Wednesday, April 18, 2018

On My Radar: Ragnar Jónasson's The Darkness




Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery to read. Having read and really enjoyed Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland quartet set for the most part on the north coast of the island, I perked up considerably when I learned that he has a new series featuring Hulda Hermannsdóttir, a police detective inspector in Reykjavik. Here's what I learned about the first book, The Darkness, which will be available here in the US on October 16, 2018:


Synopsis: "Spanning the icy streets of Reykjavik, the Icelandic highlands and cold, isolated fjords, The Darkness is an atmospheric thriller from Ragnar Jonasson, one of the most exciting names in Nordic Noir.

The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.


Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced into early retirement at 64. She dreads the loneliness and the memories of her dark past that threaten to come back to haunt her. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice.

She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young woman vanished at the same time and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.

Hulda will find the killer, even if it means putting her own life in danger."


In further reading, I see that the trilogy will be told in reverse chronological order, which will show us Hulda being thrown out to pasture and then gradually going back to show us when she was a young officer. This could be a very interesting way to tell this story, and I'm looking forward to it.

How about you? Does The Darkness tickle your fancy? Inquiring minds would love to know!


 

4 comments:

  1. Oh, this one's on my radar, too, Cathy. And I'm glad you're bringing it up here. I've been wanting to put one of these novels in the spotlight on my blog, and just haven't yet...

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  2. Yes, thanks for talking about this one. Not a book I was aware of but it is now on my list. I like the idea that Hulda is 64. Of my generation and so that's a good thing. Plus I like the idea that we'll go back to her earlier days. Yay!

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    1. I really have high hopes for this one. It will be interesting to see if a new translator will make any difference because I really liked Quentin Bates' work on the Dark Iceland quartet.

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