Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson Book Review

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Published in the US on January 31, 2017

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors–accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. 

Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik–with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. 

When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life. 

Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness–blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose. Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent. 

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson Book Review

I first saw this book from Abby’s Crime by the Book Instagram account & tried to get my hands on it about a year ago & I couldn’t find it, so I moved on. This book is categorized as Nordic Noir & I believe Abby is a resident expert on the subject. I kept thinking about Snowblind & thankfully it was released in the US this year.

The first thing I was Really Into with this book is Ragnar’s ability to make me feel cold & that I’m in Iceland experiencing this story firsthand. It is so easy to get lost in the town of Siglufjörður. Think of it like a dark & gritty Stars Hollow with a cast of characters with intertwined relationships & secrets. Snowblind is first in a series of 5 books, known as ‘The Dark Iceland Series’. There is also a prequel of sorts focusing on the main character, Ari Thor. 

I’m excited to learn this series is being developed by the British production company, On the Corner. Now, I had to use this link on my phone, but it’s a clip of an interview with the producer (in English) about their goals for the series. More to come on this! You all know we love out book to TV adaptations!

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! I feel like I’ve fallen into an Icelandic rabbit hole & I might never leave. This story reads very well & it has a slow simmer rather than a rapid boil. Ragnar take readers through the story using the outsider, Ari, so we are able to learn about this isolated Icelandic village along with the new detective. If you’re Really Into crime, thrillers, police procedurals or mystery novels, then this is for you.

Special thanks to Ragnar Jónasson, St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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About the Author: Ragnar Jónasson

Ragnar Jonasson is the award winning author of the international bestselling Dark Iceland series. His debut Snowblind, first in the Dark Iceland series, went to number one in the Amazon Kindle charts shortly after publication. The book was also a no. 1 Amazon Kindle bestseller in Australia. The second book in the series, Nightblind, also became a no. 1 Amazon Kindle bestseller in Australia.

Ragnar is the winner of the Mörda Dead Good Reader Award 2016 for Nightblind. Snowblind was selected by The Independent as one of the best crime novels of 2015 in the UK and it has also been on best seller lists in France. Rights to the Dark Iceland series have been sold to 14 countries. TV rights to the series have been sold to production company On the Corner in the UK, producers of Academy Award winning documentary Amy.

Ragnar was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he works as a writer and a lawyer. He also teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University and has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV-news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Ragnar is a member of the UK Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). He is also the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir.

From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. Ragnar has also had short stories published internationally, including in the distinguished Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in the US, the first stories by an Icelandic author in that magazine. He has appeared on festival panels worldwide, and lives in Reykjavik.