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edgwareviabank's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
After a disappointing experience trying to get into Ragnar Jónasson's Hidden Iceland series, I was glad to come across Whiteout at the library, knowing that going back to the Dark Iceland series would be a safe bet. I've given up on reading it in any sort of order, other than what's available to borrow, and so this is the third Dark Iceland book for me (I read Snowblind and Nightblind before).
The aspects of Whiteout I enjoyed the most are very much the same as the other books. First and foremost, the mood and pace of the mystery, almost a modern twist on an Agatha Christie plot. When it comes to crime novels, my preferences lean heavily towards Nordic Noir; even so, there's only so many gory plots, sadistic killers and tormented detectives I can read about in a row. The Dark Iceland series is a welcome break from all this, even though long winters, breathtaking landscapes, isolation, and a plunge or two into the dark folds of the human mind are still key features. The latter is almost inevitable when fiction revolves around catching a murderer, and, to its credit, Whiteout never feels graphic or morbid (I will add a couple trigger warnings in case the specific flavours of trauma in some of the characters' pasts are a dealbreaker to anyone).
It's an advantage that the book is fairly fast-paced, as I was looking for a story I'd quickly become absorbed by. Being familiar with the main characters and wanting to know them better helped with that: even the relationship between Ari Thór and Kristín, which goes through rocky moments elsewhere in the series, feels settled enough in Whiteout that it's possible to see sides of them the other books didn't spend much time on.
That said, the plot goes a little too fast towards the end, and that's why this is a 3.5 and not a 4. I read the ebook on my phone, and page numbers weren't constantly within my sight as they'd have been with a physical book. In other words, I had no idea when I was approaching the final reveal. When it came, I felt it was too soon; most plot twists up to that point were easy to spot from chapters away, and the only one that felt major to me led to arresting the culprit within a few paragraphs. It also wasn't much of a surprise, and that's the risk when the pool of suspects is as narrow as it is in this book: a "closed room" mystery that could have done with a couple more guests before the doors were locked.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and will continue to look out for the Dark Iceland books I'm missing: the series is still one of the best I know in the contemporary crime and mystery genre, and still a resounding recommendation from me.
The aspects of Whiteout I enjoyed the most are very much the same as the other books. First and foremost, the mood and pace of the mystery, almost a modern twist on an Agatha Christie plot. When it comes to crime novels, my preferences lean heavily towards Nordic Noir; even so, there's only so many gory plots, sadistic killers and tormented detectives I can read about in a row. The Dark Iceland series is a welcome break from all this, even though long winters, breathtaking landscapes, isolation, and a plunge or two into the dark folds of the human mind are still key features. The latter is almost inevitable when fiction revolves around catching a murderer, and, to its credit, Whiteout never feels graphic or morbid (I will add a couple trigger warnings in case the specific flavours of trauma in some of the characters' pasts are a dealbreaker to anyone).
It's an advantage that the book is fairly fast-paced, as I was looking for a story I'd quickly become absorbed by. Being familiar with the main characters and wanting to know them better helped with that: even the relationship between Ari Thór and Kristín, which goes through rocky moments elsewhere in the series, feels settled enough in Whiteout that it's possible to see sides of them the other books didn't spend much time on.
That said, the plot goes a little too fast towards the end, and that's why this is a 3.5 and not a 4. I read the ebook on my phone, and page numbers weren't constantly within my sight as they'd have been with a physical book. In other words, I had no idea when I was approaching the final reveal. When it came, I felt it was too soon; most plot twists up to that point were easy to spot from chapters away, and the only one that felt major to me led to arresting the culprit within a few paragraphs. It also wasn't much of a surprise, and that's the risk when the pool of suspects is as narrow as it is in this book: a "closed room" mystery that could have done with a couple more guests before the doors were locked.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and will continue to look out for the Dark Iceland books I'm missing: the series is still one of the best I know in the contemporary crime and mystery genre, and still a resounding recommendation from me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide
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