Jónsdóttir.
Young police officer Helgi Reykdal's life is looking up. He's in a new, happy relationship with Aníta and is enjoying the simple pleasures of being with her and immersing himself in his favorite crime novels. When he's assigned to look into the disappearance of a bestselling novelist, he can't wait to prove himself.
His superior officer tasks him with finding out where the missing woman is before her disappearance is leaked to the press, but there are absolutely no clues, and Helgi has to begin at the beginning by interviewing all the people who know her best.
But as his interviews progress, Helgi learns that the novelist's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, it's even stranger than the bestselling mysteries she wrote.
~
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer is Helgi Reykdal's second appearance (after Death at the Sanatorium). The young police officer is the replacement for Hulda Hermannsdóttir, who is the main character in Jónasson's superb Hidden Iceland trilogy. Helgi is intrigued by Hulda, a difficult woman who seems to have vanished into thin air, but he's thrilled to be given the task of finding Iceland's bestselling author, Elín Jónsdóttir. His greatest pleasure in life-- besides his burgeoning relationship with Aníta is to bury himself in his favorite mystery novels, and Jónsdóttir is one of his favorite authors.
This book is written in the style of Golden Age mysteries, combining Helgi's investigation with segments of a taped interview with the missing woman. That investigation on its own kept me fully engaged, but what brings The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer to the next level is the inclusion of Helgi's personal life. In many ways, Helgi is better suited to being an armchair detective. He is extremely non-confrontational and naive, qualities which can be dangerous in a police officer's life and oftentimes bad in personal relationships. Jónasson takes a page from Alfred Hitchcock's playbook by letting readers know more about what's actually happening around Helgi. As I read, my feeling of dread continued to build, and by the book's conclusion, I now have to know two things: (1) what happens to Helgi now, and (2) will he ever discover what happened to Hulda?
Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb
eISBN: 9781250408273
Minotaur Books © 2025
eBook, 282 pages
Police Procedural, #2 Helgi Reykdal
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
I'm so glad you enjoyed this as much as you did, Cathy. I love the idea, too, of setting the story in the context of crime writing and publishing - that's such a great twist! It's not easy to keep a series going when you change the protagonist, but sometimes it works quite well!
ReplyDeleteI love when mysteries have that Golden Age feel to them. I'm reading Tom Mead's Cabaret Macabre right now and it has that same kind of feeling.
ReplyDeleteA new book by Ragnar Jónasson is certainly cause for celebration! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
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