review. The hidden Iceland series once again exceeded my expectations.

A Nordic noir, D.I. Hulda Hermannsdóttir is tasked with finding the killer of a girl on one of Iceland's desolate islands. She soon finds similiarities with a previous murder that occurred ten years earlier of the dead girl's friend. A brilliant novel and the second featuring Hulda. Full of twists, beautiful Icelandic descriptions and great characters, Ragnar is becoming one of my favourite authors. A must read, thoroughly enjoyable.