I decided to read Snowblind mainly because it is a mystery which takes place in Iceland. My daughter recently spent about 10 days there and really enjoyed it. In fact, she even briefly visited the small town where this novel takes place, Siglufjörður, at the far north of the island.
I was pleasantly surprised by the novel. It turned out to be a pretty good mystery with several unexpected outcomes. The protagonist of the novel, Ari Thor, is a young man who recently graduated from police school and decides to take a posting at the small town of Siglufjörður where nothing ever happens according to his boss. He leaves Reykjavik and his girlfriend behind, thinking he will only be there a couple of years at most. His move takes place in December during the coldest and darkest part of the Icelandic winter and Ari feels somewhat claustrophobic being there -- shut in by the mountains and the darkness. Not soon after he arrives, a woman is found in the snow bleeding to death with a knife wound. And then, one of the more prominent residents of the city dies in a fall at the local theater where he was involved in a play production. The woman's husband seems to be a suspect in her stabbing but he also has a good alibi. And was the fall at the theater an accident or was he pushed? Ari has some really good instincts and eventually puts a theory together on both deaths. He also falls for a local woman there so he must decide whether to call off his relationship with his girlfriend who he left in Reykjavik.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and may seek out the other novels in the series.
I was pleasantly surprised by the novel. It turned out to be a pretty good mystery with several unexpected outcomes. The protagonist of the novel, Ari Thor, is a young man who recently graduated from police school and decides to take a posting at the small town of Siglufjörður where nothing ever happens according to his boss. He leaves Reykjavik and his girlfriend behind, thinking he will only be there a couple of years at most. His move takes place in December during the coldest and darkest part of the Icelandic winter and Ari feels somewhat claustrophobic being there -- shut in by the mountains and the darkness. Not soon after he arrives, a woman is found in the snow bleeding to death with a knife wound. And then, one of the more prominent residents of the city dies in a fall at the local theater where he was involved in a play production. The woman's husband seems to be a suspect in her stabbing but he also has a good alibi. And was the fall at the theater an accident or was he pushed? Ari has some really good instincts and eventually puts a theory together on both deaths. He also falls for a local woman there so he must decide whether to call off his relationship with his girlfriend who he left in Reykjavik.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and may seek out the other novels in the series.
Snowblind, the first of Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland trilogy, is blessed with the three most important ingredients of an excellent mystery: a vivid setting; a strong, interesting main character with a few problems of his own; and a complex and sometimes frightening mystery.
Girlfriend problems aside, Ari proves to be a very likable (if impulsive) young man who has good instincts for putting random bits of information together. Tómas, his boss, is a bit too blinded by the way things have always been in the village, but although he's often exasperated with Ari, the older man does see the rookie's potential.
The mystery involves both past and present, and it kept me guessing throughout the book, but the icing on this cake of murder and mayhem is the setting. Jónasson uses his remote Icelandic setting to wonderful advantage. Between the endless darkness, never-ending snow, and being cut off from the rest of the world, the claustrophobia is palpable--probably the best use of setting I've read so far this year.
If you like Nordic Noir, you definitely need to get your hands on Snowblind. I did, and then I immediately bought the second book in the series, Nightblind.
Girlfriend problems aside, Ari proves to be a very likable (if impulsive) young man who has good instincts for putting random bits of information together. Tómas, his boss, is a bit too blinded by the way things have always been in the village, but although he's often exasperated with Ari, the older man does see the rookie's potential.
The mystery involves both past and present, and it kept me guessing throughout the book, but the icing on this cake of murder and mayhem is the setting. Jónasson uses his remote Icelandic setting to wonderful advantage. Between the endless darkness, never-ending snow, and being cut off from the rest of the world, the claustrophobia is palpable--probably the best use of setting I've read so far this year.
If you like Nordic Noir, you definitely need to get your hands on Snowblind. I did, and then I immediately bought the second book in the series, Nightblind.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the characters and the little town. I did not guess the answers to the mysteries (yes, more than one). Still, I was a bit let down as we are left hanging in some ways at the end. I will read the next as I believe this has lots of potential. I hope the 2nd will be more satisfying.
