This novel has been on my radar for a while now, ever because it was advisable to me by fellow guide blogger, Jen Lucas. So… when provided to me upon the tenth anniverary’s publication, I jumped on the alternative to learn and evaluate it.

The prequel novella to the Darkish Iceland collection, “Fadeout” was included, and it was a wonderful introduction to the principle character, Ari Thór Arason.

Fadeout options Ari when he’s solely twenty-two years outdated and attending college. He started learning philosophy, however has now modified his main to theology. When he was simply 13, his father disappeared and some months later his mom, a classical violinist, was killed in an car accident whereas working overseas. Ari now receives a letter from a financial institution demanding an overdue fee be submitted. Nevertheless, the financial institution is in London, England and Ari lives in Iceland… His investigation into the letter begins a quest to search out out what actually occurred to his father all these years in the past.

Snowblind picks up two years after the occasions in Fadeout. Ari has deserted his theological research to enter police faculty. He’s sharing a flat in Reykjavik along with his medical pupil girlfriend, Kristín. Upon ending his police programs, he’s provided a job in a small, distant village within the very northernmost a part of Iceland. It’s some 4 hundred kilometres from Reykjavik and his girlfriend is lower than happy. The neighborhood he travels to is Siglufjörður, based mostly on the actual place of the identical title.

He’s supplied a home, and is assured by his boss that “nothing ever occurs right here”. Ari is lonely. He’s not instantly accepted by the locals, and Kristín doesn’t talk with him fairly often. Ari’s scenario was made in particular poignant at Christmas when he was working alone on the police station.

Nevertheless, in fact, one thing does occur!  An unidentified lady is discovered within the snow. This reality is vividly rendered with the wonderful first line of the novel, “The crimson stain was like a scream within the silence.”

Then later, a famend Icelandic writer, Hrólfr Kristjánsson, in his nineties, and chairman of the native novice dramatic society, is discovered useless on the backside of the steps inside the playhouse.  Ari’s boss, Inspector Tómas, dismisses the loss of life as unintended because of the man’s superior age and the actual fact he had been consuming.  Ari just isn’t so certain. His junior place as a ‘rookie’ police officer lend him no energy, so he has to abide by his senior officer’s opinions.

In the meantime, an unidentified lady is attacked in her house. This aspect story is unknown to the police at first. The reader wonders how her predicament will issue into the general plot.

The small neighborhood is much more remoted than normal when bitter winter climate descends with heavy snow and an avalanche. It’s far sufficient north that your complete twenty-four hour day is spent in full darkness. Ari’s nerves are frayed. The suffocating isolation, climate, and darkness culminate in elevated stress for all.

Primarily, Snowblind is a locked-room thriller with the neighborhood of Siglufjörður being the locked room. Nobody can are available or out, so the villain is among the many harmless and it’s as much as the police to discern who’s responsible.

With many viable suspects, the reader wonders who the actual offender may be. The characters had been all intriguing in their very own methods.

Kudos should be given to the translator of the novel, Quentin Bates, who wrought a seamless, unfaltering translation.

The ending is passable, but in addition supplies the reader with a little bit of a cliffhanger. This in fact lends extra impetus for studying the remainder of the books within the Darkish Iceland collection. Extremely advisable to those that admire a traditional thriller. Wonderful Icelandic noir.

Now, I’m very wanting to learn the remainder of the titles within the ‘Darkish Iceland’ collection. (notice the duvet of the unique version of “Snowblind” differs from the tenth Anniversary version that I had the pleasure of studying).

Beneath, is a graphic of the books in chronological order… This evaluate was written voluntarily and my score was by no means influenced by the truth that I acquired a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Orenda Books by way of Anne Cater and Random Issues Excursions.

tenth Anniversary Version  Publication date: October 23, 2025
ISBN: ‎ 9781916788947 — 340 pages

Try the evaluations from another readers from this weblog tour…

Ragnar Jónasson is the award-winning Icelandic writer of the worldwide bestselling Hulda collection, the Darkish
Iceland collection, and standalone crime fiction, with 5 million copies offered throughout 36 territories. The Instances
chosen The Darkness as one of many 100 Finest Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945, and Snowblind has been chosen  as considered one of High 100 Crime Fiction of all time. The Instances has mentioned of his work: ‘Is that this the very best crime author on the planet?’ His books have been on bestseller lists throughout Europe and the USA, and gained a number of prizes. He has additionally gained a particular jury recognition for his poetry in Iceland. Ragnar has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie’s novels into Icelandic. Ragnar was additionally an government producer of the CBS Studios TV collection The  Darkness, based mostly on the primary novel in his Hulda collection. His novel Exterior is at present being
developed for the display by Ridley Scott. Ragnar has a legislation diploma and teaches copyright legislation at Reykjavik College. He additionally serves as a board member of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and because the Deputy Chair of the Writers’ Union of Iceland. Ragnar is the co- founder and co-chair of the literary competition Iceland Noir, held yearly in Reykjavik.

Join with Ragnar Jónasson by way of Twitter/X; Instagram; and/or his web site.

TRANSLATED BY QUENTIN BATES AND LARISSA KYZER

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a young person, leaping on the probability of a niche yr working in Iceland. For a wide range of causes, the hole yr stretched to change into a niche decade, throughout which period he went native within the north of Iceland, buying a brand new language, a brand new career and a household… He’s the writer of a collection of crime novels set in present-day Iceland – and as a translator he has labored with a few of Iceland’s coolest writers, together with Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Stella Blómkvist, Einar Kárason, Ragnar Jónasson, Jónína Leósdóttir, Óskar Guðmundsson and extra.