Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this arc.

A great Scandinavian ghost noir story with fantastic atmospheric setting.

Set in a remote village in Iceland, at first the teaching job seems like a great chance for Una to get her life back on track.. The village is small and there are only 2 pupils, the adults in the village are polite but distant. However she begins to have nightmares about a young girl and then a sudden tragedy echoes a long ago event. Eventually the truth is uncovered

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.

A great Scandinavian noir book
This is a mystery thriller that was so enjoyable
It had good characters and a great ending

This Girl Who Died is a slow paced not-quite-thriller, set in a remote and tiny 1980's Icelandic village. Skálar is home to only ten adults and two children, and Una takes up a job in teaching the children. It's got a bleak and Gothic atmosphere to it and the author does well at bringing this small village to life around you. Where it falls down somewhat is the plot; not a lot happens for the vast majority of the novel and when things finally get moving, it's a little too late to engage you.

It took me a long time to get into the novel because of that and whilst the suspense builds up slowly, with real life events being heightened by the possibility of a supernatural force at work, the ending felt like a bit of a cop out. What I did like about it was the characterisations and the very real level of deception and mistrust throughout the tiny village to Una as a new interloper. Jónasson writes the characters in a very believable way, and this along with the dark atmosphere makes it a very evocative read.

This is going to be one of those novels that some people will adore for the atmosphere and the sense of time and place. For me, it didn't quite work as the narrative felt weak in comparison.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

I could not get into this book, ultimately it was not form me and I could not finish it. It may be one for other readers

My husband read this book. He loves this author. His review -
Writing is superb as always, keeps me hooked with its twists and turns. I love the setting in Iceland. Not as good as some of his previous books but was eager to turn the page and find out the secrets.
Great character, great plot with a great ending.

The Girl Who Died is Icelandic noir, a mix of horror and psychological thriller, with a strong sense of place. Skálar is a close-knit community that doesn’t welcome newcomers, keeping its secrets well hidden. The only person who welcomes Una, to the village is Salka, the mother of Edda, one of the two girls Una is to teach. But even her welcome is short lived.

When Una arrived she had the feeling that it was like being a folk tale, an ominous supernatural tale set in a vague shifting world where nothing was solid or real, almost like a ghost town. The feeling grows stronger when she sees a little girl with long, pale hair in the window of Salka’s house – but Salka tells her that Edda was in bed. Later she discovers that the ghost of a young girl who had died fifty years earlier was said to haunt the house.

The supernatural elements of the story and the dark brooding atmosphere add to the mystery, but it is not quite as creepy or chilling as I’d thought it would be, mainly because of the slow plodding pace. Also I’m in two minds about Una as I really didn’t find her a very interesting character. And I began to care less and less about what was happening to her. Overall I found it a bit disappointing, and I found the ending puzzling.

However, the Author’s Note is interesting. Jonasson explains that Skálar is a real place. But it was abandoned in the mid 1950s, so the setting is real, but the buildings and the characters are fictitious. However, he has tried to give an accurate representation of the history of Skálar that describes in the book. He has also used the folk tales in Sigfús Sigfússon’s collections of Icelandic tales and legends

This was a great standalone thriller, and I found the plot engaging and intriguing. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author

Oh my I highly recommend this book, it was a great story and great characters I really need to read more by this author. Buy, read and enjoy.

Another excellent offering from this author. I have only read the detective series so wasn’t sure about a stand alone thriller. I needn’t have worried. As usual the sene of place in a remote Icelandic fishing hamlet is perfectly captured, as are its 10 inhabitants…families with secrets of their own and firmly rooted in this part of the world. So when Una arrives from city life in Rekyjavik to teach the only two village children it takes her a while to uncover village secrets and to discover the house she is staying in is haunted. Plotting, pacing, characters and story were as usual perfect. I raced through it.

Loved it….creepy and weird and atmospheric what more could you want, I did t really like Una but that didn’t spoil the book for me, this was a gripping read and the best of Icelandic noir!!!

CW/TW: death, trauma, child death, alcohol abuse

After reading Jónasson's "The Mist", which was as deliciously creepy as completely unnerving, I was excited to receive an eARC for The Girl Who Died, hoping it would keep me up at the night in the same way. Alas, fellow Scandinavian noir-horror fans - although the premise is enticing ("teacher needed at the end of the world vibes") paired with a is-it-haunted-or-is-it-all-in-my-mind? house, The Girl Who Died did not meet my high expectations of the author. It was a fairly straightforward read, the writing easy to follow, albeit the pacing a bit slow at times.

Thank you Michael Joseph books and Penguin Randomhouse International for a copy of this eARC in return for an honest review.

This book had me gripped from the start. A story of someone with a fairly mundane life responds to an advert for a job at the end of the world. The suspense built slowly but maintained all the way through. Excellently atmospheric but also slightly claustrophobic. Can't wait to read some more books from this author

A spooky and atmospheric mystery set in a remote Icelandic village in the 1980s. I enjoyed the setting but did not like the protagonist Una. A good read from a star of Icelandic noir.

This was a really good read. It's atmospheric, as i've come to expect from this author, and eerie. The author adds the paranormal in a way that has you convinced ghosts are real.

Una moves to a tiny isolated village for work. She soon finds that the residents don't take to newcomers well and her room is haunted.

I was hooked as the secrets unraveled.

This was one I took a chance on as it’s not something I’d normally choose to read, but I’m so glad I did!

The setting, for me, was the most compelling and interesting element. The author crafted such a fantastically creepy atmosphere you could feel the isolation and fear coming off the pages.

I also loved the paranormal hints. The author was super clever in the way they had you believing that maybe the paranormal do exist.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and either for a chance to read and review this book.

Now that we have almost reached the end of the year, I can confidently say that The Girl Who Died is my favourite book from 2021. I actually read it back in March, but am only now writing my review because I have been struggling with what to say and how to review this stunning novel.

It takes a lot to spook me, but there was something about the desolate and isolated location which was written so beautifully. The claustrophobia that I felt when reading it was unbelievably unsettling - the close-knit group of villagers, the feeling of constantly being watched and judged, the way they were able to control what Una was able to find out or who she was able to contact. The closest feeling I've had to something like this was when I read Stephen King's Misery for the first time, that feeling of frustration, palpable tension and overwhelming dread. It's a huge credit to the author that he was able to create such an unnerving impression of the village and yet still made me want to go there an visit the place!

Without using any clichéd shock or horror tactics, Jónasson was able to add subtle supernatural elements to the story. The long dark nights, the stillness, the quietness and the haunting stories passed around by the villagers gradually build up to the ultimate level of eeriness. This combination of ghost story and Icelandic Noir is the perfect choice for me and it was a pleasure to read something a little different from one of my favourite authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph UK for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I am a huge fan of this author but sadly this is not one of his best
A good read but I have enjoyed his other books so much more

This book is translated from Icelandic, and set in Iceland in the 1980s.

Una is a teacher working in Reykjavik and struggling to make ends meet. Her friend suggests she apply for a job in a very remote village, which only has ten inhabitants. As the job is only for the winter, Una decides to go for it.

Not everyone in Skalar makes Una feel welcome, and she thinks that the residents are hiding something. There are rumours that the house she is staying in is haunted.

The setting is well described and the author has taken inspiration from the abandoned village of Skalar.

I found the story easy to read and I was curious to see what would happen. I didn’t really warm to any of the characters.

I found the ending a bit abrupt and underwhelming but overall the book was quite good and something a bit different.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for a copy to review.