Didn’t realise this was a collaboration till I had finished the book but it was still up to the standard I always expect from Jonasson.
I even did a bit of research into how Norwegian names are given so I’m a little more knowledgable than I was at the start. So with that and a cold case in a cold country read whilst we sweltered in an unusually boiling British September I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very sad tale but told with plenty of back story and extra bits.

A wonderful read. It ticked all the boxes for me. As I have visited Iceland I had some context but that was just a bonus. I like a murder mystery that isn't too graphic, yet still is gripping, this was perfect for me. The book starts in the 1950's and is the story of a 15 year old girl that has gone missing., a case that takes 30 years to solve. Unusually I did not work out the ending or come anywhere near close, credit to the authors. here. To say a murder mystery is beautifully written seems wrong but it was and the setting enhanced the story. I will look forward to more books by these authors.

This was interesting but for me lacked the 'scandinavianism' that I normally love in all these stories and that I can lose myself in.

It was good

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Thirty years ago a girl called Lara disappeared one summer as she worked as a maid in the holiday home of a prosperous couple. The policeman in charge at the time was warned off by his superiors and the case has haunted him since. The story is writ into Icelandic folk history, everyone has heard of Lara. Now in 1986 Reykjavik is in a period of flux, there is a new tv station launching, it is the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the city and Reagan and Gorbachev are going to hold a summit in the city. For aspiring journalist Valur there is the chance to make his name, and his enquiries have definitely rocked the boat. Then Valur is killed in a suspicious 'accident' and his academic sister, Sunna, is left to complete his work.
Ragnar Jonasson is an established writer whose previous books are excellent so I was interested to see him write a collaboration. I didn't realise until picking the book up that his collaborator is actually the Icelandic Prime Minister! The setting in 1986 is really great as it emphasises how traditional life was in Iceland but also the huge changes that were happening to put the country on the map. It's a neat but twisty plot and the way the main protagonist changes part-way through is a great idea.

Having read several Ragnar Jonasson Icelandic crime novels I was intrigued to find what effect a co-authoring project with Katrin Jakobsdottir - the Prime Minister of Iceland, since you asked - would have on the ‘typical’ Ragnar offering. And, as they say on Strictly Come Dancing - the scores are in!
Ragnar Jonasson has always demonstrated an uncanny ability to convey the atmosphere of Icelandic noir-ish thrillers. What Ms Jakobsdottir seems to bring to this atmospheric setting is a leavening of broader human interest, without compromising the essential core crime thriller elements. This makes for a book that convinces in terms of the plot - a possible crime decades prior to the main action of the novel, which coincides with the Reagan/Gorbachev Iceland summit in the 1980s - but wraps it up in a double twist in terms of our key protagonist(s). To say more would spoil the reader’s enjoyment. Suffice to say this is highly recommended.

A missing girl on a remote island off the coast of Reykjavik. It happened over 30 years ago and is still one of Iceland's biggest mystery's. Journalist Valur is investigating the case but things take a bad turn. His sister vows to honour her brother and solve the mystery. I love Ragnar Jonasson's books. They are dark but riveting. The joint writing with Katrin Jakobsdottir works. Great twists and a fantastic ending.

"The Icelanders couldn't get enough of crime stories."

In 1956, 15-year-old Lara goes missing. She'd been working for a couple on a remote island off Reykjavik's coast. Her employers claimed she'd ducked out early on her contract and left. But she was never seen again.

Thirty years later, police detective Kristjan Kristjanson can't forget the case he never managed to solve. But journalist Valur Robertsson is determined to do so, having published a series of articles on the mystery. Following a mysterious tip-off, he's sure he's getting closer to the truth. Was Lara murdered? Or is she out there, still alive? The truth can prove deadly and as Valur digs deeper, it will become clear that someone wants to ensure their secrets stay buried.

This book is co-authored by Iceland's current Prime Minister, a piece of trivia I find very interesting. I love the idea of a world leader writing fiction, crime fiction no less. The setting is interesting – Iceland is associated with cold and snow, while this book is set in the 1908s at the end of summer. While the plot itself is quite dark, I kind of missed the murkiness that the freezing weather and dark days bring to Nordic Noir. The mystery is gripping enough and I was caught up in trying to figure out what happened. I couldn't predict the twist (always a bonus) and yet it felt a little lightweight to me.

Overall it was an enjoyable piece of crime fiction.

This was a very well written story and there was nothing lost in translation. It was an exciting read with a very satisfying but unpredictable ending.

My thanks to Penguin Random House Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Reykjavík’ by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdottír. It was translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.

I have read a number of Ragnar Jónasson’s novels and consider them to embody the essence of Nordic Noir: dark and brooding with the stark landscape of Iceland serving as a character in its own right. I was intrigued to see that for his latest he has teamed up with Katrín Jakobsdottír, who has been the Prime Minister of Iceland since 2017.

Iceland, 1956. Fifteen-year-old Lára Marteinsdóttir is spending the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace.This becomes Iceland's greatest unsolved case and continues to haunt Kristján Kristjánsson, the original detective on the scene.

In August, 1986, the city of Reykjavík is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Journalist Valur Robertsson decides to begin his own investigation into Lára’s case. Yet it soon becomes clear that someone is determined that Lára’s disappearance will remain unsolved. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Valur enjoys a close relationship with his younger sister, Sunna, who is a literature student. She is a keen reader of detective mysteries and suggests the idea to Valur of his writing a series of articles about Lára to mark the 30th anniversary of her disappearance.

There’s a few references to classic detective stories in the text and indeed the authors dedicate their novel to Agatha Christie. Sunna especially enjoys watching British detective series, including Inspector Dalgliesh.

Her admiration of P.D. James triggers this interaction between the siblings: “Towards the end of the series, Sunna had remarked to Valur that she could see herself writing a crime story one day. Yeah, right, Valur had said scornfully. Like anyone would want to read a detective story set in Iceland.” Perhaps a cheeky reference to how popular Ragnar Jónasson’s books have become?

The concept of a journalist looking into a decades old case of a teenage girl’s disappearance from an island could well be homage to Stieg Larsson’s ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ though Jónasson and Jakobsdottír take their story into a clearly different direction.

The 1986 summit between President Reagan and Secretary General Gorbachev in Reykjavík provides an interesting historical backdrop to the events of the novel.

In the Afterword Katrín Jakobsdottír writes about their collaborative process and especially of how much they enjoyed the research into the culture of mid-1980s Iceland. The novel begins with a list of main characters and concludes with a handy pronunciation guide. I always appreciate these sort of extras.

Overall, ‘Reykjavík’ proved a brilliant read that I enjoyed very much. Will Jónasson and Jakobsdottír continue their writing partnership? It certainly has proved a successful one given the quality of this novel.

At first I assumed this was another Nordic noir by numbers - missing girl, grizzled police detective fighting against the higher ups to solve the case. But it quickly moved past that focussing on a naive young journalist, trying to uncover more details decades later.

I was gripped, and got through this quickly. The characters were well written and believable, so it’s easy to get invested in them (for the large part).

The ending was a bit unsatisfying and maybe a bit rushed, but the preceding 90% was excellent.

I really enjoyed this, I loved the descriptions of Reykjavik (and Iceland) in the 80s, showing how the city has built up over the years.

A girl missing for 30 years is the story a young journalist is trying to solve, a mystery that the police have not managed to make any progress on. When he receives a letter pushed under the door of his newspaper office a final revelation appears to be at hand. But in a shock ending to the first part of the story everything changes. To say more would tell too much but the surprise ending is well worth waiting for! Good yarn!

Set in Iceland, this novel explores a young journalist investigating a cold case from 30 years earlier and the disappearance of a young girl who was working on a remote island. The journalist, Valur, becomes convinced he can solve the mystery which reaches into the top levels of Icelandic society. A gripping and interesting read which also is informative about Icelandic culture between the 1960s and 1990s.

Really enjoyed this book… one is kept guessing right to the final pages…. Always like this author and it didn’t disappoint

I have been waiting fot this for some time. The book from the king of nordic noir and the PM! This just seemed like a match made in heave. And it was a gripping read. Just wanted it to be a bit more gripping and faster paced if Im honest. Lots of good political insights of course into iceland and its ways. All in all, I hope this do more together.

Different from Ragnars other books- I would say not as dark . I enjoyed it but would say its a light read with amateur sleuthing. Not many surprises and more could have been made of the investigation rather than so many ends tied up and things going their way. 3 out of 5 from me.

First of all this is an easy read. A girl mysteriously vanished on a small island off Iceland and the reader is caught up in following the people that investigate what exactly has happened. The story is set mainly in the 50s at the time of the disappearance and then again later in the 80s.
I've read a few of Jonassan's earlier books and this collaboration doesn't boast the same use of dark and moody Icelandic rural scenes, which was a shame. It was also a shame that w e didn't get to know the girl before she disappeared as the whole book was centred around a girl we hadn't been introduced to at all.
However, it was a simple plot and executed well.
This review is based on an advanced review copy.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I enjoyed the mystery of Lara and how it was solved.

I have read several of Ragnar Jonasson's books and really enjoyed them , I really enjoy books set in Iceland, its top of my travel wish list and I loved the history in this one. It captured a moment in time in such vivid detail. The US and Russian presidents meeting, the 200th anniversary, the changing landscape of Reykjavik- fascinating, loved all of these elements.

The actual mystery/ suspense element of the book was just fine. Somewhat predictable, no real surprises or tension and a little clunky at times which perhaps was down to the dual writing?! However, I really enjoyed this book. The main plot of the book fell in second place to the city itself. Wonderful descriptions of the buildings, streets, atmosphere, weather, light........loved it.

So yes I enjoyed and would absolutely recommend just probably not to suspense / mystery fans.

This was a pretty good example of the genre. There were twists and surprises, which is good. The tension built, but for me, it didn't get as worrisome as some of these books, which let it down a (very) little.
The writing was great, the characters were believable, and I didn't want to put the book down.
Part made me sad, which was good as it is indicative of good writing. Obviously, the research/knowledge is also very good.
I confess to being slightly surprised at the denouement - I had expected it to be another person of the same age (trying not to spoil here) which I thought was going to make things more suspenseful - perhaps a shame that thee wasn't the fear of that? Unless cleverly left in the reader's mind?
All in all, well worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I've read a few of Mr. Jonasson's books before, so I would consider myself a fan of his. His books are generally pretty dark (literally), but this one was just a little too dark for me. It was well written, but I don't like reading thrillers/mysteries with children as the victim. I'd recommend this for fans of Nordic mysteries, Iceland, Reykjavik (learn how to pronounce it--it's such a fun word!) and these super small towns way up north with no sun!