"Ragnar Jonasson burst onto the American scene with Snowblind and Nightblind, the first two novels in the Dark Iceland series, and the praise was overwhelming. Now he launches a new series featuring a completely new sleuth, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir of the Reykjavik Police department.
When a young woman, an asylum seeker from Russia, is found murdered on the seaweed covered rocks of Iceland, Hulda starts to ask questions. But it isn't long before she realizes that no one wants her to investigate this murder. She eventually must decide whether solving this case is worth losing her life."
My Thoughts:
The Darkness was an atmospheric, quiet thriller that has started off a series that I cannot wait to read more of! Hulda is dealing with a lot of change in her life. She is basically being forced into retirement but is allowed to investigate one last case of her choosing. Hulda chooses to investigate the case of a young woman who came to Iceland seeking asylum but instead lost her life. As the pages go on, the author also starts to share pieces of Hulda's past with us. I was so intrigued as these little tidbits definitely hinted at a dark and troubled past. I took my time with this book and just really immersed myself within it. It was the perfect winter read and the author did an amazing job of conveying Iceland's beauty. I would love to visit there someday! This book made me a bit sad though as Hulda's struggle with retirement and what to do with the rest of her life just was a bit heartbreaking to read about. That being said - I enjoyed my time with this book immensely. And I'm going to get just slightly spoiler-ey here but that ending! I honestly can say that I did not see it coming whatsoever. It was such a bold move and one I would love to discuss with other readers! Who else has read this book?
Overall, I am so glad that I decided to read this book because it was the perfect read for this time of year! This book isn't a book to rush through in my opinion but instead is one to just savor and enjoy. I enjoyed Hulda's character so much and am curious to see where the author goes next with this series. I will definitely be there for book two!! I think that fans of mystery and suspense will enjoy this book. I don't read a ton of translated fiction but books like this really make me want to read more. I need to catch up and read more authors and books just like this, that's for sure! This is an easy book to recommend!
Bottom Line: An atmospheric mystery that left me pining for the next book!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. Thoughts are my own!
Sam, I had another blogging friend who loved this book and I think had it on her best of 2018 list. I have the audio of it, but it might be a little while before I get to it. When that time comes, I'll be sure and share my thoughts and we can chat a bit about the book (offsite) if you like. I'm even more excited to read this now. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the Iceland setting. And Hulda's character sound so interesting. I hadn't heard of this one, but I will check it out. I am glad you enjoyed it, Sam.
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