Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson and Icelandic prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir

A cold case story of a girl who went missing on a remote island in the 1950s, and the journalist in 1980s Reykjavik, looking to solve the mystery.

I’ve read a few of Ragnar’s earlier books, but this is slower paced with less tension and is not as dark as I’d expected compared to his other work. Of course it was going to be different - but unfortunately it felt a bit clunky at times, which could result from joint authors.
That said it’s an interesting whodunnit with a good twist and it was entertaining and easy to follow - less Scandi noir more Agatha Christie on ice.

An interesting and enjoyable Icelandic mystery which begins with the disappearance of a young girl in 1956 and then in the second half the case is investigated by a young journalist in 1986. The writing is terrific, the authors capture the cultural changes of the 1980s with fondness and nostalgia. A very satisfying read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This is a very engaging and gripping novel, with some genuine surprises in the plot. Not as dark as many Scandi noirs which, for me, made it more enjoyable. Set in 1986 but investigating the disappearance of a young girl 30 years earlier, the details from that time period were particularly interesting. I definitely recommend this book and hope there is a second book to continue the work of the investigating reporter.

The story begins in 1956 when a teenage girl who had been working for a couple on a virtually deserted island off the coast of Reykjavik, disappeared. Despite lengthy investigations and searches, no trace of Lara was ever found. Every few years the mystery would resurface and locals would speculate on the missing girl. In 1986 Valur, a keen young reporter on a local newspaper decided to delve deeper into the mystery. Determined to finally get answers to the thirty year old puzzle while having a story that would keep his boss happy in that it would sell newspapers. Beginning to uncover a little more than had been originally discovered he was energised and motivated. A huge twist in the middle of the book throws the investigation down a different route and one that made it interesting. A final shocking twist and all the answers were revealed. A good plot that had me guessing until the end. While murder was potentially at the centre of the story, there was nothing gory or frightening about it and I would probably put this in the cosy crime genre.

I loved this exciting mystery/thriller by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir. The story starts in 1956, with the disappearance of Lara Marteinsdottir on the island of Videy, near Reykjavik. The notoriety of the case increases over the years, and few Icelandic citizens are unaware of the story. Thirty years on, a young reporter begins a new investigation, putting himself in danger.  A hornets nest is stirred up, and someone is determined to stop the truth coming out.  

I liked that the story spreads over decades, and the old case begins to hot up as Valur tries to solve the mystery. It perfectly captures the atmosphere and reality of Iceland, and gives the reader an insight into Icelandic culture and its people. 

This is a story that becomes more and more enthralling as it progresses. As we begin to find out that certain people in Reykjavik society may be covering up, and that secrets may not be hidden forever, the desire to find out the truth is compelling. I couldn’t put it down. 

‘Reykjavik’ has tension and suspense, and just the right amount of darkness. Beautifully written.

It's 1956 and a young girl has disappeared from Videy, a small island just off Reykjavik in Iceland. Kristian Kristjansson goes over to the Island only to be told by the two people she was working for that she had just disappeared and her possessions had all gone.
Over the years, the case is revived regularly, but no one knows what happened to Lara.
In 1986, around the time of Iceland's 200th anniversary, Valur, a young journalist, is running a series of articles on her disappearance 30 years before. He asks his sister to look over his notebooks as she might be able to pick up on things he might have missed.
When he is killed by a bus and it may have been by a push, she starts looking seriously at the case, encouraged by his boss at the newspaper.
What she finds is unbelievable, but how can she prove it?
A very readable book.

Reykjavik is the latest thriller from bestselling Scandinavian noir crime star Ragnar Jónasson written alongside friend and Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, and it is every bit as bleak and compulsive as his Dark Iceland series. The fact that it is inspired by a real-life cold case also makes it more intriguing. It's 6 August 1956, a bank holiday weekend and 15-year-old Lára Marteinsdóttir had been contracted to work all summer long as a maid on the small windswept island of Videy, located in Kollafjörður Bay just off the capital’s coastline. Her employers were former Supreme Court of Iceland barrister Óttar Óskarsson and his wife, Ólöf Blöndal, who happen to live in the only inhabited structure on the whole of the island making it remote. Lára then unexpectedly announces to them one morning that she's leaving to head back to see her parents in Reykjavik, however, she never turns up and is never seen or heard from again.

The barren area doesn't deal with many missing young women and so no true breakthrough in the case is made until 30 years later in 1986. It's on the eve of Reykjavik's 200th anniversary that Valur Róbertsson, a tenacious young journalist employed by weekly newspaper Vikubladid, receives a mysterious call from "Julia" about the case. However, with all the excitement of knowing they have landed a scoop for the failing rag, editor Dagbjartur Steinsson accidentally leaks their big news to other publications ahead of time. It leads Valur to focus his attention on a group of 4 old friends - Óskarsson, city councillor Páll Jóhannesson, developer Högni Eyfjörd and wholesaler Finnur Stephensen, who used to meet together on Viday and seem to have more knowledge about the missing teen than they care to admit. But once Valur begins unearthing dangerous secrets, someone pushes him in front of an oncoming bus and he dies. This culminates in his sister, Sunna Róbertsdóttir, putting her life on hold to take over the investigation just as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev announce their plans to meet in Reykjavík for their historic summit.

This is a riveting, slow-burning page-turner with a fascinating disappearance at its heart where 30-year-old secrets and gasp-worthy betrayals are unearthed throughout the twisty narrative. As always, the sense of the cold and icy climate and surroundings adds to the almost claustrophobic atmosphere on each page and the scenery is stunning but deadly. Through vivid descriptions, we are taken back to a transformative time in Icelandic history - 1986 - as Reykjavik celebrates its 200th anniversary, when Bylgjan and Stöð 2 [Iceland’s first privately-owned radio and TV stations] first started broadcasting and when the country hosted a historic summit between US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. All in all, the plotting is tight, the characterisation superb and the thrills truly enthralling. A propulsive, beautifully crafted mystery from start to finish and exactly what we have come to expect from Jónasson.

A fascinating insight into Iceland in the past and present, the collaboration between the two authors providing an interesting novel. A cold case mystery with many surprises along the way, not quite as flowing as some of Ragnar Jonasson's series fiction. Would happily read another book by this pairing.

The story starts 30 years earlier with the disappearance of a young girl, Lara. The policeman sent to investigate is discouraged from doing a thorough job and this has always haunted him. 30 years later, Valur is writing about the case for a newspaper and starts to uncover leads that might lead to the involvement of one or more powerful figures. His sister is also involved in the investigation. I enjoyed this and was keen to know what had happened to Lara. One of the couples was described well but you knly dipped in to others. There was an event in the middle that I wasn't expecting. At times, I thought the investigation could have gone a little faster.

Beginning in 1956 with the disappearance of a young woman from a sparsely populated Icelandic isle, this story evokes the place and time immersively. It draws the reader into a dark mystery with few clues and suspects but menacing undertones.

The effect on the young detective who investigates the mystery is explored in 1966 and 1976 as sporadic media and public interest revive the case that has never been solved. Thirty years after the incident, a young journalist, keen for success, researches the cold case, finds additional evidence, and witnesses threatening powerful forces within Reykjavik society.

It's detailed and gently paced and wonderfully atmospheric. Impactful twists and insightful exploration of Reykjavik's social and political vibes make the story believable and unique. I guessed the antagonist because the clues are there, and it's part of its appeal that the reader can follow the investigation. I like the story's immersive quality, the setting, which is vital to this genre, and the structure showing the varied impact of the mystery.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Reykjavik is a great book. It's also simpler than I think I can summarise the plot but here goes... In 1956 a teenage girl vanishes from an island, Videy, just off of Reykjavik. Great mystery. But it stays a mystery. Quickly we leap forward and discover still nobody know. We end up in 1986 and a budding young journalist starts to write some articles on the missing girl. Despite it being the 200 year anniversary of Iceland and the nuclear superpowers of the time announced a summit in the city, the case has clearly gripped the nation enough it stays big news. Or the extremely simple version: journalist digs into 30 year old missing person case. But either way, it's a good overall plot and I liked it. It had some nice twists, plenty of suspense, a clever mystery and route to solving it.

Here's the thing though. Halfway through the book is a big twist. One that basically makes Part Two of the book almost all spoilers for Part One. It's very dramatic! And that makes it slightly jarring. The rhythm of the first half just vanished as I recalibrated to the turn of events. It took me a few chapters to settle into the story again. It's still a great story, it's just that you could get whiplash if you don't slow down there. Once I settled back into the story I was happy again, but those chapters of resetting do distract slightly, even if the move does pay off in the end.

And the story really does deliver. The atmosphere is intense and gripping. The characters are well written. And yeah, the mystery solution is definitely a good one. There are glorious titbits throughout and some clever clues that sneak by. If you enjoy scandinoir, especially Icelandic books, this will hit the spot just perfectly for you.

Valur, a journalist was writing a piece about Lára who disappeared years ago. When he started to find out more he believed he may be able to solve this case. That was until he got hit by a bus and died. Now his sister feels compelled to carry on his investigation.

Really enjoyed this well written novel set in Reykjavik. Great characters, atmospheric surroundings and a glimpse into 1980’s lifestyle. The plot line is good and I did not guess the ending, enjoy.

The first few chapters of the book jump a decade at a time starting back in 1956. Here we meet Kristján who is at the very beginning of an investigation after fifteen year old Lára has been reported missing from Videy, a small island off the coast of Reykjavík. The next chapter of story then jumps to 1966, then 1976 and finally 1986 when the remaining story takes place. This was such a brilliant way to learn about some of the characters involved, see the developments in Iceland, journalism and technology over this extended period of time, but also see the effect that Lára going missing had on her family and Kristján who was never able to get over the fact that he couldn’t find out what happened to her.

I’m really intrigued as to how the two authors split the writing with this story. The plot and the investigation were perfectly paced out over thirty years which is a triumph in itself. But on top of that, all of the clues needed to solve the mystery were right there, hidden amongst the various strands of Kristján, Valur and Sunna’s attempts at cracking the case. Despite this, I didn’t work out what had happened but after the big reveal, all of the smaller clues and pieces of information slotted into place. Everything was important, nothing was wasted and every character added something necessary to the plot.

I’m a big fan of Ragnar Jonasson’s writing and I have heard him talk about his involvement in translating Agatha Christie books into Icelandic so I loved the little Christie mention. I thought it was a really nice touch and it’s no surprise to me that her influence comes through strongly in this story. There was simply no need for any blood and gore, no actual descriptions of violence, just a solid mystery being investigated by a set of interesting characters with a satisfying reveal and ending.

I just powered through this book and loved every second. For me it was just perfect and had obviously been written by two people who have a genuine love of crime fiction but also for Iceland, it’s history and it’s people. I don’t know if there’s another book on the cards but I would 100% sign up for a second joint project from this very successful partnership.

I initially received a sample of this book at Iceland Noir last Nov, and I devoured it eagerly, a mystery of a disappeared girl revisited through the decades, and with salient historical events woven into the tale in each decade for an immersive experience. I was very excited to read the whole thing and very grateful to Michael Joseph publishers via NetGalley for an advance copy, which again I devoured, although an extended recent visit to Iceland myself has delayed my review of it!
Kristján, the young detective assigned to the missing girl case back in 1956, against his better judgement, is dissuaded from looking too closely into the involvement of a public figure by his superiors in the force at the time of the disappearance. In the subsequent decades when the still-unfound girl's case is resurrected in the media, Kristján ís plagued by the unsolved case and the niggling doubts as to whether he could or should have done more to investigate.
Fast forward to 1986 and eager journalist Valur is running an anniversary series on the case, and the paper is selling well as a result, and he teases an upcoming revelation, although he has yet to uncover anything definitive. But he has clearly been poking a few wasps nests in the course of his investigating and this proves to be his undoing, as the wholly unexpected and surprising denouement at the end of Part One shows.
Going forward in Part 2 in the absence of Valur, his devoted sister Sunna joins the fray, desperate to find out what happened to her brother, and to continue looking into the case using the notebook he had loaned her to see if anything he'd missed might jump out at her fresh eyes. Now, if suspension of disbelief is required anywhere in the book it could be here, as for a journalist to discover what the police could or would not might be one thing, but for a journalist's sister to come in and do as good a job as she does, especially from her starting point of not knowing even as much as Valur had discovered AFTER he gave her the notebook, may strain credulity a little, but then, I am neither a journalist nor curious sister, so I could be totally wrong here! Anyway, continue digging she does - at times, literally! - until the whole sorry tale is unraveled, with ANOTHER surprising denouement!
I really enjoyed the writing of the book, which is polished, impeccably translated as always by the very talented Victoria Cribb, and if there was ever a sense, in the original Icelandic, of this book being told in two different authorial voices, there is no sign of that at all in the English edition. Both Ragnar and Katrín are fans of Agatha Christie and that sense of restriction and isolation in the locations, and the ramping up of suspense and intrigue amongst a limited cast of characters are very evident here. The sense of place is nicely handled, and if you've ever been to Reykjavik or Viðey you will appreciate the familiar settings, but even if you never have, the writing will take you there ably in your mind's eye to enjoy those landscapes.
I don't know if the two will collaborate again, or if current PM Jakobsdóttir might be encouraged by this debut to spread her wings alone, but I would happily read whatever they or she come up with next, and heartily recommend 'Reykjavík' to lovers of any sort of Noir, Golden Age crime, or Christie - there is much to enjoy here.

1956 - Iceland and a young 15 year old girl, Lara Marteinsdóttir, has gone missing.
It becomes Iceland's longest unsolved mystery but is never forgotten by the young investigating officer.
1986 and Reykjaik is celebrating its 200th Anniversary.
Valur Robertsson is a journalist and is determined to solve this mystery once and for all. But someone doesn't want it solved and will go to extreme means to prevent it.

One of the most keenly anticipated crime novels of 2023, Reykjavík is the result of the fruitful collaboration between the well-esteemed author Ragnar Jonasson and the woman who currently serves as the country's Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir. While there are internationally a few examples of prominent politicians who resolved to write a crime novel, such as Winston Churchill, who wrote a thriller under the title Savrola during the 1920s, Jimmy Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton or a name closer to the Nordic reality, Anne Holt, who has served as Norway's Minister for Justice in 1996 and 1997, it is the first time ever that an active head of government puts their name on the cover of such a book. Jakobsdóttir holds a degree in Icelandic literature and her master thesis was on the work of Iceland's godfather of noir prose, Arnaldur Indridason, thus her involvement in this project was far from incidental. Reykjavík is a simply written, straightforward cold-case procedural spanning three decades in terms of timeline (1956-1986) and featuring more than one protagonist. The plot relies heavily on the whodunit element and the finale was a surprise for me as I guessed wrong in respect to the culprit's identity.

The novel lacks excitement and is reminiscent of Jonasson's less successful standalones, however earns some critical points due to the authors sprinkling the text with snippets of information regarding Iceland's social and political status quo during the 1980s, the decade which was marked as the end of the Cold War. We learn about the airing of the firs private TV channel in Iceland, Reykjavík's developmental booming which gave the city the shape and size that we know today, while there is a special mention of the 1986 "Reykjavík Summit" between the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, which was held on 11–12 October 1986 and took place in the former French consulate, a house called Höfði. The meeting signals the story's climax, and the solution to the mystery is given through the media frenzy and the authorities' restriction measures. Even though the historical facts are more than welcome, the authors don't dwell on details and, most importantly, they fail to integrate those morsels of information within a wider, meaningful context that could offer authentic insights to the reader. Thus, they are constrained to being the background for the story's -feeble- action.

The story commences in 1956 with a young police officer, Kristján Kristjánsson, travelling to the little island of Videy, off the coast of Reykjavík, in order to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl, Lara Marteinsdóttir. Lara used to work there as a maid for a big shot barrister and his blue-blooded wife. Kristján immediately senses that something is amiss as the couple's answers are evasive and suggest that, perhaps, they had been involved in the case. Nevertheless, the top brass is eager not to rock the boat and bother VIP citizens with police interrogations, and Kristján is not free to pursue the sporadic leads to get closer to the truth. The case is shelved and years are passing by. Throughout the first third of the novel, the authors move forward by a decade each time, conveying the -now aging- detective's disappointment over a case that was in the national spotlight for ages. When we finally reach 1986, the present or "now" of the narrative, we are introduced to a young tabloid journalist, Valur, who digs up Lara's case in order to write a series of features for his newspaper. However, when he takes a call from an unknown woman who has a hot tip, Valur realizes that maybe he will have the opportunity to shed light on a case that perplexed the police for several decades.

I won't write anything more about the plot as it would be nothing but spoiling the novel, which has its merits while, sadly, lacking that unspecified factor that would make it stand out from the generic works of Nordic crime fiction. Although I am a huge fan of the austere, frugal prose, I found the language to be overly simplistic and perhaps there is something off-center as far as the English translation is concerned. I thought that there were some essential pieces of text left out, but perhaps this is only my imagination. Overall, Reykjavík is a novel that will appeal to the fans of Scandinavian crime fiction, but its reach ends there. Wider readership demands something more in order to take a leap and try the gloomy settings and plot machinations of the Nordic noir genre.

I found this book a little slow with plenty of filler which felt like a stream of consciousness dialogue as opposed to setting the scene, developing characters or actual plot, There was quite a bit on the different neighbourhoods of Reykjavik which doesn't really mean a lot to people unfamiliar with the city.

The basic plot is that fifteen year old Lara was working on Videy, an island not far from Reykjavik, in 1956 for a rich couple in their holiday home. They were the only people living on the island at the time of L. After a few weeks they said Lara had decided to leave early but she never reappeared anywhere. Kristjan Kristjansson was the lead detective at the time but didn't work out what happened to Lara despite trying for this whole career. Back in 1956 he was advised by his superior to stop upsetting some rich, local people by asking questions but he didn't raise this then or in later years as he decided to comply as not doing so would potential lose him his job.

The story hits the press in again 1966, 1976 and now 1986 when local journalist, Valor, decides to do his own investigation to try and find out if Lara is dead or alive and what happened.

The conclusion seems to come suddenly with one flash if inspiration so I didn't feel there as much lystery or sense of suspense in the plot With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advance copy of Reykjavik, a stand-alone set in the eponymous city in 1986.

In 1956 Lára Marteinsdottir was working on the island of Videy when she disappeared. This became Iceland’s most famous missing person case with so many unanswered questions. In 1986 journalist Valur Róbertsson decides to take another look at the case and soon discovers that someone wants to keep it unsolved.

I thoroughly enjoyed Reykjavik, which could be regarded as a slow burner, although I found it compulsive reading. There is something about the gradual accumulation of information and the further questions that poses that really appeals to me and keeps me turning the pages.

The novel is named after the city, but it seems to me that geography doesn’t play a large part in it as it is more concerned about its social values and iconic history, after all the novel is set against a background of the 200 years of independence celebrations and the Reagan-Gorbachev summit. It also revisits a favourite topic, that of wealthy cliques and their self serving behaviour.

The plot itself is interesting. It starts in 1956 with the investigating detective, who is willing to conduct a thorough investigation but is warned off by his superiors because the couple Lára was working for and his prime suspects are influential in the right circles. Fast forward to 1986 and Valur is working the case hard. An anonymous informant steers him in the right direction and after that the dominoes start to fall, one by one. There are twists, a bit of serendipity and some serious persuasion and determination involved and they add up to an unflashy but compelling read. I was blindsided by one of the twists and the perpetrator’s identity. What more could a reader ask for, than not knowing what will come next?

Reykjavik is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
What can I say? Ragnar Jónasson never writes a book that I don’t enjoy thoroughly! Reykjavik, in collaboration with Katrín Jakobsdottír is no different. The story revolves around the disappearance of a 15 year old girl, Lara, in 1956 and spans over 30 years.

The story is captivating from the first chapters and the description of the lifestyles in the 80’s really made the story even more vividly.
It was incredibly difficult to put this book down and I could not stop reading it or keep playing possible hypothesis of what happened to Lara.

I would recommend all books from this amazing author and this book is no exception! If you enjoy thrilling stories that take place in the amazing setting that is Iceland, pick up this book now!

Really enjoyable crime fiction novel. I liked the way the story spanned over decades as a brother and sister try and resolve the unsolved disappearance of Lara a 15 year old girl in 1956. The mystery continues into the present as a further suspicious crime takes place and people start to close ranks. I love the depiction of this time period in Iceland.