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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
A fairly average mystery. But the main character, Ari Thór, was so aggravating. He takes a job in the north of Iceland on a whim, without consulting his girlfriend, Kristín, and then he's upset when she's understandably unhappy about it, when she doesn't want to move, and when she doesn't want to drive there with him (we learned in her one pov chapter that she didn't think she'd be able to handle that kind of emotional goodbye, which is actually a very common thought process).
So then he keeps withholding, waiting for her to initiate, for no real reason. When she calls him on Christmas instead of Christmas Eve (apparently that's an Icelandic tradition?), it's a big deal, but he didn't call her?? A relationship is mutual! You have to put as much into it as your partner does! And he honestly believes that he, a police officer in a small town where nothing ever happens, is busier than her, a medical student who also works???
Of course he ends up cheating on her, and of course he tries to justify it with the typical nonsense. But on top of everything, the woman he cheats with, Ugla, is a potential suspect in an open criminal investigation, and he repeatedly shares information about the case with her, even after it turns out that she had a really good motive!? He's like, "Who else can I trust?" Um, you could start with your colleagues? Who haven't done anything untrustworthy? Plus he decides to confront someone he knows is dangerous, without bothering to tell anyone where he's going??? That's just bad police work!
So then he keeps withholding, waiting for her to initiate, for no real reason. When she calls him on Christmas instead of Christmas Eve (apparently that's an Icelandic tradition?), it's a big deal, but he didn't call her?? A relationship is mutual! You have to put as much into it as your partner does! And he honestly believes that he, a police officer in a small town where nothing ever happens, is busier than her, a medical student who also works???
Of course he ends up cheating on her, and of course he tries to justify it with the typical nonsense. But on top of everything, the woman he cheats with, Ugla, is a potential suspect in an open criminal investigation, and he repeatedly shares information about the case with her, even after it turns out that she had a really good motive!? He's like, "Who else can I trust?" Um, you could start with your colleagues? Who haven't done anything untrustworthy? Plus he decides to confront someone he knows is dangerous, without bothering to tell anyone where he's going??? That's just bad police work!
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Knife sharp, clipped and dark – exactly what you'd expect from a Nordic noir type story. Maybe the problem was that I wasn't in the mood for such as story? Or that I was listening to an audiobook full of names and locations I couldn't get straight because I don't know much about Scandinavia? I don't know. But whatever it was, I struggled to engage with this book at all.
I couldn't keep the characters straight, and for the most part, I didn't care about most of them. To me, Ari Thor was selfish, short-thinking, impulsive and quite frankly a frustrating person. His girlfriend has communication problems – ffs say what you mean! – and most of the characters felt a bit flat and boring.
Ari Thor takes a new job up north, in a tiny fishing town that gets snowed in and covered in perpetual darkness all winter. It sounds like a miserable place. And then a series of murders and accidents happen, and it is confirmed to be a miserable place. Ari Thor is a new police officer and wants to prove himself. So he moves up north without consulting his girlfriend, and decides to spend two years there. Shortly after, he starts up a friendship that leads to more with his music teacher. Which just makes you respect him so much, right.
A local elderly writer takes a fatal fall down the stairs at the drama club just before opening night. Later, a half clothed woman is found bleeding out in the snow. Chapters with Ari Thor are interspersed with a woman held at knifepoint by a masked man who has broken into her house demanding cash and jewels. How are these connected? Are the they connected? Random? Murder or accidents?
Anyway, I wanted to read something seasonally appropriate – Snowblind popped up in my library's winter list. As a translated work, it helps me achieve some of my book goals this year as well. But would I recommend it? Eh, not really. Not even all that keen to keep going with the series tbh.
Also the end was unsatisfying.
I couldn't keep the characters straight, and for the most part, I didn't care about most of them. To me, Ari Thor was selfish, short-thinking, impulsive and quite frankly a frustrating person. His girlfriend has communication problems – ffs say what you mean! – and most of the characters felt a bit flat and boring.
Ari Thor takes a new job up north, in a tiny fishing town that gets snowed in and covered in perpetual darkness all winter. It sounds like a miserable place. And then a series of murders and accidents happen, and it is confirmed to be a miserable place. Ari Thor is a new police officer and wants to prove himself. So he moves up north without consulting his girlfriend, and decides to spend two years there. Shortly after, he starts up a friendship that leads to more with his music teacher. Which just makes you respect him so much, right.
A local elderly writer takes a fatal fall down the stairs at the drama club just before opening night. Later, a half clothed woman is found bleeding out in the snow. Chapters with Ari Thor are interspersed with a woman held at knifepoint by a masked man who has broken into her house demanding cash and jewels. How are these connected? Are the they connected? Random? Murder or accidents?
Anyway, I wanted to read something seasonally appropriate – Snowblind popped up in my library's winter list. As a translated work, it helps me achieve some of my book goals this year as well. But would I recommend it? Eh, not really. Not even all that keen to keep going with the series tbh.
Also the end was unsatisfying.
Spoiler
Turns out the woman threatened and killed at knifepoint actually died years ago. Killed by one of the other guys in Siglufjörður today. The bad guy gets away. He doesn't get the insurance money, but also doesn't get caught. Ari Thor cheated on his girlfriend, whom he thought indifferent. His girlfriend seemed indifferent but was actually in love with him and too tragic to say so. She was hoping a grand gesture of moving north would do it, but Ari Thor's already decided to end the relationship. The book ends there, which sucks. And the writer, turns out he's a plagiarist, and the son of the guy he plagiarised gets in trouble for his manslaughter. That's crap!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Want to visit the literary locations? The Snowblind booktrail
Dark Iceland? This man not only invented it, he rules it. This is one of the most exciting places I’ve read about – a real place whilst also being a real setting of intrigue with snowy landscapes, a town cut off by the elements, the isolation of hight mountains and a community cut off in every which way they can be.
From the opening page, the tension and chilling horror is there. The idyllic snow angel image is no longer full of childhood innocence and the snow blind of the title covers your eyes with white flurries and clouds of mis which shroud the mystery and intrigue
God I felt cold reading this, wondering like Ari just who the hell I could believe. And that drama group was not even innocent here! Characters were well formed and you got the sense of isolation, history and dark secrets from the past.
Weaving in and out of secrets from one person to another, from one place to another it was a dark and twisty tale which made me doubt everyone I came across. the rookie policeman was the ideal insight into such a hidden community.
A brilliant debut from an author with Icelandic piercing eyes. Can not wait to go back there. But I might need to hold someone’s hand when I do…
Dark Iceland? This man not only invented it, he rules it. This is one of the most exciting places I’ve read about – a real place whilst also being a real setting of intrigue with snowy landscapes, a town cut off by the elements, the isolation of hight mountains and a community cut off in every which way they can be.
From the opening page, the tension and chilling horror is there. The idyllic snow angel image is no longer full of childhood innocence and the snow blind of the title covers your eyes with white flurries and clouds of mis which shroud the mystery and intrigue
God I felt cold reading this, wondering like Ari just who the hell I could believe. And that drama group was not even innocent here! Characters were well formed and you got the sense of isolation, history and dark secrets from the past.
Weaving in and out of secrets from one person to another, from one place to another it was a dark and twisty tale which made me doubt everyone I came across. the rookie policeman was the ideal insight into such a hidden community.
A brilliant debut from an author with Icelandic piercing eyes. Can not wait to go back there. But I might need to hold someone’s hand when I do…
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ari Thór Arason is fresh out of police academy and leaves his girlfriend in Reykjavik for a job in a small fishing village in the North of the country. It's a small community where nothing really happens and no one locks their doors, but suddenly an elderly writer falls down the steps at the local theatre and a woman is found half naked and bleeding in the snow. As an out of towner Ari Thór is trying to adapt to his new life, which he finds difficult to do when his claustrophobia kicks in with the snowstorm which leads to an avalanche that closes the one road in and out of the village.
At times, especially in the beginning, I found it a bit slow because there was a lot of background information on each character, and although that's important I found it to be a bit too much. On the other hand, this helped setting the scene and Jonasson still managed to keep it interesting.
Jonasson did well in describing life in a small village and especially the weather conditions. I've never been to Iceland but it almost felt like I was there and could feel the cold snow and wind. I was also surprised to find out who the killer was. As usual it is not the one you believe it to be. It may have ended a bit abruptly, but it is part of a series so I believe that's why.
At times, especially in the beginning, I found it a bit slow because there was a lot of background information on each character, and although that's important I found it to be a bit too much. On the other hand, this helped setting the scene and Jonasson still managed to keep it interesting.
Jonasson did well in describing life in a small village and especially the weather conditions. I've never been to Iceland but it almost felt like I was there and could feel the cold snow and wind. I was also surprised to find out who the killer was. As usual it is not the one you believe it to be. It may have ended a bit abruptly, but it is part of a series so I believe that's why.
Ne tas izcilākais ziemeļnieku detektīvtrilleris vai trillerdetektīvs, bet ļoti jauks tieši šim brīdim. Lasījās viegli un baudāmi, lai gan ik pa laiciņam prasījās no stāsta kaut ko vairāk. Gribēšu tomēr pamēģināt kādu no viņa nākamajiem darbiem. Ice ice, baby.
Murder mystery set in a very small and snowy town in northern Iceland. The story starts off very slow as our protagonist Ari Thor leaves the city and his girlfriend in it, to start his new job as a police officer in the north. It took me a lot of time to get into the story, but I somehow enjoyed it. I thought there were too many characters and no time for them to really develop. I didn’t really care for the two cases either. The solution was not groundbreaking or shocking, but it was alright.
Thought this was a really excellent crime fiction. Loved the main character for not being the usual "cop" and I felt like I got to know the amateur dramatics society pretty well!