Ragnar Jónasson’s iconic, multi-million-copy bestseller, Snowblind, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a glittering new edition, including a never-before published prequel, Fadeout…

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel.

Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half- naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, 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.

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24- hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness – blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose…

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Fadeout

When Ari Thór Arason receives a staggeringly high bill for a foreign credit card that was taken out in his name, his life takes a turn he never anticipated. The bill in question belongs to his namesake – his father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances when Ari was only a child.

Seeking answers, Ari Thór travels to London to investigate, hoping to learn the truth about what happened to his father all those years ago, and discovering far more than he could ever have imagined…

My Review

I almost wish I hadn’t read Fadeout first, because it gives the answers to many of the questions about his mother and father that Ari Thór Arason doesn’t yet know in Snowblind. I was on the blog tour for Winterkill – the last in the series – in 2021, but I can’t remember what he had discovered if anything. Winterkill was my third venture into Icelandic Noir, though not my last. It’s one of my favourite genres now and I have read many Icelandic authors.

But back to the books. My five stars goes to Snowblind, more so than Fadeout, which was great but maybe a bit overlong. It jumps back and forth from the time that Ari Thór Arason was a child when his father disappeared without a trace, and his mother died soon after – we know this much in Snowblind, but nothing more. We also discover that Ari Thór was studying Philosophy at University in Reykjavik, but changed to Theology. It was here that he met Kristin, but their relationship was a slow burner because Ari Thór spent most of his time trying to find out what had happened to his father. This was triggered after all these years by a credit card bill in his father’s name. I found it all a bit confusing to begin with, especially as so many other characters are introduced, both now and then. However, the ending is a revelation, one I would never have guessed, though looking back, perhaps I should have. There are a fair few clues along the way.

In Snowblind, Ari Thór has given up studying Theology and embarks on a career in the police force. He feels it will suit him better than being a priest. Before he has even finished his training, he lands a job in Siglufjörður, a small fishing village in Northern Iceland, where there are only two other police officers, a small population and a lot of snow. Siglufjörður was once an important part of the herring fishing industry, but the herring left Icelandic shores in the late 1960s, partly due to overfishing, a cooling of ocean temperatures, and a decline in their food source. It devastated Iceland’s economy.

Kristin is annoyed that Ari Thór took the job in Siglufjörður without discussing it with her, and he is annoyed that she isn’t supporting him. And then there is the beautiful Ugla, to whom he is irrevocably drawn.

Siglufjörður is not exactly the crime centre of Iceland, but when a young woman is found bleeding and unconscious in the snow, and an elderly author dies after falling down the stairs, Ari Thór is thrown straight into what might be a double murder investigation.

But this is an author where nothing is simple, and we are tossed about on a turbulent sea filled with red herrings (see what I did there) and false starts. When we think we’ve solved both crimes, something else crashes over us like the relentless winter storms and avalanches that turn everything on its head. It’s dark, claustrophobic and compelling in equal measures and I loved it.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Ragnar Jónasson is the award-winning Icelandic author of the international bestselling Hulda series, the Dark Iceland series, and standalone crime fiction, with five million copies sold across 36 territories. The Times selected The Darkness as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945, and Snowblind has been selected as one of Top 100 Crime Fiction of all time. The Times has said of his work: ‘Is this the best crime writer in the world?’ His books have been on bestseller lists across Europe and the USA, and won multiple prizes. He has also won a special jury recognition for his poetry in Iceland. Ragnar has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie’s novels into Icelandic. Ragnar was also an executive producer of the CBS Studios TV series The Darkness, based on the first novel in his Hulda series. His novel Outside is currently being developed for the screen by Ridley Scott. Ragnar has a law degree and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He also serves as a board member of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and as the Deputy Chair of the Writers’ Union of Iceland.

About Orenda Books

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.