I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

I went into this book extremely excited as I got to read part of it during my trip to Iceland. A classic nordic noir, set in the late 20th century Iceland, revolving around a murder case. It was gripping and tense, but something about it left me wanting a bit more. Overall, I did feel like I was on the edge of my seat at times, but other parts were dragging a bit.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Almost Christmas in an isolated farmhouse, in the middle of a snowstorm a stranger arrives and a mystery begins. Another cracking read in the Hidden Iceland trilogy. If you like your location to be as much of a character in your story as your protagonist, this is one for you.

The Mist is the final book of the Hidden Iceland series.and like the country it is set in the story is icy, bleak and dark.with hidden depths. It is a great crime.mystery and a must read for those who like me enjoy dark.Scandinavian noir.

Choosing to tell the main character's story backwards make this the start of Detective Hulda's journey. As usual, the setting is atmospheric and creepy and the mystery is well-constructed and rewarding. I'd highly recommend this inventive series.

An enjoyable read and good story. The plot has a series of twists and I enjoyed the novel . Thank you.

The Mist is the final book in Ragnar Jónasson's Hidden Iceland trilogy and as the series is set in reverse chronological order, it's here we finally discover the terrible events that shaped Hulda Hermannsdóttir's life. The prologue, set in February 1988, finds Hulda clearly having undergone some sort of tragedy in her personal life and as she returns to work for the first time, her boss is unsure as to whether she is up to looking into a suspected murder case in the east of the country. She insists that she is and learns that two bodies have recently been discovered in a remote farmhouse but it seems that they've been lying there since at least Christmas.
The story then goes back two months and gradually reveals what led to the double murder. Having advance knowledge of this tragedy and whatever happened to Hulda herself, means there's a sinister sense of foreboding throughout The Mist. The narrative is split between following Hulda who is becoming increasingly concerned about her teenage daughter, Dimma's mood and the couple who lived in the farmhouse, Erla and her husband, Einar. His family have farmed in this inhospitable part of Iceland for years but although Erla went into her marriage knowing that the farm would be handed down to Einar, it becomes obvious that for all the apparent cosiness, she feels dreadfully trapped by her life there. As she prepares for Christmas, the weather takes a turn for the worse and at the time of year when the country is cloaked in near-constant darkness, her overwhelming feeling of hopeless isolation becomes almost palpable. And then there's a knock at their door...
Ragnar Jónasson really is in a class of his own when it comes to using the environment to foster nearly unbearable claustrophobia and melancholic dread. As Erla grows increasingly concerned that their unexpected visitor, Leó hasn't told them the truth, Hulda also intuitively knows that something is terribly wrong with Dimma. Amidst the festive preparations, the novel switches between the two women who though have completely different lives, know something terrible is going to happen.
I found The Mist to be one of the most tense books I can ever recall reading; it's so atmospheric and so bleak, I read it with a heavy heart as I awaited the inevitable tragedies. The violence mostly occurs off the page but the terror engendered is inescapable and credit must be given here to Victoria Cribb's excellent translation which so perfectly captures the essence of the original writing.
The final part of the novel brings some shocking revelations and though some were more expected than others, the way in which this beautifully intricate and decidedly creepy plot draws everything together is nothing short of masterful. Ragnar Jónasson is a brilliant, brilliant writer and The Mist is superbly immersive crime fiction which encapsulates everything I love about Nordic Noir. Just fabulous!

I’m a huge fan of this author so was very excited to read another book from him. The Mist was a gripping, atmospheric and tense read that I found hard to put down. This is going to be a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

The thing that most stands out about this book is the author’s use of the weather as a malevolent character that is very unpredictable and focused on keeping the characters pinned where they are. The weather is a source of great stress to Erla while also helping add to the tension in the book as the reader becomes more aware of how isolated the pair are and how hopeless their situation.

The story starts with detective Hulda in 1988 but soon flashes back to ten years earlier where we follow Hulda who is going through a tough time with her daughter as well as Einar and Erla who have taken a stranger into their house. I enjoyed following both timelines equally, though I did find Hilda’s story line a little frustrating as I worked out quite quickly what was happening there though it was interesting to learn more about Hulda and her past. Einar & Erla’s story was incredibly intriguing with lots of tension that ensured I kept reading. Erla’s feeling of being trapped by the weather and her life in general was quite relatable I felt. I warmed to her quickly, especially as she was a huge bookworm, and found myself wishing her husband would listen to her fears and she’d get out of the dangerous situation she finds herself in.

Overall I really enjoyed this fantastically gripping book which I raced through in a few days. The tension in the book slowly increases as the story goes on with the many twists ensuring that I was completely absorbed into the story. This series is told backwards so if you’ve read the first books in the series you might already be aware of some of the things that happen but I think you could still read it as a standalone as it would just mean more surprises in the story. I’m so excited to read more from this author and am hoping to go back and re-read the other books in the series soon.

One final point I would like to mention is how impressed I was, as always, with the translation of this book which makes it easy to forget that it wasn’t written in English originally. It has a great flow to it, which isn’t always the case in translated books, which makes it an easy book to read too.

Huge thanks to Sriya for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Michael At Joseph for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you like well plotted, gripping crime novels with some great characters then you’ll love this book.

Some books you can read and simply walk away from them, but there are a few that stay with you, well this is one of those. From the start of this book, I was edgy. There was something that put fear into me on every level.
I must admit that I didn’t know Iceland’s traditional Christmas ways and to be honest, I loved the idea of them, but the isolation would make me uneasy. I walk home from work every night in the early hours, and it is seeing someone that makes me jumpy because I feel they shouldn’t be there. This story is like that but a hundredfold more. When a stranger turns up at a very isolated property, there was something that felt very wrong. There are three stories taking place in this book, and I dreaded the chapters returning to each one as they headed into the unknown.
I loved the descriptions of the places in this story, the intense cold, the blizzards, the vast loneliness and feeling of being completely being cut off from the rest of the world. Where it was welcomed, with some, it was a prison to others. It made me think about what I would do. There is usually someone in a story that I would like to be, but not this one. In this people are so different and yet they are the same although they don’t know it.
An outstanding story that left me completely numb!
I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Right from the beginning, The Mist has this Icelandic touch that Ragnar Jónasson excels at. The snow, the claustrophobia that comes with being stranded in your own house, but also with your thoughts for company, and the cold that even the most powerful feelings can’t warm.

This third installment in the Hidden Iceland series takes us back to 1988, around Christmas. A bit before, a couple of months after, and what lies in between is a story of pure horror. I am not a horror fan, you know, the Halloween kind, but this book… Oh this book holds my beloved kind of horror. The paths that should not cross, the what-ifs, and the heavy weight of fate.

I love this series of a particular reason: it’s reverse order. When you read the first two books, you get to meet and know the main character, Hulda Hermannsdóttir, forced into retirement at 64, then at the peak of her career… And now, in The Mist, you reach the heart of Hulda’s story. And yet, it is not the main plot. Instead, Ragnar Jónasson distills her life around a chilling case. I can only applaud this choice as it flowed perfectly with his writing style and what makes Scandi-Noir different.

There’s a definite Agatha Christie feel in the air with The Mist. A couple in the middle of a snowstorm, awaiting Christmas in their lonely farm. A knock at the door. I would have hidden under the bed! And taken the book with me! The mystery was ensnaring and the atmosphere intoxicating. Too much nature can kill you! The beautiful and sharply descriptive writing style perfectly served both the intrigue and the characterization. The balance was so good that I felt close enough to Hulda to hold her hand, and somehow detached from the case… Now let me explain! The investigation is absolutely brilliant. A freezing puzzle that makes your brain work full time. But there was also a kind of step back from it as Hulda’s personal life was seeping into every line. The mix had me emotionally reeling and intellectually running a marathon. I loved both sides and can’t put words on how tore up I was between solving a case and saving Hulda.

I really really don’t want to say anything at all about the plot. The tragedy is too striking to deprive you of its power.

I truly believe this is the right kind of book for crime lovers to dive into during Christmas!

Anybody who is familiar with this series will know that it is slightly different to most others. Instead of moving forward in time it moves backwards, so this final book in the trilogy is the furthest back in time. It shows in some detail the tragedy that tore apart Hulda’s life.

The reader gets to know her fairly well. The way she does her job, quietly but efficiently and the way her home life is causing her concern. Her daughter’s depression is difficult for her to understand, even though the reader can guess at what the problem is.

But there is another part of this novel and that concerns Erla and Einar. They live in an isolated farmhouse that becomes more so when the weather turns bad. And when a stranger turns up asking to come in they are unprepared for what follows. And it is the isolation, the threat from the stranger and what he wants that is by far the strongest part of this novel. You forget that there was once a life without mobile phones. Where if your landline wasn’t working and there was no electricity that you couldn’t use a mobile to ask for help of even use as a torch. The intimidation caused by the conditions and the stranger seemed to intensify every time I turned the page.

I have now read two series by this author, both different and both captivating. I can’t wait to see what will come next.

Many thanks to Sriya Varadharajan at Michael Joseph Penguin Random House UK and the author Ragnar Jonasson for a chance at this blog tour for THE MIST, book # 3 in the Hidden Iceland series. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Snow…. blinding snow…. blizzard…storm…. a mountain of white that obscures vision, the only choice to stay put inside, be it anywhere and try to survive.

Ragnaor Jonasson’s The Mist takes the reader on a brutal journey inside the snow in a harsh and bleak place in the eastern parts of Iceland. The story begins 2 months after Christmas in 1987 where we see a grief-stricken Detective Hulda Hermannsdottir of the Reykjavik Police Department struggling to stay afloat at work. Designated to investigate a murder, the reader is forced to stumble in blind with no awareness of what lies ahead. We have no clue of the number of victims as the story unfolds in alternating chapters showing us the personal tragedy that would affect Hulda and the stranger that comes calling to a desolate farmland in the midst of nowhere.

Einar and Erla have been struggling to make it work in the isolated farm that has been in the family for generations but the utter loneliness and the savage and relentless winter has begun to take its toll and Erla finds solace in only the books to keep her company. It is just days before Christmas but the merciless weather offers no respite and then,
THERE’S A KNOCK AT THE DOOR.
(OK I am reading this book in scorching heat here in India but honestly that knock just gave me a thumping heart😹😹😹)

The stark atmosphere that the author has created is formidable so much that the reader is immersed into this gripping and riveting thriller from get-go. The parallel storyline of Hulda and Erla brings forth a sense of impending doom as the mystery of the stranger gets unraveled. There is not much detective work for Hulda as we get to see the POV’s of principal characters in question but just like the blizzard that reduces the visibility to NIL, I was blindsided by the threads that wove together to form the motive.

The Hidden Iceland series has been published in the reverse order which I think is a brilliant tactic, book #3 is the final book or the first book depending on how you see it in the trilogy. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but this can surely be read as a stand-alone.

Intriguing, atmospheric and haunting, THE MIST is guaranteed to make you feel the chill, both from the story and the brutal cold. Highly Recommended!

Christmas 1987. An isolated farm in the east of Iceland receives the visit of an unexpected guest during a terrible snowstorm. A liar, a killer, but... who’s who?

If I had to describe this book with just one word it would be “claustrophobic”. The cold, the darkness, the snow, the isolation and the author’s haunting prose all contribute to create a suffocating environment where the tension kept building at the same time my anxiety did.

“The Mist”, third installment in the Hidden Iceland Series, is more of a quiet mystery, so don’t come into it expecting a fast paced thriller. It is more about the characters than the crime itself.

I think it’s so original that the whole series is written in reverse order. The fact that we already know what happened in Hulda’s personal life made reading about it even more heartbreaking. After following her story through the three volumes, I find her a strong and relatable woman, and think it was painful to see how this investigation hit so close to home when her pain was still so raw. I think it was clever to connect her personal tragedy with the police investigation.

The atmosphere created draws you into the story from the beginning and doesn’t let go till the very last sentence, bringing the Icelandic landscape to life so vividly you can picture yourself in the farm, waiting for the storm to pass.

I didn’t know know about the icelandic tradition of giving books as Christmas presents, and then spending Christmas Eve reading into the night so, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna end this review here to go and check flights to move over there right now! 😍

Thanks to Penguin UK Michael Joseph and Sriya Varadharajan for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having previously read The Island by the same author, I was keen to read The Mist. Set in the bleak, winter landscape of an extremely remote area of Iceland, Jonasson reels in the reader to this harsh, cruel setting. A couple of farmers live in total isolation in the winter months with only each other for company, enduring intermittent communication and power amid fierce snow storms. One evening however, just before Christmas, there is a knock at the door. Meanwhile Hulda, a detective from Reykjavik is returning to work after a personal tragedy and is thrown into the deep end to solve a murder. Dark and creepy, this gripping story has fear and twists among its well written pages that will chill to the bone.

The Mist is the third novel in Ragnar Jonasson’s Hidden Iceland series, translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb. The trilogy began with The Darkness in which Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir was on the verge of retirement. The second book, The Island goes backwards in time with an investigation in 1997. The Mist featuring Hulda goes back yet again to 1987 as Hulda is worrying about her daughter, Dimma and her relationship with her husband, Jon. Alongside the story of what is happening in her personal life, she is also investigating the disappearance of a young woman and a suspected murder case, a particularly horrific one in an isolated farmhouse in the east.

I thought the first part of this book, about Erla and her husband, Einar, who live in the furthest reaches of eastern Iceland was completely gripping, especially with the arrival of a stranger lost in a snowstorm. Erla invites him in and the nightmare begins. This is one of those books where to know too much about the plot would really spoil it. All I’m going to say is that it starts slowly, and the tension and suspense gradually rise throughout, with an increasing sense of dread.

I loved the setting, Jonasson’s writing bringing the scenery and the weather to life – you can feel the isolation and experience what it is like to be lost in a howling snowstorm. The emotional tension is brilliantly done too, the sense of despair, confusion and dread is almost unbearable. My only criticism, a small one, is that when I reached a certain point in the novel, quite a bit before the end, it seemed obvious to me what the outcome would be. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment, but I would have preferred not to have known and is the reason I’ve given this 4 stars instead of 5.

My thanks to the publishers for my copy via Netgalley.

The build up in parallel stories of the pivotal position of daughters in their mother's lives is epitomised in this really compelling story of a police woman and an isolated woman imprisoned on a cold , lonely farm house .. all set inhospitable landscape of cold and snow and unreliable electrical systems. . Matters are accelerated as the stories of each woman draw inexorably closer to each other, with deep secrets and mixed perceptions informing each ..I was surprised and drawn on at every turn .. unreliable narrator works well .. I better not say more (which underlying narrator ??...)

In a far corner of Iceland a married couple are settling down to celebrate Christmas in their isolated farm when there is a knock at the door. For Hulda Christmas is a time for traditions and family so it is a pity that she is rostered to work on Christmas Day and her 13-year old daughter is becoming more and more withdrawn. Months later Hulda is called to her first case since her life fell apart, one where the madness of loving a daughter too much is all too apparent.
This is the third and final book in the Hidden Iceland series and I have to say that I have loved them all. The novelty is that the story is played out in reverse across the three books, starting as Hulda is about to retire and ending here with events thirty years previously. Knowing Hulda's backstory make the tragedy even more profound and the guild that the character carries is exposed in detail. As ever Jonasson's writing it sharp and incisive, this is not a long book at all, but it works so well. The plot is clever and twists its way through to a conclusion in which all three protagonists are linked by a similar bond. I hope there is more to come from Jonasson!

I know every book that comes out of the Nordic countries cannot be good but for some reason an awful lot of them are and this is no exception.
The timing of the prose was a delight and held the tension perfectly. It was a chilling story about a chilling place where there is very little daylight in the winter months and it’s so cold even inside the farmhouse was cold and that came across extremely well.
There was a second thread to the story which was more than a back story but not nearly as well told as the main plot so I will score this four stars ( wish there was a four and a half available) and I highly recommend it. A thoroughly good read.

This is the 3rd book in the Hidden Iceland series and returns us back to the life of Detective Hulda prior to the death of her husband and daughter.

This case starts in 1987 on an isolated farm house in the east of Iceland. A severe ice storm at the start of the Christmas celebrations should have prevented anyone from getting to them however, it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did. Their unexpected guest is telling them a story that doesn't ring true, why is he there and is he the cause of their death.

So far I have found this series fast paced and beautifully written. Starting with The Darkness we are introduced to the characteristic but far from effervescent Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir, she is a Detective Inspector forced into early retirement at 64 but who fights her cause and manages to convince her boss to review an old case on the murder of a russian women that washed up on the shore, The amazing and unexpected ending meant I was intrigued to follow her back in time to The Island where she investigates a group of friends who go on an unexpected trip together to an isolated island where the death of one of them will open up an unexpected connection to both a past and future case.

Again I was pleased to see the curse of a 2nd book was not experienced and I relished reading this so was over the moon when NetGalley and Michael Joseph gave me the opportunity to get an arc copy of The Mist prior to release.

It was interesting to get an insight into Hulda's home and family dynamic, I instantly disliked Jon (her husband) and it was clear early on that there was an element of abuse taking place between he and her daughter Dimma. Hulda clearly has some instinct on her daughters behaviour but despite in her police career, seems unable to face it and push the threat and thought of Jon's actions away. This lack of instinct could well have been as she is younger in these books and that her skills have not yet been honed to such things but to ignore her gut instinct felt somewhat out of character for her.

The home of Erla and Einar isolated in the east of Iceland is not only lonely but feels haunted throughout the course of the story, the arrival of the man at their door has clearly thrown Erla off track and it appears that she is struggling with the feelings of darkness and isolation being on the farm has and craves to return to a more populated environment. Erla is ill at ease with the stranger and throughout the course of this book the tension steadily builds to its climactic conclusion.

I am uncertain if this is the last we will hear of Detective Hulda but I am certain that Ragnar Johannson has now become an author I will seek to read his full back catalogue of work and all future releases.

I will say that of the 3 stories of Hulda to date though the first one keeps pulling me back the masterfull ending has made her now a character I will always enjoy reading.