I’m a huge fan of Rganar Jonasson’s books and was very excited to read his new book, Reykjavik, written with Katrín Jakobsdottír.

It’s 1986 and Reykjavik is about to celebrate its 200th anniversary and Gorbachev and Reagan will be holding their summit in the city. It’s also the thirtieth anniversary of the disappearance of Lara, a fifteen year old girl who disappeared without a trace in 1956, from a small island close to the city.

Valur Robertsson, a young journalist with a lot to prove, sets out to write a series of features in the weekly newspaper Vikubladid on Lara’s disappearance and to hopefully provide answers as to what happened to her. He quickly discovers that those involved at the time of the investigation don’t want to talk about it, but the wider Icelandic community are fascinated by the case and want answers.

I enjoyed the way in which the book moved from 1956 and Kristjan Kristjansson’s initial investigation of Lara’s disappearance, to the anniversaries and follow-ups in 1966 and 1976 and then to 1986 and Valur Robertsson’s review/investigations.

In a very short space of time, it’s clear to see how much Iceland has changed economically and culturally. There are references to the changes to broadcasting from one State TV station with a limited broadcasting schedule to a second commercial channel opening, changes to the radio and types of music. It really feels like change is in the air.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so will just say that this is a must-read book for fans of Icelandic noir!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reykjavik Ragnar Jonasson
Katrin Jakobsdottir

5 stars

A murder mystery set in Iceland

I have read a previous book by Ragnar Jonasson and really enjoyed it. I have also been lucky enough to go to Reykjavik for a few days so could not resist reading a book set in Iceland.

The story revolves around the disappearance of a 15 year old girl, Lara, in 1956. The main detective involved in the case, Kristjan Kristjansson, has never been able to solve the mystery wondering whether he investigated every angle and never spending a day in the following 30 years wondering what really happened.

Valur is an up and coming reporter on the local newspaper and on the 30th anniversary of Lara’s disappearance decides to try and solve the mystery once and for all. When a tragedy occurs his sister, Sunna, decides to take on the case little realising how much danger this will generate.

I found the unravelling of this story fascinating not just because all the characters are very well-drawn but also because the authors give a good description of Reykjavik and the lifestyle of the people living there in 1986 when the main story takes place. It is also the same year that Reagan and Gorbachev had a summit in Iceland which, for a short period of time put this small island on the map. It shows that even in a small close-knit community corruption takes place and money talks.

I would recommend this book especially to anyone who is interested in Iceland which is just an amazing place to visit although hopefully murders are not too commonplace there!



Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

A very enjoyable book.
Lara disappears while working as a maid in 1956. She is never found. Every 10 years, the story is re-investigated, but, on the thirtieth anniversary a young reporter, Valur makes a breakthrough.
The story flows at a decent pace and always keeps the reader guessing. Thankfully it has no graphic descriptions. The book is an enjoyable read that flows without the current trend of jumping between timelines and characters. I will certainly look out for more of their books.

Found the start to be a bit boring but it eventually picked up and became interesting. The ending felt a little disappointing though.

To have joint authorship is always a risk, to have three main characters even more so. But in this case, it works, and brilliantly so! The story ebbs and flows but fascination with developments stays, right to the finale. Well done Michael Joseph for publishing and let's hope there is more to come from the Jonasson and Jacobsdottir combination!

The narrative of this well-written and competently-translated novel stretches from August 1956 to November 1986 (there is a reference to prior events in 1955), with most of the story happening in the run-up to the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavík when a decades-old missing persons case is revealed to be a murder case which comes to a head and is resolved on the day of the summit meeting itself.

This structure sets the scene for the thriller whilst giving the readers a series of snapshots of Icelandic society changing (and the economy and population growing) as changes in communications, travel and entertainment technology bring the outside world closer to Iceland than it has ever been before, before the world’s most powerful leaders arrive in Reykjavík to thrash out their differences and focusing the whole world’s attention there.

Almost all the action takes place in Reykjavík or its suburbs, or on the “remote” island of Videy, which bears about the same geographical to Iceland’s capital as Hayling Island does to Havant. (This may or may not help British readers from North of the Trent.) The one, interesting, exception is when the heroine has to travel to her home community in the North of Iceland for her brother’s funeral. Buildings there being painted in bold colours (as they are in Port Stanley and some Hebridean communities) in a brave attempt to stop the settlement blending any further into the landscape than it already has.

The heroine herself is brave and brilliant, though she only discovers this in herself when tragedy forces her to take on her older brother’s mantle and complete his journalistic investigation into what might happened on Videy before either of them was born. She has to cope with generational differences as well as those of politics and social class. Though when push really comes to shove, she gets prompt support from those she thought most conservative and disapproving of her -even as someone she trusted acts with monumental treachery. Though the story shows us some divisions within Icelandic society, these fade away as soon as the shocking truth, which no-one can excuse or accept, is exposed.

If there is a moral here (and in Nordic thrillers there often isn’t) it is that it’s not the presumption of innocence that allows the rich and powerful to get away, literally, with murder, but their own blithe assumption of immunity. Guilt and innocence are irrelevant to those who are never required to account for their own actions. And in the summer of 2023, we have all seen a lot of evidence of that!

I love Ragnar Jonasson books and this one was no exception. A little slow to start, but once the narrative started to unwind I found it compelling. I will certainly look out for Katrin Jakobsdottir too!

A joint venture between the legendary writer Ragnar Jónasson and Icelandic politician Katrín Jakobsdóttir, ‘Reykjavik’ delivers all the reader could desire from a classic slice of Scandinavian Noir.

As in all the best Icelandic novels, we are plunged into a small but complex society where everyone seems to know everyone else but where dark secrets lie hidden for years (in this case decades) and a seam of deadly corruption lurks beneath the seemingly peaceful surface.

‘Reykjavik’ is an entertaining and interesting read, full of local atmosphere and with some memorable characters. I would really like to find out what happened to those characters in the 21st Century - I suppose a sequel is out of the question?

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

Set on Iceland, the storyline spans 30 years. The disappearance of Lara is still unsolved.

It's a slow burn read but had lots of cultural references to the islands, which I found interesting. There were some great twists to the storyline that had me wondering who was behind it all. I thought it went around the houses a lot but it ended with a satisfying conclusion.

I really am a massive fan of Icelandic noir and Jónasson is one of my favourite authors, so I was looking forward to reading this collaboration, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was fairly simple as was the writing making this quite a quick and easy read. It all starts in 1956 when 15 year old Lára went missing from the small island of Videy, just off Reykjavik coast, and this has haunted policeman Kristján Kristjánsson ever since. Kristján was prevented from undertaking a full investigation by his superiors in the police force and it never sat easy with him. The island was uninhabited at the time apart from Lára and the married couple she was working for. A slow burner but this only served to heighten the tension.

Briefly, the case of the missing girl is one that Icelanders still remember and although other investigations had taken place since it is 30 years later, when Reykjavik is celebrating its 200th anniversary, that young journalist Valur Róbertsson gets his editors approval for a four part investigative report into Lára’s disappearance.

A bit of a locked room mystery as there were only three people on the island. Or were there? Valur’s investigation brings a few secrets out of the closet and it’s clear he’s rattling someone’s cage. Suddenly from zero suspects the list of suspects starts to grow. I though the change in main character part way through the book to Sunna, Valur’s sister, was inspired and done really well. I also loved all the historical and cultural changes in the 30 years which were wonderfully described. As for the denouement I was completely blindsided, they weren’t even on my radar. A very enjoyable read.

4.5⭐️

In 1956 a 15 year old girl disappeared from an island near Reykjavik. She was working as a maid to a married couple on the island - they said Lara had told them she was leaving and they never saw her again. The case captured the interest of all of Iceland with lots of speculation about what had happened to her. 30 years on and a young reporter, Valur Robertsson, is investigating the case for a series of articles to be published in the newspaper he writes for. He receives a telephone call from a woman calling herself Julia which makes him believe that Lara is still on the island. When Valur meets with an accident his sister, Sunna, is convinced that he had discovered what had happened to Lara and that this knowledge had led to his death. Sunna takes it upon herself to finish the work Valur had started and try to solve the case.

Great read - twists and turns on every page, great 80s references taking the reader back to that time.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and the authors for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is quite a slow burn for a crime story, but in a way it suits the setting, cleverly done over thirty years. The story begins with the police detective, Kristjan, well out of his depth, visiting the island of Videy, to try and find a girl, Lara, who has gone missing. The story then jumps in ten year gaps until Valur, a young journalist, sets about a new investigation into Lara's disappearance. Only a few weeks in, and in another turn of events the main narrator of the story changes again.
The story is set agains real life events from the past (mostly 1986) and besides world events, it mentions many cultural changes and social changes in Icelandic life, which help put the crime and the investigation into some context.
Well written, and an easy read, if a little slow. With many thanks to Netgalley, the authors and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a chance to read an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Very immersing read, as with all of Jonasson's books. The slow pace matched the years the story is set in and reinforced the feeling of a true old-fashioned whodunit a la Agatha Christie.

I was surprised at the change of main characters, but in a good way and I thought the transition was tragic but smooth. Very interesting set of protagonists. Loved how the historical moments anchored the plot and gave it a strong background.

It also felt really nice to be reminded of cases being worked on without the Internet!

I have read previous books by Ragnor Jonasson and enjoyed them so was pleased to be given the opportunity to read his new book .Set in two timelines 1956 and 1986 the book tells the story of a young 15year old girl Lara who whilst working for a Family on the Island of Videy seems to disappear into thin air and the Police seem reluctant to investigate properly !. In 1986 a young Reporter working for a local newspaper decides to try and investigate the mystery himself .The settings are beautiful and atmospheric with a very good plot good characters and I was kept guessing until the very end .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Iceland 1956 Videy island just off Reykjavik. Kristjan a police detective lands on the island investigating the disappearance of a young woman - Lara Marteinsdottir. She is fifteen years of age and has been working for several months as a maid to Ottar and Olof. He is a well established Barrister. Ottar tells Kristjan that Lara asked to terminate her employment early. They do not know how she and her luggage have left the island.
Kristjan organises a search but finds nothing, he is warned off interrogating Ottar and Olof by a senior officer. The investigation stalls much to the distress of Lara's parents.
Every ten years the disappearance is questioned. However it is not until 1986 when a young journalist Valur Robertsson starts a new investigation that progress is made. He is very ambitious. He speculates about the case with his sister Sunna.
Valur starts a series of features about Lara and the newspaper he writes for has increased sales. Besides interest in this thirty year old mystery, Reykjavick is getting ready to celebrate it's 200th anniversary. Also two World leaders have chosen to meet in Iceland. America's Ronald Regan and Russia's Mikhail Gorbachev.
When Valur receives an anonymous lead he is confident he will find out what happened to Lara. However someone is determined that the truth will stay hidden.
Iceland is blessed with quite a few excellent crime fiction authors and this one a collaboration between a well established and successful author and a new up and coming author is another excellent one.
Very highly recommended. I look forward to more from this new duo.

A quite brilliant book.

My thanks to the Author's publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.

This is the first book I have read by either of these Author's but it certainly won't be the last. Totally gripping from first to last page a terrific unputdownable mystery. Character driven clever descriptive intelligent story, with two major shocks along the way to this reader at least. The first at about 48% in left me totally gobsmacked, so much so I stared at the page open mouthed, then 're-read the previous page to make sure I had read it right. The second shock was almost at the end when I discovered whodunit. A good old fashioned quaint mystery no gruesome violence or mass body count, and set mainly in 1986 so no jumping on a computer or phone to Google to chase up the clues.
I trust this collaboration will continue, and Sunna rides again soon.

Completely and utterly recommended.

Ragnar Jonasson is my favourite Nordic noir thriller author. His novels do not disappoint. In his latest novel, a young girl, Lara, disappears from the island of Viday where she was working as a maid never to be seen again. Although it was thoroughly investigated at the time, the case is closed. Fast forward 30 years later in 1986, Reykjavik is celebrating it's anniversary of 200 years, a reporter decides to investigate the case after getting new information. Brilliant storytelling, so atmospheric that you feel like you're almost there. Told in past times of 1956 and the current 1985 the story gets going slowly and is gripping. I loved it.

I really enjoyed this ‘cold case’ mystery, for both the plot and the historical details. This collaboration works really well, there is nowhere in the book that you can spot any seams. I liked the atmospheric feel of the small island, wild yet constricting. I occasionally found myself thinking ‘just google it’ before remembering the time frame. I honestly didn’t guess the villain.

I’m a big Jonasson fan so was really looking forward to reading his latest offering Reykjavik. Unfortunately this is my least favourite.

The story of a girl who goes missing on an island off the coast of Reykjavik in 1956, the story is told in 1956 and 30 years later in 1986.

We start off with the detective on the case being our narrator and his frustration as no one wants to seem to cooperate with his enquiries.
Then we fast forward 30 years where the case has become folklore somewhat. Everyone knows the case. Our detective makes the briefest of appearances but the baton is taken up by a journalist. We settle in with him as our narrator for a while and then his sister becomes our narrator for the final part of the book.

And herein lies the problem. 3 different narrators, not usually a problem as it’s nice to get multiple perspectives and overlaps but here the book is literally 3 chunks with 3 different narrators. Just as you are starting to get to know one and go with them on their investigation you move onto someone else.

It made it extremely hard to get to know any of the characters and get involved in the story. It’s a very strange choice of narrative that’s for sure.

Also not a lot happens in the book. It’s extremely slow, reading a lot longer than it’s page count. The victim we know little or nothing about throughout and well, it’s all just a bit flat.
Previous books by the author have oozed atmosphere but it’s sadly lacking here. It feels like there was an idea and structure for a book and the story was written within that structure rather than evolving from an idea.

It’s ok. It’s underwhelming and instantly forgettable but it’s not terrible.

Two and a half stars rounded up to three. A disappointment for me considering the author.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

It’s 1956 and policeman Kristján Kristjánsson takes a boat across to the small island of Videy, just off Reykjavik. Concern is growing for the whereabouts of fifteen year old Lara Marteinsdóttir who is working on the island as a maid. He’s informed that Lara has decided to return home but she has not been seen since and no one has heard from her. The people Kristján questions are off hand and dismissive and so his enquiries get nowhere. The case casts a long shadow over Iceland as it’s as if she vanishes off the face of the earth. The riddle captures public imagination and is kept alive in newspaper stories which try to offer answers to the puzzle of whether Lara leaves the island and is hiding out for some reason or has something happened to her on Videy?

Thirty years on in 1986, Reykjavik is about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its foundation and journalist Valur Róbertsson starts an investigation into Lára´s case. Interest in it has never been higher but as in 1956, powerful forces are at work to prevent the truth of Lára´s disappearance coming to the surface. Is Valur in danger?

This collaboration between Ragnar Jónasson and Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir sure works for me! The mystery they have created has all the makings of a classic Christie novel, a girl goes missing, only three people on the island at the time, so whodunnit? There are no suspects and it keeps you guessing until the grand finale as the authors cleverly hide the truth in plain sight with an excellent final plot twist. Sure fooled me! It builds slowly with all the detail you expect in a Scandi but with subtle little hints that keep you eagerly reading on and when there are some surprising revelations they seem to jump out from the pages.

I really enjoy the way the tale is woven amongst actual events from 1986 as it not only gives context but adds authenticity to the writing. The Gorbachev/Reagan summit in Reykjavik is especially well used as here we have the potential for the ending of the Cold War coinciding with the potential for solving Lára´s murder. You get caught up in the excitement and anticipation of both.

The setting is absolutely fantastic, there are some terrific descriptions of Reykjavik and the islands which adds an ominous and brooding atmosphere to the emerging dark tale.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of but there is a helpful list at the start as well as a useful pronunciation guide at the end. With the exception of Valur and his sister Sunna, most characters are snapshots but they are well done.

This is a most enjoyable read and if you like Scandi Noir this is well worth reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.