Ari Thor – Grab This Book

Rupture – Ragnar Jonasson

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them.

My thanks, as ever, to Karen at Orenda for my review copy.

Ragnar Jonasson can get a LOT of story in one book. There is tonnes going on in Rupture so for Ari Thor fans this is going to be a bit of a treat.

Siglufjörður is in lockdown. A quarantine on the town as illness has claimed a life and nobody is prepared to risk their health just to meet their neighbours. Ari Thor is using this down time to investigate a cold-case which has been brought to his attention. In the mid 1950’s a woman in the remote settlement of Hedinsfjörður seemingly took her own life by drinking poison. There were only 4 people in the settlement at that time and it was assumed that the isolation became too much leading her to take her own life. Spin forward to the present day and an old photograph has come to light which suggests that the four may not have been alone as a shot of a mystery man is captured on film.

Away from Siglufjörður I was delighted to see journalist Isrun return (she first appeared in Black Out). Isrun is still working in the newsroom and has significantly enhanced her position amongst her colleagues since we first encountered her. Isrun is reporting on the abduction of a child but as she digs deeper into the story she starts to believe there may be a much bigger story hiding behind the shocking kidnapping.

When I first reviewed a Jonasson novel (Snowbound) I remarked on the similarities with the plot of an Agatha Christie novel. Rupture gave me that same feeling as I read it – even down to the scene where Ari Thor gathers a small number of characters together to outline his deductions. It really was a fun book to read.

Delightfully twisty, frequently sinister and utterly engrossing. I do love the Dark Iceland series and Rupture is another corker.

Rupture is published by Orenda Books and is available now in paperback and digital format.

You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rupture-Dark-Iceland-Ragnar-Jonasson/dp/1910633577/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484262126&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=rupture+ragna

The Rupture blog tour is in full flow and you can follow it here:

Category: Blog Tours | Comments Off

September 1

Blackout – Ragnar Jonasson

On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer’s night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person’s life hangs in the balance.

Ari Thor Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjordur struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. What secrets does the dead man harbour, and what is the young reporter hiding? As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it s a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies… Dark, terrifying and complex, Blackout is an exceptional, atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland s finest crime writers.

With thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.

The third release in the Dark Iceland series: Blackout nestles between Snowblind and Nightblind.

Having read Nightblind (which follows Blackout) relatively recently I knew how a couple of the plot threads in in Blackout were going to be resolved. This slightly reduced the impact of one of the twists as I was watching for the hints of what was to come. But watching for clues actually gave me a greater appreciation of the delightful story crafting that is on show once again from Ragnar Jonasson!

The story opens with the discovery of a body, someone has been brutally murdered and the Siglufjordur police are required to investigate. The victim is a contractor staying in the area to work on construction of a tunnel – this means he is not a local and the lack of the Siglufjordur gossip will mean a more thorough investigation will be required. This is where I feel Ragnar Jonasson excels, he can compile a whodunnit (and a whydunnit) like an old master. With the victim discovered Jonasson can take the reader on a journey of slow discovery. You know that while you read you are being taken ever closer to the point you learn the name of the killer. But before enlightenment comes the careful and clever reveals: clues, red herrings and side plots wonderfully interwoven as the author lays out the secret lives of his characters for our entertainment.

Of the three books Blackout has replaced Snowblind as my favourite Ari Thor novel. This story takes a much darker tone, the characters are dealing with harsher events, they seem to have more troubled backgrounds. Even the main players do not appear to be coping so well with daily life. The character angst gives the whole book a more tense and nervous feel which dramatically differentiated it from Snowblind which I still believe had quite a gentle narrative feel.

I did think that Ari Thor features less in this book than in past adventures with a fair bit of focus diverted towards the journalist Isrun. She plays a key role in Blackout and I am hoping she may return in more books in the future (or the past) as I really enjoyed her scenes. The investigative reporter added a different dynamic to Blackout and helped to contribute to the different feel of this book to the previous two.

One final word – on the words. Blackout is translated by Quentin Bates who very much deserves the plaudits too, my enjoyment of the Dark Iceland stories is partly due to the fact that they are so very readable.

I make no secret of the fact I am a fan of the Dark Iceland books and Blackout only reaffirms my belief that Ragnar Jonasson is a wonderful teller of tales. The wait for the next book is always a frustrating period (but always worth the wait). If you are not reading these books – you really should be!

Blackout is published by Orenda Books and available now in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackout-Dark-Iceland-Ragnar-Jonasson/dp/1910633461/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472684931&sr=1-3&keywords=ragnar+jonasson

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

January 8

Nightblind – Ragnar Jonasson

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by the murder of a policeman – shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house.

With a killer on the loose and the dark arctic winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor, and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik, where someone is being held against their will.

Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.

Thanks to Karen at Orenda for my review copy and also the opportunity to join the blog tour.

Last year we met Ari Thór Arason in Snowblind and followed his move to Siglufjörður. He struggled to adapt to being the new cop (and a stranger) in a small town while also dealing with the added distraction of conducting a murder investigation. Snowblind was one of the reading highlights of 2015 and you can read my review here: https://grabthisbook.net/?p=854

Nightblind picks up with Ari Thór some five years after the events of Snowblind. The book opens with an explanatory note for the reader outlining the significant events in Ari Thór’s life and explains that his colleague Tomás has moved to Reykjavík. Ari Thór now has a new boss, Herjólfur, but the two do not appear to have bonded – perhaps as Ari Thór applied for promotion but was unsuccessful.

Trouble is not far away for Ari Thór: the murder of his colleague brings tragedy too close to home. He knows not why his colleague visited a deserted house in the middle of the night, why he may have been targeted or even if the killer has remained in town. Ari Thór’s investigations will become political as the local mayor joins the suspect pool and small town grapevine speculation threatens to spill into scandal. A local drug dealer may hold some vital information but their co-operation may come at too high a price for Ari Thór.

Jonasson builds a brilliant narrative as Ari Thór’s investigation progresses. We have a small circle of characters who will play an important part in the story, red herrings, side plots and subtle clues – all the hallmarks we have already come to expect from Ragnar Jonasson. The frequent comparisons of a writing style that is similar to Dame Agatha’s are well merited.

Nightblind is a murder story so to reveal too much about the actual story would require massive spoilers – nothing should be allowed to spoil your enjoyment of Nightblind, it’s magnificent. I felt it pitched slightly darker than Snowblind with one plot thread (not to the detriment of the story) but it was a book I didn’t want to end. I could read about life in Siglufjörður for days, Jonasson makes the town come to life around me as I curl up with his books.

Ragnar Jonasson (courtesy of the beautiful translation by Quentin Bates) has delivered another literary delight – I cannot heap enough praise upon Nightblind.

Nightblind is published by Orenda Books and is available now in digital format and in paperback from 15th January 2016.

The blog tour continues and I urge you to check out as many of the hosts as you can – the full schedule is included below.

Category: 5* Reviews, Blog Tours | Comments Off

June 26

Snow Blind (Dark Iceland) – Ragnar Jonasson

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

Ari Thor 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, Snow Blind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.

Snow Blind – a masterclass in scene setting and subtle tension building. Siglufjorour is brilliantly depicted, the town and its inhabitants are vividly recreated by Ragnar Jonasson and the hero, Ari Thor, is a likeable yet vulnerable lead character.

Nothing happens in sleepy Siglufjorour yet Ari Thor decides the opportunity to develop his career in this remote coastal town is too good an opportunity to pass up. He leaves his life (and girlfriend) in Reykjavik and we follow his attempts to adjust to the slower pace of life in Siglufjorour – any resident of a small town will be able to relate to Ari Thor’s new environment.

The good news for the reader is that the tranquility is soon to be shattered – a death in the community and before long secrets are unearthed. Suspicion shifts around the town and Ari Thor soon learns that his tranquil new home is not the idyllic haven he initially believed.

Investigations commence and soon Ari Thor finds that being an outsider in a small community will put him at a distinct disadvantage. Friends close ranks and his ‘big city’ approach is not going to work amongst neighbours who have lived in each other’s pockets all their life. Ari Thor does have an ally in the form of his piano teacher – a young woman who also sought out the solitude of Siglufjorour -but what secrets has she left behind from her past life?

I really enjoyed Snow Blind. The story unfolds at a pace consistent with life in Siglufjorour – there is plenty going on but you know there is no rush to the end. You are confident that everything will come good and all will become clear. Why hurry through when the journey is so pleasant?

Where Agatha Christie created a murder mystery with a small suspect pool on a fast moving train or within a large country house, Ragnar Jonasson creates the same feel in a whole town. I hope to have the chance to read more of Ari Thor in future. Snow Blind is a welcome and fresh addition to our book shelves.

Snow Blind is published by Orenda Books and is available now in both paperback and digital formats.

Ragnar Jonasson is on Twitter: @ragnarjo

And at ragnarjonasson.com

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off