This was another excellent Icelandic mystery by Ragnar. Previous books have been truly excellent. Even though the pace is quite slow you are still itching to read just another chapter, then another and another. I thought Una was very brave to take on the teaching job in the isolated Skalar but she didn’t have much of a life back in Reykjavik. Her dismissal from the school was appalling, I think I would have appealed to the governors if they have something like that over there. Parents shouldn’t be able to constantly criticise teachers and at the same time send destructive and insulting emails to a teacher and expect an instant reply or else. Una was contending with a weak and biased headmaster. This book is part ghost story, part murder mystery and part fascinating about the lives of these people living in an isolated village on one of Iceland’s peninsulars. Once all was finally revealed by Thor and Hjordis I personally would have left as soon as but Una decided to stay, possibly permanently. Even though I cannot fault this brilliant authors work I did find the alter passages by Bjorne quite laborious and too long so I sadly ski mimed some of these pages. Until the very end you are not aware of the link so because there was so much content from her it started to feel annoying as you just want to continue with Unas story. I eagerly look forward to more from this author, he’s one of. My favourites .

I looked forward with eager anticipation for the next novel from the pen of Ragnar Jonasson who had enthralled me with his Dark Iceland series. The Girl Who Died though is in a different genre, yes, mystery is still there in abundance, but it isn't the remotest part of Iceland that delivers the tension but the small number of people who inhabit it. There is certainly a hint of menace apparent as Una tries to fit in to the community where she has accepted a commission to teach two pupils for the academic year. The literary interjections in italics hint at murder and deep injustice. I am not sure how well that works. I need to re-read The Girl Who Died to ascertain whether this lays a firm enough foundation as the story evolves. So yes, there are glimpses of Ragnar Jonasson's talent, but there are too many loose ends that have not been addressed - but maybe it leaves the door open for a further novel set in this village at the very edge of Iceland.

Una, a young woman living in Reykjavik, takes up a post as a teacher in a remote Icelandic village which has just 10 inhabitants, including the two children she will teach.

What happens next is a fairly familiar plot, usually based around a large spooky house, whereas in this case it’s the entire village. Una enters a closed and not entirely friendly world, with strange happenings and talk of ghosts. Alongside this are flashbacks to a murder, though these are fairly brief and not explored in any depth.

For me this novel didn’t really work. The sense of dread doesn’t appear and the denouement is predictable for this genre. A shame as I like the dark Iceland series, but it seems that Jonasson is better at detective thrillers than spooky stuff.

One of my all time favourite Scandi authors and what a disappointment. This book was so slow, where was the tension and suspense that this author does so Well??? It was a real struggle to finish it. I really hope that other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Penguin UK and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

#TheGirlWhoDied #NetGalley
It sucked me in.
Una knows she is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.
So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly
I would like to definitely recommend this book to everyone. It's slow at some points but overall it's a good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy.

When Una, struggling to pay the mortgage on a flat in Reykjavik on a supply teacher's salary, sees an advert for a teacher in a small community in north east Iceland, it seems like the perfect opportunity to save some money and have a change of scene. However, when she arrives at the isolated rural community of Skalar she realised everything is not quite what it seemed.

Pervaded with a creeping sense of darkness and dread, The Girl Who Died was an enjoyably spooky read for a December night but if I'm honest, I think it didn't go far enough. I would have liked more build-up and tension prior to the events of Christmas, and more exploration of the sinister possibilities afterwards. Instead it felt rushed and the final dénouement (although it at least made sense of the irritating sections that periodically take the reader away from Una and Skalar - and break the tension at the same time) lacking in shock.

A solid 3.5 stars.

The Girl who died by Ragnar Jonasson
3 Stars
I struggled to finish this book because of repetition and the sheer dour nature of the tale. That the author can write is not in question but there was no light at the end of this tunnel.

It must be hard to attempt to write a crime novel based in a country whose criminal activity is so low. Perhaps a novel aimed at evidencing the ability of humans to not just live but thrive in this beautiful but inhospitable country would be a better vehicle.