Nordic Noir goes Icelandic with the internationally bestselling Dark Iceland series launch.
Ragnar J nasson (Author)
Ragnar J nasson is an international number one bestselling author
who has sold over three million books in thirty-four countries
worldwide. He was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he also works
as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik
University.
He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV
news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and,
from the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha
Christie's novels. He is currently writing a novel with the
Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsd ttir. His critically
acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a
major TV series, and Ridley Scott will be producing Outside as a
feature film.
Victoria Cribb (Translator)
Victoria Cribb studied and worked in Iceland for many years. She
has translated more than 25 novels from the Icelandic and, in 2017,
she received the Or stir honourary translation award for services
to Icelandic literature.
An intelligent, provocative whodunit with a killer twist
*Ian Rankin*
Superb
*100 Best Crime Novels since 1945, The Times*
Icelandic detective Hulda Hermannsdottir is the best tragic heroine
our reviewer has read for years
*The Times, Must Read List*
A superb thriller
*Summer Reads, The Sunday Times*
A complex, fascinating mix of Icelandic community and alienation,
atmospheric tension, and timely issues (immigrant exploitation and
vigilante justice), Jonasson's latest series is another must-read
for crime fans who follow the work of Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa
Sigurdardottir
*Booklist*
I've ONLY recently discovered the extraordinary Icelandic writer
who adds several shades of darkness to Nordic noir . . . it builds
to a deeply shocking climax
*Daily Mail, Ten Thrillers to Die For*
If you have ever doubted the appropriateness of the phrase 'Nordic
noir', The Darkness will dispel any hesitation . . . in what way
this happens (and how badly) is the strength of the book. There are
ever-darker surprises, culminating in a finish that leaves one with
a highly disturbing image.
*The Press*
The wait was worthwhile and The Darkness first in the new trilogy,
is a very efficient piece of work. Jonasson has the full measure of
the Nordic noir genre, and pushes all the requisite buttons
*Barry Forshaw, Financial Times*
To read Ragnar Jonasson is to plunge into snowy Iceland . . . much
of its atmosphere and subtle pacing to the traditional 'golden age'
detective fiction as the mystery unfolds and builds to a startling
climax, elegantly handled.
*The Witness*
Superb . . . Chilling . . . and establishes her as a great tragic
heroine of modern detective fiction
*Crime Book of the Month, Sunday Times*
Outstanding series debut . . . builds to its stunning conclusion,
one of the more remarkable in recent crime fiction
*Publishers Weekly*
The Darkness melds an insightful character study with a solid plot
for an outstanding novel
*Washington Post*
The perfect territory for mystery [writers]
*New York Times*
Extraordinary, the three books in that series are all amazing . . .
very moving all the way through
*Ian Rankin*
It's shockingly sinister and has an ending that will leave you,
literally, gasping for breath
*Crimesquad*
The ending really took my breath away and that's hard for writers
to do to me these days . . . It was a complete surprise and I
should have seen it coming and I didn't. [Hulda] is a fantastic,
complex 3D character and I want to see more of her, so hurray, this
is the first of a three book series
*Ian Rankin on the Simon Mayo Podcast*
The Darkness will have you burning the midnight oil till 2:00am.
It's a gloriously compelling yarn, whose spell continues to hold
even when you've turned its final page thanks to its unexpected
ending. I can't wait for his next
*Reader review*
Expertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker, The
Darkness is the first book in a trilogy featuring this engaging
investigator, which is good news
*Book of the Month, Guardian*
Chilling - a must-read
*Peter James*
Page-turning stuff with an unexpected ending!
*James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad*
Was gripped from the start of this brilliantly told story. And left
wide-eyed with shock at the ending
*Fiona Barton, bestselling author of The Widow*
A true masterpiece . . . a plot full of twists and turns and an
ending that leaves you gasping for air
*Yrsa Sigurðardóttir*
As chilling as the nip in the Icelandic air
*Choice Magazine*
Crime fiction has never seen a character quite like Hulda
Hermannsdóittir; nor a series launch so entirely willing to take
risks and obliterate long-standing tropes . . . There is no doubt
that The Darkness will rank as one of the most popular and powerful
reading experiences of the year
*Bolo Books Review*
Breathtaking. Read it in two sittings. Yet another instant Ragnar
Jonasson classic
*Thomas Enger, bestselling author of the Henning Juul series*
The Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly
contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure
and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the
treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with
adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I
dare you not to be shocked.
*Gregg Hurwitz*
The Darkness is Ragnar Jonasson at the top of his game - deft
plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the
Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down
*William Ryan, author of The Holy Thief*
It had an intense, visceral sense of place and the connection
between the emotional lives of the character and the landscape was
evoked beautifully
*Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear Amy*
It will get your pulse racing, and keep you hooked to the last
page
*Simon Kernick of The Bone Field series*
Magnificently dark and twisted and that ending - blimey!
*C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man*
Praise for Ragnar Jónasson
*-*
Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best
Scandi writer working today
As chilling as the nip in the Icelandic air
*Choice Magazine*
Superb. . . chilling . . . This is the first volume in Jonasson's
Hidden Iceland trilogy, which tells Hulda's story in reverse
chronological order and establishes her as one of the great tragic
heroines of contemporary detective fiction
*Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month*
Expertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker, The
Darkness is the first book in a trilogy featuring this engaging
investigator, which is good news
*The Guardian*
Magnificently dark and twisted! That ending - blimey!
*C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man*
A sympathetic yet entirely unsentimental portrait of a flawed but
decent detective seeking justice for a murdered Russian asylum
seeker
*Sunday Times Crime Club*
It will get your pulse racing and keep you hooked to the last
page
*Simon Kernick of The Bone Field series*
Crime fiction has never seen a character quite like Hulda
Hermannsdóittir; nor a series launch so entirely willing to take
risks and obliterate long-standing tropes . . . There is no doubt
that The Darkness will rank as one of the most popular and powerful
reading experiences of the year.
*BOLO Books Review*
The Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly
contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure
and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the
treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with
adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I
dare you not to be shocked
*Sunday Times bestselling author of Orphan X*
Was gripped from the start of this brilliantly told story. And left
wide-eyed with shock at the ending
*Fiona Barton, bestselling author of The Widow*
The Darkness is Ragnar Jónasson at the top of his game - deft
plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the
Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down
*author of The Holy Thief*
Page-turning stuff with an unexpected ending!
*James Swallow*
Another masterpiece from the King of Icelandic Noir
*bestselling author of the Henning Juul series*
Unbearably sinister
*Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear Amy*
The Darkness is a true masterpiece of a crime novel, introducing an
original protagonist, a plot full of twists and turns and an ending
that leaves you gasping for air
*author of the bestselling Thora Gudmundsdottir crime series*
Praise for Ragnar Jónasson
*-*
No country associated with the label Nordic noir is as bleak, cold,
snowy and empty as Iceland. And no crime writer portrays those
elements as evocatively and scarily as Ragnar Jonasson
*The Times*
A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens...
first rate and highly recommended
*Snowblind*
A modern take on Agatha Christie--style mystery, as twisty as any
slalom . . .
*Snowblind*
Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read
addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir
*Peter James*
Distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective
fiction...atmospheric...economical and evocative prose
*The Guardian on Nightblind*
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*
The ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach
*FRÉTTATIMINN *****
Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir ...all the
skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels
bitingly contemporary in setting and tone
*Sunday Express*
Hulda Hermannsdottir is a welcome addition to the selection of
Icelandic crime fiction protagonists . . . It is almost impossible
to put the book down until the last word has been read
*Fréttablaðið *****
Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . .
The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie
*Kiljan, on The Island*
The threads lie in various places, the plot is well woven and the
pieces in the puzzle come together well in the end. The structure
is good, the main characters are believable, the story flows well,
everyone is a suspect á la Agatha Christie and the solution unveils
the mystery and leads the readers to the truth. But not all the
truth, as some things are better left hidden
*Morgunbladid (Icelandic newspaper)*
A very good book, gripping and interesting, with all the threads
carefully managed. Hopefully the author will publish as many books
as possible with lead character Hulda
*Vikan Magazine, on The Island*
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