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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Slow burner..... not sure still think I prefer Wisting!
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. I picked Snowblind because a book about constant darkness and cold sounded heavenly while I am living in constant sunshine and heat. This is a good old fashioned detective mystery, with decent characters and a good plot line. I wouldn't say it was a suspenseful page turner, but I read it quickly and enjoyed the description of Iceland in the winter.
I badly wanted to love this book enough to give it a whopping 5 stars out of 5. But there were some things I would have liked differently. I thought the plot moved a little too slow for my own personal liking when it comes to crime fiction. There also weren't enough "action." I suppose that's a given, seeing as how it's set in a very small town. Full review to come soon!
An enjoyable murder mystery. I look forward to seeing where this series goes with subsequent novels. The setting, a small town in the far north of Iceland, is very evocative.
Nordic noir is one of the most popular sub-genres of crime fiction and it’s easy to see why. The extremes of weather make for an instantly atmospheric environment, and the liberal politics of the region provide an interesting counterpoint to the often barbaric nature of the crimes. These are supposed to be countries that are fairer and more equal, and yet in these novels there are often burning resentments beneath the surface of seemingly placid communities.
Although I’ve read Nesbo (Norway), Larsson and Mankell (Sweden), SNOWBLIND was my first Icelandic noir. Ragnar Jónasson's solid debut is a fairly gentle character-driven crime story. I liked the way that many of the familiar tropes of detective fiction were subverted. Ari Thór, Jónasson's protagonist, is hardly the world weary alcoholic that one associates with this type of book. He’s young and jejune, and suffering from claustrophobia in the meteorologically inhospitable town of Siglufjordur in which he is launching his police career. I have to admit Ari Thór was one of the things I found most appealing about this book. There is something endearing about his vacillations and inexperience that makes him feel like an original detective hero.
The plot itself, the story of an unexplained death in a theatre, was cleverly constructed but a little imbalanced. There was a lot of build-up and scene-setting before a rather rushed denouement. That said, this is Jónasson's first novel and I feel sure that his later books will wrinkle out some of the creases in his pacing. I’ll definitely be coming back for a second helping of the happenings in Siglufjordur.
Although I’ve read Nesbo (Norway), Larsson and Mankell (Sweden), SNOWBLIND was my first Icelandic noir. Ragnar Jónasson's solid debut is a fairly gentle character-driven crime story. I liked the way that many of the familiar tropes of detective fiction were subverted. Ari Thór, Jónasson's protagonist, is hardly the world weary alcoholic that one associates with this type of book. He’s young and jejune, and suffering from claustrophobia in the meteorologically inhospitable town of Siglufjordur in which he is launching his police career. I have to admit Ari Thór was one of the things I found most appealing about this book. There is something endearing about his vacillations and inexperience that makes him feel like an original detective hero.
The plot itself, the story of an unexplained death in a theatre, was cleverly constructed but a little imbalanced. There was a lot of build-up and scene-setting before a rather rushed denouement. That said, this is Jónasson's first novel and I feel sure that his later books will wrinkle out some of the creases in his pacing. I’ll definitely be coming back for a second helping of the happenings in Siglufjordur.
First book in series so a lot of this novel was setup - introducing character and setting. An enjoyable read. As a Midwestern American I really liked the setting of northern Iceland. Something different. The plot was okay. Not a lot of intrigue or twists but held my interest.
Good police procedural. I enjoyed the setting and characters.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes