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.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
