I found this author so easy to read but the story is multi-layered it can at times be confusing. Not as with some books where you have to keep going back to refresh your mind about who is who.

No, rather the plot is so intricate with so many strands weaving away you sometimes want to come up for air. Basically it is the story of the people of Iceland seen through a police procedural/murder mystery and overlaid by the personal tragedy/family saga of Hildur the police officer who binds it all together.

Each element is beautifully written and there is no attempt to mislead the reader. The richness of the storytelling is unlike most crime dramas you may have read. The people matter. Care and time is given to unpack the aspects of their lives and the interactions between the characters.
You feel comfortable with these individuals and at ease in the wonderful and dramatic locations. This is a book very present in its time and place. It resonates with the culture and climate of Iceland, especially in its remoteness.

I am so pleased I read the first book in this series before starting this one as it builds seamlessly on the preceding narrative. Sufficient detail is provided to ensure prior knowledge isn’t crucial to understanding this novel, but for me the chronological development makes more sense against the background of the first book.

What an achievement here. An original approach to this genre as I’ve suggested. Quite subtle at times but resonates for me for the evidence and consequences of abuse referred to and seen across a number of scenarios throughout the text and character development.

This isn’t hard hitting doctrine and judgement of criminal acts nor a soft explanation for social problems and excuses for unlawful behavioural. This is about power, through wealth, status and gender and the abuse and damage that can result which is unseen and unknown. Stories that do not bleat about an unfair or unjust system but speak of love, relationships and hope.

I like books that make me think; that speak of hidden circumstances; that conceal pain and a deeper truth. I feel I understand domestic abuse, physical abuse and substance abuse more and perhaps through this well crafted story may be less likely to judge and hopefully more inclined to help and support others where I can make a difference.

Detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir is a police detective who surfs the icy waters in the west of Iceland, without even the aid of a wetsuit, so we know from the beginning that she considers herself tough. Hildur is working with Jakob Johanson, a Finnish intern, estranged from his wife and now seeking a custody arrangement for his son – something his wife is reluctant to offer. Jakob is a knitter and that’s pretty much all of his character that we get to see and understand, though the next book promises more of a Jakob storyline. Set right at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, this murder mystery sees Hildur and Jakob move from Reykjavik to North West Iceland, where Hildur was born and raised.
Hildur is dealing with a high-profile murder. The shooting, on a ski slope, of a local politician with an unsavoury reputation for dirty dealings. At the same time, Hildur is still intensely searching for clues about what happened to her younger sisters Rósa and Björk who disappeared on their way home from school many years ago and have never been seen again. Satu Rämö makes excellent use of the scenery and atmosphere of North West Iceland which I found nicely immersive.
Then a private plane crashes near Reykjavik, killing the pilot. Hildur finds cause to believe that these two separate cases may be connected. This novel is told from three perspectives and in multiple timelines, through the use of flashbacks. This makes the book a bit choppy to get your head around as the timelines move and jump around as if they were playing a superfast game of hopscotch.
The author allows the reader to find out things before Hildur, so we know where this plot is heading and have to wait and see if Hildur can reach the same understanding that we have.
The plot is pretty straightforward and things are resolved through a combination of luck and policework. But it often feels like the shot businessman plot of the present day is just a subterfuge to get Hildur back from Reykjavik to the Westfjords because that’s where she grew up and by far the more interesting mystery lies on her family’s background. The past and present-day plot lines are not interconnected and that adds to the jumpy feeling of the book. A sub plot involving a woman called Dísa is also quite emotional.
There’s also a little too much contrivance for me in terms of how the conclusions are reached. A little too much of ‘Hildur suddenly remembered something’ and an offhand remark by a local farmer sending Hildur to the heart of her mystery. Just a bit too convenient and a touch implausible, although because there are so many threads and timelines, perhaps that’s inevitable?
Verdict: The Grave in the Ice is an enjoyable read and the pace is good. There are one or two moments of real tension, centred around Hildur’s mother, but otherwise I found it lacking in depth and characterisation.

4.5 stars
I love a good detective story and this series does not disappoint. Not only is it atmospheric, but it's gripping and an easy read. Set in Iceland we follow Detective Hildur Rúnarsdottir and her trainee Jakob and we jump right in, a few months after the ending of the first book. Not only are they dealing with the death of a local politician but they are each facing their own demons and we really get to see more of them in this book.

Hildur's story is one that stuck with me after reading the first book so I was incredibly eager to know what happened to her sisters. We get to see more of her childhood in this one and even get to see things from her mother's perspective which I found so interesting. Honestly I had an inkling of where this storyline was going to take us but it still hit hard when it happened.

I also felt my heart breaking for Jakob as he really does struggle and find himself having to get legal help in order to see his child. Another thing I liked is that in this book we got to learn a bit more about Beta, their boss. While her story was incredibly sad, I liked getting to know more about her.

Once again, I really enjoyed how this story all came together and thought it was well plotted and written. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in north-west rural Iceland this is a welcome addition to Scandi Noir. A local, but very unpopular, politician is found dead on a ski-run, shortly after an aircraft crashes, for seemingly no reason, into the sea. Hildur, and her trainee Jacob, investigate both these incidents, whilst also trying to
solve the mystery of her sisters' disappearance years before. It's an easy read, and recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for an ARC.

I hadn’t heard of Satu Ramo before, but as I’m a fan of Icelandic thrillers, I was excited to read The Grave in the Ice. 
 
I initially struggled getting into the book with the different timelines.  That said, I did settle into the rhythm of the book and the characters and threads became established.
 
I really loved the protagonist, Detective Hildur Rúnarsdottir, a somewhat aloof detective who drives a car called Betty? and surfs in the freezing Atlantic Ocean!  I also really like her trainee Jakob, who originally hails from Finland and is on a Police internship in Iceland. 
 
I liked the gentle rapport and mutual respect these characters had for one another and the support they showed one another through the trying times that they were both going through. 
 
This is the second book in the series, I hadn’t read the first book but felt that it could stand alone.  I will however read the first book now as I believe that I have found a new Icelandic detective series for me to read.
 
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bonnier Books, for making this e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

DNF. Could not get into this at all. Disappointed. Didn't enjoy the writing style. .

I enjoyed The grave in the ice ,a slow moving dark thriller ,you can almost feel the cold reading through this one .Love the story line of their personal lives and history as well .

I had just read the first in this series - The Clues in the Fjord - and enjoyed it a lot so was very pleased to be given a review copy of this, the second in the series, (thanks to the publisher and Netgalley).

I like a detective story with a strong sense of place, and this has just that, being set in the far north west of Iceland, quite cut off from the rest of the country in winter with a tight knit rural community which includes the detective, Hildur. As is often the case with detective series there are ongoing relationships and issues which continue from book to book alongside the standalone mystery - this is no exception. The murder of a local businessman is the standalone and is well-plotted and engaging. Alongside this is the obsession Hildur has with the disappearance years ago of her two small sisters as well as her growing friendship with her Finnish intern - Jakob, whose hobby is knitting intricate jumpers.

This isn't great literature but it's a very readable and enjoyable detective series, and the north west of Iceland definitely gives the strong sense of place I enjoy.