A Thriller
The Dark Iceland Series (Volume 1)
Author: Ragnar Jonasson
The Independent (UK) Best Books of the Year
REYKJAVÍK: SPRING 2008
It wasn't far off midnight, but it was still light. The days were growing longer and longer. It was the time of year when each new day, brighter than the day before, brought with it the hope of something better, and things were looking bright for Ari Thór Arason. His girlfriend, Kristín, had finally moved into his little flat on Öldugata, although this wasn't much more than a formality. She had been staying there most nights anyway, except those just before an exam, when she liked to read in the peace and quiet of her parents' house, often far into the night.
Kristín came into the bedroom from the shower, a towel around her waist.
'God, I'm tired. Sometimes I wonder why I went for medicine.'
Ari Thór looked round from the little desk in the bedroom.
'You'll be a fantastic doctor.'
She lay on the bed, stretching out on top of the duvet, her blonde hair spread like a halo on the white of the bedclothes.
Like an angel, Ari Thór thought, admiring her as she stretched out her arms and then ran them gently down her torso.
Like a snow angel.
'Thanks, my love. And you'll be a brilliant cop,' she said. 'But I still think you should have finished your theology degree,' she couldn't help adding.
He knew that well enough and didn't need to hear it from her. First it had been philosophy, until he had given up on it, and then theology. He had packed that in as well, and found himself enrolling in the police college. Roots were something he had never been able to put down properly, always seeking something that suited his temperament, something with a little excitement to it. He reckoned he had probably applied for theology as a challenge to some god he was convinced didn't exist; some god who had snatched away any chance he had of growing up normally when he was thirteen, when his mother died and his father had disappeared without a trace. It wasn't until he had met Kristín and – only two years earlier – been able to puzzle out the mystery of his father's disappearance that Ari Thór began to achieve a little peace of mind. This was when the idea of the police college had first crossed his mind, with the expectation that he'd make a better cop than a clergyman. The police college had left him in fine physical shape, and the weight-lifting, running and swimming had made him broader across the shoulders than he had ever been before. He had certainly never been this fit when he was poring over theology texts night and day.
'Yeah, I know,' he replied, a little stung. 'I haven't forgotten the theology. I'm just taking a break from it.'
'You ought to make an effort and finish it, while it's still fresh in your mind. It's so hard to start again if you leave it too long,' she said, and Ari Thór knew she wasn't speaking from experience. She had always finished everything she set out to do, flying through one exam after another. Nothing seemed capable of stopping her and she had just finished the fifth of the six years of her medical degree. He wasn't envious – just proud. Sooner or later they would need to move abroad so that she could specialise, something that had never been discussed, but of which he was all too keenly aware.
She put a pillow behind her head and looked at him. 'Isn't it awkward having the desk in the bedroom? And isn't this flat way too small?'
'Small? No, I love it. I'd hate to move out of the centre of town.'
She lay back, her head sinking into the pillow. 'Anyway, there's no hurry.'
'There's plenty of space for the two of us.' Ari Thór stood up. 'We'll just have to be cosy.'
He removed the towel and lay carefully on top of her, kissing her long and deep. She returned the kiss, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close.
Copyright © 2010 by Ragnar Jónasson
Translation copyright © 2015 by Quentin Bates
Map copyright © 2015 by Ólafur Valsson
Trade Paperbacke-Book Format
Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from Ragnar Jonasson, an extraordinary new talent.
Where: An isolated fishing village in the fjords of northern...
Where: An isolated fishing village in the fjords of northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors.
Who: Ari Thór is a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavík.
What: A young woman is found lying half naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed elderly writer falls to his death. 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.
*BONUS CONTENT: This edition of Snowblind includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide
A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin
Reading Guides for Snowblind
Praise for Ragnar Jonasson:
Ragnar Jonasson hailed as one of "the heirs to the Agatha Christie crown" by The Daily Telegraph (UK).
"Jonasson is an automatic must-read for me ... possibly the best Scandi writer working today." —Lee Child, internationally bestselling author of the Jack Reacher thrillers
"Obviously inspired by Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen, Snowblind is old school despite its exotic setting.... With his twisty plotting, isolated location and intriguing characters, Jonasson's series is one to watch. Grade: A" —Cleveland.com
"A classic crime story . . .first-rate and highly recommended." —Lee Child
"A modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom..." —Ian Rankin
"Jonasson skillfully alternates points of view and shifts of time...The action builds to a shattering climax."—Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred)
"This classically crafted whodunit holds up nicely, but Jonasson's true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting, lashed by blinding snowstorms that smother the village in "a thick, white darkness" that is strangely comforting."—New York Times Book Review
"A chiller of a thriller whose style and pace are influence by Jonasson's admiration for Agatha Christie. It's good enough to share shelf space with the works of Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Arnaldur Indridason, Iceland's crime novel royalty."—The Washington Post
"Jónasson's whodunit puts a lively, sophisticated spin on the Agatha Christie model, taking it down intriguing dark alleys."—Kirkus Reviews
"A real find. I loved it. The turns of the plot are clever and unexpected, and Ari is a wonderful character to spend time with."—Mystery Scene
"In this debut novel, Jonasson has taken the locked-room mystery and transformed it into a dark tale of isolation and intrigue that will keep readers guessing until the final page."—Library Journal Xpress
"Jonasson spins an involving tale of small-town police work that vividly captures the snowy setting that so affects the rookie cop. Iceland noir at its moodiest"—Booklist
"Snowblind aptly depicts Ari's tension and terror as he grows ever more isolated. Perfectly capturing the pressures of rural life and the freezing, deadly Icelandic winter, Snowblind will keep readers on the edge of their seats--preferably snuggled beneath a warm blanket."—Shelf Awareness
"If a Golden Age crime novel was to emerge from a literary deep freeze then you'd hope it would read like this." —Craig Robertson
"Seductive … an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully." —Ann Cleeves
"Snowblind has the classic red herrings, plot twists and surprises that characterize the best of Christie's work. Jonasson's latest is nicely done and simply begs for a sequel."—BookPage
"As dazzling a novel as its title implies and the wonderful Ari Thór is a welcome addition to the pantheon of Scandinavian detectives. I can't wait until the sequel!" —William Ryan
"[Snowblind] leaves you wishing for and wanting more of its quirky, memorable characters and haunting backdrop."—Bookreporter
"Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty—a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir." —Peter James
"What sets Snowblind apart is the deep melancholy pervading the characters. Most of them, including Ari, have suffered a tragic loss. That's bad for them, but along with the 24-hour darkness closing in, it makes for the best sort of gloomy storytelling."—Chicago Tribune
"A classic whodunit with a vividly drawn protagonist and an intriguing, claustrophobic setting, Snowblind dazzles like sunlight on snow, chills like ice and confirms the growing influence of Scandinavian crime fiction."—Richmond Times-Dispatch
"A satisfying mystery where all the pieces, in the end, fall together."—Dallas News
"One of the 10 best works of fiction you'll read this year."—The Durango Telegraph
"Snowblind was beautifully written, the landscape alone makes for good reading." —Biblophile Book Club
"Jonasson has no qualms about detouring the narrative to detail a supporting player's unhappy childhood or long-running marital woes. Perhaps he's trying to capture that small-town aura of everyone knowing everyone else's business. Whatever his motivation, he definitely shows a knack for the whodunit business."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Jonasson has produced a tense and convincing thriller; he is a welcome addition to the roster of Scandi authors, and I really look forward to his next offering." —Mystery People
"Snowblind is morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons." —The Independent (UK)
"Snowblind is a dark, claustrophobic read, and Jónasson evokes perfectly the 24-hour darkness, the biting cold, the relentless snow and fear of a killer on the loose in a village suddenly cut off by an avalanche. His crisp, bleak prose is an exemplary lesson in how to create atmosphere without producing over-inflated books that would cause their own avalanche if dropped." —Crime Review
"Ragnar Jonasson is a new name in the crime writing genre and I urge anyone who is a fan of Nordic crime noir to rush out and get yourself a copy of Snowblind this you will want to add to your collection. It is really that good." —The Last Word-Book Review
"Ari Thor promises to be a complex and fascinating series sleuth."—Popular Culture Association, Mystery and Detective Fiction Reading List
"Jonasson's realistic but dramatic storytelling, sleight-of-hand shifting of point of view, and underreported attention to the imminent national crisis make Snowblind a riveting read. A worthwhile contribute to the growing and increasingly popular Scandinavian noir tradition."—Reviewing the Evidence
"If you are a fan of nordic noir that is an excellent example of the crime fiction genre, look no further. This series needs to go on your must read list."—The Suspense is Thrilling Me
"The plot is built cleverly as there are only a few people who could have perpetrated the crimes and it all comes to a not obvious conclusion in this well written and engaging novel. I think it does make it more sinister as you never really know if he is safe walking around in the deep snow and perpetual dark. Who can he trust?" —lacremedelacrime
"If Arnaldur is the King and Yrsa the Queen of Icelandic crime fiction, then Ragnar is surely the Crown Prince … more please!" —EuroCrime
"The descriptive prose Jonasson uses is gorgeous and even the actual crime scenes themselves are oddly beautiful sounding. There is a mature elegance to his writing style that really captivates the reader."—Novelgossip
"[Ari Thor's] investigation...uncovers many old village secrets that had simmered for a long time before they boiled over into murder. And, though he makes mistakes, Ari Thor has good investigative instincts and succeeds in proving himself."—Book Loons
"A classic whodunit set in a stark place with a twisted ending."—AuntieMWrites