This is my first Ragnar Jonasson and I must say it’s just very meh. It started off with such promise and I was excited to see the story develop between 1983 and 2012 but it suddenly just kind of stopped. The last quarter of the book was only from one POV and didn’t really need to be split into chapters. There wasn’t really a lot of character development and with the mix of characters there were, the author could have done so much with them which was a bit of a disappointment.

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me 😞

A crime mystery set in Iceland and written over several timelines. The author is a great storyteller but I failed to engage with the narrative or the characters.

This is another wonderful book from Ragnar Jonasson who is a favourite author of mine that starts off at a slow pace and very soon turns into a completely absorbing read that is hard to put down.
Told in multiple timelines and from various characters it’s a dark story of murder and revenge, a real humdinger of a read that kept me gripped until the end and what an end it was my jaw literally dropped to the floor !
I loved the inclusion of detective Huldar Hermannsdottir from another series of books by the author and even though it was in a small way it was a nice touch and she has always been a favourite character of mine.
The writing is superb as you would expect from Ragnar and the pacing of the book spot on , the setting is a creepy out of use sanitarium and a perfect backdrop for this fantastic story that I can highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Death at the Sanatorium: A Slow and Read
Death at the Sanatorium proved to be a challenging read. The plot unfolded slowly, making it difficult to stay engaged. The intricate details and numerous suspects felt overwhelming rather than intriguing. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with any of the characters, hindering my ability to invest in their stories. While the atmosphere had potential, the overall experience was underwhelming.

I really enjoyed this book. Set in Akureyri and Reykjavik (two places I’ve visited) and in dual timelines this is a dark locked room thriller set largely in The Akureyri Sanatorium. Previously a hospital for tuberculosis patients it is now 1983 and the property is partly derelict with just five staff undertaking research and a caretaker still working there - that is until Yrsa, one of the nurses, is found dead! Police from Reykjavik were brought in to investigate but after a second death the case was closed. And now there were four!

Briefly, it’s 2012 and Helgi Reykdal, a criminologist has decided to write his dissertation on the sanatorium and the deaths and he soon begins to suspect that there is something more about the case that should have been investigated and starts to contact everyone who previously worked there. But they are not all happy to speak to him…

Despite the small number of potential suspects I was constantly changing my mind about who and why, especially the why. I loved all the references to golden age crime - one of my favourite era of detective fiction and although I thought Helgi was a bit naive and unassertive I did begin to warm to him later in the story, and his personal story wasn’t what I expected. A good dark read with plenty of tension I thought this very entertaining and with that cliffhanger I’m hoping for a follow up. 4,5⭐️

Having not read any works by this author before, but being a huge fan of Scandi noir, I was very exited to read this novel, which sounded a little like a locked room whodunit.

I was looking forward to creepy sanitorium vibes, a cast of intriguing characters, and a well-plotted, intricate crime with some twists along the way. However, that is not really what I got. Firstly, the pacing is slow. I know it’s Scandi noir, the plots of which usually travel pretty glacially, but this was something else. I also didn’t warm to any of the characters. There were hints (I presume) to characters or scenarios that may have occurred in other stories of the author, or perhaps they were set ups for a sequel, but they left me a bit frustrated as they seemed like meaningless asides. It may mean more to readers of the author’s other works, but this title isn’t flagged as part of a series so I thought it would work completely as a standalone novel.

I can see why others would enjoy it as an atmospheric piece, but not really my cup of tea.

Death at the Sanitorium or as it was originally titled, White Death, (after the nickname for Tuberculosis) is full of ghosts from the past.
This is a cold case, so there is the investigation into past events and deaths; Hulda features from the Hidden Iceland series of past novels by Jonasson; the ghosts of previous classic crime authors and novels pervade the investigator and the author; and an Icelandic Njals Saga whose characters are Bergthora and Helgi (although even-tempered Helgi is the son of argumentative Bergthora in the Saga).
Because of this, I was forever asking myself had we met this or that character before; should I know them and their story - either from the past or the future (the majority of the story is set in 2012). It would have been useful to have a glossary or something to help or put the reader at ease.
It’s consistent with Jonasson’s style and tempo, so if you enjoyed his other works, you are going to like this.

2.5-3 stars
I struggled a bit to get into it. Contradictorily I'm going to say it wasn't slow or boring or too complicated, there isn't one thing I can say why. Especially as I was ¼ of the way through it in not time. So by all that evidence, I should have loved it from the off. But there was something in the back of my mind that I couldn't lose myself in it fully like most thrillers or detective novels. I was all too aware that I was reading a story rather than being involved in the story.

Our main character of Helgi, for me, he was a bit of a non-character, a bit wishy washy and vanilla. A bit timid but there was clearly something he was hiding for the reader to work out. But I wasn't really fond of him as a protagonist to follow.

Whereas in the 1983 scenes with Tinna at the Sanatorium, they were better. She wasn't an instant love, again she was a bit…spikey, I suppose is the word. Blaming other people, putting herself above others. But her scenes were more interesting.

I was expecting a bit more thrill. It's split between the time of the murder, and then this student writing a dissertation on the murder, and so it was a bit…ploddy, I suppose. Not much thrill or twists or screams. It was ok.

It doesn't have a huge amount of death, it's all very surface.

I can't say it's a bad book because it's not. And I can see, even through the translation, that Ragnar is a good storyteller, but it didn't grab me or hold my interest for long, and I didn't spend a large majority of it thinking about what I'd read next.

I'm always drawn to books set in Iceland and this novel had the atmospheric bonus of an old TB sanatorium. Split between 1983 and 2012 we hear various points of view regarding the historic and largely unexplained death of a nurse and a doctor. The case is later re-examined by Helgi as part of his MA criminology dissertation.

I enjoyed the intrigue of the novel which had a limited cast of characters, but kept my suspicions flitting between them. References were made throughout to Helgi's love of the golden age of crime novels, and the resolution of the case was solved through old fashioned interviewing and evidence. The final pages of the novel were almost an epilogue and wasn't my favourite part. However, the book was engaging and clear throughout and I will look out for other books by the author.

I was lucky enough to read this book with Netgalley.

'Death at the Sanatorium' by Ragnar Jónasson is a captivating read for all fans of Nordic Noir! The thriller is set in Iceland between two timelines. One murder in the Sanatorium and six suspects. Can it be solved years later?
In 2012 Helgis examines an old case of a murder in a Tuberculosis Sanatorium back in 1983.for his Dissertation. He starts to untangle the case and soon is on the path to discover the real truth. Meanwhile he is dealing with his troublesome private life.
This story kept me guessing until the end and I am hoping there will be a sequel to follow.
Many thanks for Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the ARC.
#DeathAtTheSanatorium #NetGalley

A pared down story of young and aspiring detective (in the process of joining the Icelandic CID), who is obsessed with an old case from the early 1980s, which saw two deaths occur at a remote sanatorium in rural Iceland.

The crime and its unraveling are solid and keep the reader wanting to read and understand more. The writing is telegraphic at times, using dryness and tightness to effectively elevate the tension.

While I liked it (easy and efficient summer read), there were many flaws that probably make it not very memorable. First, there is nothing particularly intellectually stimulating about the original crime or the investigation 30 years later. It's basic - barebones - police work that, if done (not even well) would have identified the killer in the first place. While the implied critique of police incompetence is there, reading about the crime itself did not challenge my own gray cells one bit.

Secondly, I am just so tired of the endless tendency of Nordic Noir to over-share in their descriptions of the detective. I am not reading crime thrillers to learn about the psychological state of the detective, or their struggles with life or their relationships. There is a different genre for that. I'm looking for something that my makes me go "huh!", encountering an intellectual puzzle in the form of the crime itself.

Finally, the characters were too simplistically portrayed and had limited depth. It's as if they were playing a role that the author gave them, vs being realistic representation of real people.

Overall - recommend to lovers of the genre who are looking for an easy beach or flight read. For anyone looking for complexity or depth - skip.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Death at the Sanitorium by Ragnar Jonasson.
Great Icelandic murder mystery. Dual timeline between 1983 and 2012. The police officers would make a great series. It finishes on a cliffhanger so I'm sure there will be a follow up 👍
I really enjoyed the book and will definitely read any follow ups.

The pace is good, and I read it quickly over a couple of days, eager to identify the killer. The shock ending makes me wonder if there will be a follow-up.

3.5/5.

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I enjoyed this latest offering from the brilliant Ragnar Jonasson. His Dark Iceland and Hidden Iceland series' are favourites.

Death at the Sanatorium is a multi-timeline mystery that begins with the death of one of the workers at a sanatorium that originally housed those suffering from TB. The main action takes place in 1983 when supervisor, Yrsa, is murdered. There is only one arrest and the case is closed after another death.

In 2012 Helgi, a criminalogist writing his dissertation on the murder in 1983 begins to interview the staff and uncovers some unsettling facts. As he tries to interview all the ex-staff members another murder occurs and Helgi puts aside his studies to look into the original murder and the new one.

It sounds a little complicated but it's far from it. I'm really useless at keeping up with the action and I had no trouble following what was going on.

As a little bonus we also meet Hulda Hermansdottir again a few times. She had been involved in the original investigation in 83 and now she is nearing retirement as the latest murder occurs.

Helgi is quite an unassuming chap but he listens more than he talks and I liked him as a character. I wish there'd been more Hulda because she was another character I really liked.

I enjoyed the slow unravelling of the old case with all it's secrets and the lies that were told. It's a clever story with a lot of interesting characters and I'd recommend this to any fans of Jonasson or as a stand alone novel. You certainly wouldn't need to have read any of his previous books to enjoy this murder mystery.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the advance review copy.

Ragnar does is again!

Great location in the form of an asylum and the characters? I don't want to meet any of them outside this book. They are just plain creepy.

A great novel I really enjoyed it and the atmosphere really made me shiver.

This is my first book by Ragnar and I doubt it’ll be my last. The setting is particularly eerie which makes for a great read. You can see the Agatha Christie influence throughout the story which I really enjoyed.

The tension builds nicely throughout the story and keeps you engaged. I prefer a book from several POVs which this has, as I feel it adds better background to the story. It leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’ll be looking for the next book.

If you enjoy Scandi Noir I would definitely recommend as it’s translated very

"As a rule, Tinna avoided entering the old hospital wards of possible as she found the atmosphere there macabre; there were reminders of death in every corner, and the narrow corridors seemed eerie and oppressive.
But the ghosts of the long-dead patients were forced to take a back seat now, because it was the chilling memory of what had happened to Yrsa that held everyone in its grip."

Multiple perspectives and two timeframes centred around the Akureyi Sanatorium, north of Reykjavik, Iceland (which exists in real life) following a murder. A tuberculosis hospital in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it's a research centre by the 1983 timeframe and out of use by the 2012 timeframe. There's Helgi, a young male researcher who has, and will, work for the police, Tinna who worked at the sanatorium and discovered the two bodies (separately) and Broddi the caretaker, both in 1983, along with other nurses and doctors who are victims or suspects.

I enjoyed the cold case and sanitorium concept, which, along with the isolated and icy location, made for great atmosphere. Perspectives from multiple characters came together as it became clear how they were connected to one another and what their roles are or were in relation to the sanatorium.
There's depth to the characters, their backgrounds, current circumstances to explain their behaviour. I particularly liked Helgi's love for crime fiction, through his father and as a means of escape from his domestic situation. I found Tinna attention-seeking and rather dislikeable, Helgi took time to grow on me and Boddi is vulnerable and distant. I enjoyed the addition of police officer Hulda (the main character in one of the author's police procedural series) who has a tough life, but I find somewhat passive. The pace is good and I read it quickly over a couple of days, keen to identify the killer. The shock ending makes me wonder if there will be a follow-up?

This is the third book I've read by this acclaimed author and find his novels hard to engage with and I'm not entirely sure why because he is clearly popular. A crime fiction fan, perhaps this author or this subgenre is just not my favourite. Tragedies, secrets and an isolated, spooky location that I liked, but didn't love reading.

I really did not see the twist coming. Another great book from Ragnar Jonasson , they just seem to get better. Good build up in tension throughout the book. I pinned the murder on the wrong person altogether.

This didn't blow me away, unfortunately. I found the main character a little flat and while the storyline and the switching of timelines was interesting, it wasn't enough and it was quite underwhelming. The last page was a big shock. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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What can I say but another fantastic read from Ragnar Jonasson! This has it all, mystery, intrigue and kept me guessing right until the end! I love all his books but this one is a new favourite!