Publication Date: Available Now from Orenda Books
Source: Review Copy
Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kalfshamarvik.
Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thor Arason discovers that the victim’s mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier.
As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place.
Book 5 in the Dark Iceland series (UK publication not in exact order) from Ragnar Jonasson and they just get better – tense, atmospheric, with beautifully descriptive setting and terrific sense of character.
In a small isolated village a girl has been found dead at the foot of the cliffs where her mother and her sister had earlier died – was this suicide or something more sinister?
What I love about this series is the old school feel brought to the writing – like if Agatha Christie were writing Icelandic Noir right now – that and the incredibly immersive settings as Ragnar Jonasson brings Iceland to beautiful, stark life – despite it being fictionally dangerous (always a body!) you want to visit and drink it all in. The prose is so good you almost can without even leaving your house…
The mystery elements are beautifully layered and Ari as ever is utterly compelling – I’m going to miss that guy with his little quirks of personality, in this story about to become a father – I have to give a shout out to the amazing Quentin Bates who has translated all of these perfectly – the series has been entirely absorbing, a literary delight that is perfect for curling up with on those chilly winter nights.
I always read these in one sitting. So immersive, the plotting taut and darkly devilish, the characters engaging and full of depth and I can’t recommend these highly enough for fans of literary crime with a cleverly addictive tone.
Go get ’em!
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Happy Reading!
Must read this! Currently probably my favourite series, and one I always keep on top of.
Great review Liz – you’ve utterly intrigued me!