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hales2385's review
5.0
I loved this book! There was something about it that just gripped me from the start and then I found that I couldn’t put it down! I thought that our main character Hannah, was a little stuck up to start with but then I really came to like her. I think one of the things that I liked was the range of emotions that she went through in the book - some of which were a real surprise to her!
I loved how, despite the fact that Hannah was clearly not a people person she did actually form relationships with some of the other characters fairly quickly, even though one of those was an ongoing dislike of one of them! The storyline itself was intriguing, it definitely felt as though there were hidden secrets from the start, you just weren’t sure who it was keeping them.
I liked the fact that there wasn’t a clear front runner for who the murderer was, and the fact that there were times when there could have been multiple suspects and then none! I thought this was really well written and I loved the fact that it was set in Iceland and the description of the daylight hours (or lack of!). The ending was great and I loved some of those last chapters when it all became clear. I’d love to hear more from Hannah and our other main supporting characters.
I loved how, despite the fact that Hannah was clearly not a people person she did actually form relationships with some of the other characters fairly quickly, even though one of those was an ongoing dislike of one of them! The storyline itself was intriguing, it definitely felt as though there were hidden secrets from the start, you just weren’t sure who it was keeping them.
I liked the fact that there wasn’t a clear front runner for who the murderer was, and the fact that there were times when there could have been multiple suspects and then none! I thought this was really well written and I loved the fact that it was set in Iceland and the description of the daylight hours (or lack of!). The ending was great and I loved some of those last chapters when it all became clear. I’d love to hear more from Hannah and our other main supporting characters.
brownflopsy's review against another edition
5.0
Danish author Hannah Krause-Bendix writes novellas about the human condition, but they have failed to sell in large numbers, despite regularly featuring in the high-brow literary prize lists. Hannah is starting to wonder if writing books no one actually reads is worth the emotional toll that is feeding her descent into alcoholism, no matter how worthy she believes them to be. Struggling with writer's block, her first attempt at a love story is going nowhere, so she decides to head for the literary festival her agent Bastian has been begging her to attend.
Hannah quickly realises that this is not an environment likely to improve her mood. Everything about it emphasises the gulf between her carefully considered, heartfelt prose, and the popular publications she holds in contempt. Her irritation is incited into fury when she is confronted by her literary nemesis, best-selling crime writer Jørn Jensen, who epitomises everything she hates about genre fiction. Inadvertently, Hannah's outrage results in her being openly challenged to write a crime novel of her own in only thirty days, and she is forced to take up the gauntlet or admit to public humiliation.
Bastian sends Hannah off to remote Iceland settlement Húsafjöður to get to work, hoping that the small town vibes and quirky characters will inspire her, but her writer's block persists and rattling-off a crime novel is much harder going than she thought. Two days after her arrival, the body of a young man is pulled from the water, and she is driven from her jaded mood by morbid curiosity. She begins to ask questions about the death, which, while giving her a rich seam of plot ideas for her book, puts everyone in danger. Hannah's growing conviction that this was no accident threatens to expose long buried secrets that some in Húsafjöður would rather stay hidden...
Thirty Days of Darkness is the first part of a brand new crime series starring author, turned unlikely criminal investigator, Hannah Krause-Bendix. Hannah is a spiky character. She begins this story in a self-pitying black hole that keeps everyone at arm's length, except her long-suffering agent Bastian. When her caustic attitude gets her into a spot of bother, the scene is set for Jenny Lund Madsen to weave a layered journey of self-discovery for Hannah, bringing together a highly enjoyable mix of dark comedy and the delicious Nordic noir elements that I love.
The theme of darkness runs cleverly through the threads of this tale, from pitch black moods and the sinister influence of those hiding secrets, to a menacing atmosphere heightened by dwindling daylight hours. In turn, the concept of isolation echoes across the story, reflected in the setting of a remote small town in Iceland, the weather that closes in, and in the history of many of the characters - whether it be a self-imposed distance, or as the result of a community that marginalises those that do not fit its rigid expectations. I particularly enjoyed how Madsen uses language barriers to play on the theme of isolation too.
This is a sharply plotted crime tale, full of mystery, that pulls off the difficult task of blending grit and pitch black humour to perfection. Madsen contrives tense thrills, bloody spills, compelling passionate interludes, and spot-on moments of slapstick comedy - and you can cut the claustrophobic, small-town vibes with a knife. It kept me guessing, made me chuckle at Hannah's blundering about, and has a powerful punch when the shocking reveals start to drop. And that is not all, because Madsen also casts an insightful eye on so many aspects of the world of books, touching on assumptions about the worthiness of different genres, and the writing process, which is very thought provoking.
I consumed this book, and take my hat off once more to Megan E. Turney for her first-class translation work. The little twists, turns, and thawing of frosty relationships have me looking forward with high anticipation to the next book in the series!
Hannah quickly realises that this is not an environment likely to improve her mood. Everything about it emphasises the gulf between her carefully considered, heartfelt prose, and the popular publications she holds in contempt. Her irritation is incited into fury when she is confronted by her literary nemesis, best-selling crime writer Jørn Jensen, who epitomises everything she hates about genre fiction. Inadvertently, Hannah's outrage results in her being openly challenged to write a crime novel of her own in only thirty days, and she is forced to take up the gauntlet or admit to public humiliation.
Bastian sends Hannah off to remote Iceland settlement Húsafjöður to get to work, hoping that the small town vibes and quirky characters will inspire her, but her writer's block persists and rattling-off a crime novel is much harder going than she thought. Two days after her arrival, the body of a young man is pulled from the water, and she is driven from her jaded mood by morbid curiosity. She begins to ask questions about the death, which, while giving her a rich seam of plot ideas for her book, puts everyone in danger. Hannah's growing conviction that this was no accident threatens to expose long buried secrets that some in Húsafjöður would rather stay hidden...
Thirty Days of Darkness is the first part of a brand new crime series starring author, turned unlikely criminal investigator, Hannah Krause-Bendix. Hannah is a spiky character. She begins this story in a self-pitying black hole that keeps everyone at arm's length, except her long-suffering agent Bastian. When her caustic attitude gets her into a spot of bother, the scene is set for Jenny Lund Madsen to weave a layered journey of self-discovery for Hannah, bringing together a highly enjoyable mix of dark comedy and the delicious Nordic noir elements that I love.
The theme of darkness runs cleverly through the threads of this tale, from pitch black moods and the sinister influence of those hiding secrets, to a menacing atmosphere heightened by dwindling daylight hours. In turn, the concept of isolation echoes across the story, reflected in the setting of a remote small town in Iceland, the weather that closes in, and in the history of many of the characters - whether it be a self-imposed distance, or as the result of a community that marginalises those that do not fit its rigid expectations. I particularly enjoyed how Madsen uses language barriers to play on the theme of isolation too.
This is a sharply plotted crime tale, full of mystery, that pulls off the difficult task of blending grit and pitch black humour to perfection. Madsen contrives tense thrills, bloody spills, compelling passionate interludes, and spot-on moments of slapstick comedy - and you can cut the claustrophobic, small-town vibes with a knife. It kept me guessing, made me chuckle at Hannah's blundering about, and has a powerful punch when the shocking reveals start to drop. And that is not all, because Madsen also casts an insightful eye on so many aspects of the world of books, touching on assumptions about the worthiness of different genres, and the writing process, which is very thought provoking.
I consumed this book, and take my hat off once more to Megan E. Turney for her first-class translation work. The little twists, turns, and thawing of frosty relationships have me looking forward with high anticipation to the next book in the series!
feiringen's review against another edition
3.0
Helt ok underholdningskrim. Litt konstruert. Greit spennende. Kunne vært smartere. Krim for de som ikke liker krim, antagelig. Men absolutt underholdende å lese.
marielle2003's review against another edition
4.0
Het verhaal komt langzaam op gang. Vanaf ongerveer pagina 150 wordt het echt interessant. De gebeurtenissen in het verhaal, zijn niet alleen spannend maar ook stof tot nadenken. Aan het einde (na meerdere plottwist’s) voel je een zekere mate van sympathie voor degene die uiteindelijk alles gedaan heeft.
Ja het is zeker een leuk verhaal. Alleen is hier en daar het ietwat krakkemikkig geschreven. Af en toe gebeurt er pagina’s lang niks, voordat er meerdere gebeurtenissen kort na elkaar plaats vinden. Dat maakt dit boek geen vijf sterren, maar vier sterren. Wel is dit boek een aanrader, als je boekt zoekt waar een voldoende spanning inzit + een einde waardoor je het boek niet meer kunt wegleggen voordat je weet hoe het zit!
Ja het is zeker een leuk verhaal. Alleen is hier en daar het ietwat krakkemikkig geschreven. Af en toe gebeurt er pagina’s lang niks, voordat er meerdere gebeurtenissen kort na elkaar plaats vinden. Dat maakt dit boek geen vijf sterren, maar vier sterren. Wel is dit boek een aanrader, als je boekt zoekt waar een voldoende spanning inzit + een einde waardoor je het boek niet meer kunt wegleggen voordat je weet hoe het zit!
theelliemo's review against another edition
2.0
I wouldn’t say I disliked it, but it didn’t wow me either.