Snowblind (Dark Iceland Book 1)

by Ragnar Jónasson (Author), Quentin Bates (Translator) 

I won the first five books in the Dark Iceland series some years ago now and I’m so glad I’ve finally had a chance to start reading them.

What a start to a new series Snowblind is!

Ari Thór Arason is a likable character. A rookie policeman who accepts a first job in Siglufjörður without consulting his girlfriend (she is not happy) and moves away without properly sorting out their relationship.

Typically, a town where not much happens and no-one locks their doors, Ari Thor soon finds himself thrown in at the deep end with two investigations whilst also managing to jeopardise his relationship further by easily having his head turned by a local woman.

The relentless snow and continuous darkness of Siglufjörður is quite claustrophobic for the residents and for the reader. I could easily imagine the oppressive atmosphere and how it would take some getting used to.

I enjoyed the police procedural aspects of this story along with getting to know Ari Thor and his colleagues. I do enjoy an insight into their personal lives as well as enjoying a good mystery.

Fast-paced, tense, and suspenseful. I loved it!

I have already started book 2, Blackout. I’m invested in these characters now.

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 theatre, 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.

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. 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, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

Snowblind:10th Anniversary Edition: including NEW Dark Iceland series prequel, Fadeout.

Happy reading!