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hayleyscomment's review
3.0
This whole series was a super fast and fairly enjoyable read. Best elements: the setting and the mysteries, which felt like good old fashioned whodunits. Sometimes secondary plot lines feel a little random, but my eyes never rolled into the back of my head.
Unfortunately I didn’t fall in love past the first book because of ideas, characters, and plots that were left hanging. We honestly never find out the big mystery about Ari Thor’s family?!?? It was teased for six books and by the end I was tired of hearing about it but i at least expected a payoff. And I expected it to help me empathize with Ari Thor’s ambivalence about his partner and child.
Also, it could be related to the translation but the descriptions of people and places became very repetitive at some point. This goes for the protagonist as well, whose personality and professional style barely seem to develop over the series.
Unfortunately I didn’t fall in love past the first book because of ideas, characters, and plots that were left hanging. We honestly never find out the big mystery about Ari Thor’s family?!?? It was teased for six books and by the end I was tired of hearing about it but i at least expected a payoff. And I expected it to help me empathize with Ari Thor’s ambivalence about his partner and child.
Also, it could be related to the translation but the descriptions of people and places became very repetitive at some point. This goes for the protagonist as well, whose personality and professional style barely seem to develop over the series.
marvsbooks's review
3.0
Good story! Not super exciting, but loved the plot twist. I would read another book by this author again.
robertalllan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bridget1989's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kfrig's review
4.0
3.5 - another wonderful Scandinavian detective novel by Ragnar Jonasson. A 5 within the genre but 3.5 compared to all of the books I’ve read. Quick mysteries with detective Ari Thor at the center. Love the lack of gore and the descriptions of the people and places of Siglufjordur, Iceland near the Arctic Circle. This won’t be my last Jonasson novel.
myfrogmonster's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
Another wonderful mystery. This Dark Iceland series has been fantastic. Ari Thor is a marvelous character. I have been trying to figure out if Mr. Jonasson is going to continue the series but it is hard to tell. If this is the end of the series I am sad, but it had a satisfying conclusion. I hope he does continue with stories in Ari's world. I love the atmosphere he creates in these stories. I live in MN and it is easy to relate to the weather. Reading this during a snowstorm certainly adds to the ambiance!
jenheartbooks's review
3.0
Quick read, but not especially well-written. I have never read a mystery that utterly lacked suspense before. This story was just plodding and methodical, and not especially interesting or original.
sooky's review against another edition
4.0
Dark and atmospheric nordic noir. It was great to return to this small town and Ari Thor. I do wonder, was he always such a wet blanket though? He was thinking about working in Reykjavik, but instead of saying something, he's waiting for his former boss to recommend him for a job. When the old boss makes noises about retiring, Ari concludes he's going to be stuck in tiny town forever. Why tho?
maw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
admacg's review against another edition
3.0
Winterkill is the final outing in Ragnar Jonasson’s excellent ‘Dark Iceland’ books. At the beginning of ‘Snowblind, the first book in the series, a body was found and described as a snow angel, peaceful but surrounded by a pool of blood. This time we begin with another body in the snow, a nineteen year old female, having fallen there from a height. Suicide or Murder?
Ari Thor is now Police Inspector, and he’s straight onto the case. As usual, everything is not what it seems and our favourite Icelandic investigator is piecing together the puzzle. It’s coming up to Easter and his ex partner Kristin is visiting for the weekend with his now three year old son Stefnir, who now live in Sweden, so he’s eager to spend time with them but of course the case soon preoccupies his mind and he can’t drop it. To complicate matters, he is also called to the local retirement home, where old flame Ugla now works. One of the residents has written something disturbing on the wall – could it be related to the case? And of course it wouldn’t be the dark Iceland series without a serious turn in the weather – a blizzard that brings everything to a standstill and contributes to the feeling of claustrophobia.
As per usual this is a carefully constructed crime novel, and it’s always good to spend time with Ari, but for me this wasn’t one of the strongest outings in the series. I felt I was able to hazard a guess as to what happened before the final reveal. Still, it was well plotted and I felt that Ari’s story was wrapped up well. I would like to visit Siglufjörður some day, though hopefully when the weather is a bit better. A solid end to a solid crime series.
Ari Thor is now Police Inspector, and he’s straight onto the case. As usual, everything is not what it seems and our favourite Icelandic investigator is piecing together the puzzle. It’s coming up to Easter and his ex partner Kristin is visiting for the weekend with his now three year old son Stefnir, who now live in Sweden, so he’s eager to spend time with them but of course the case soon preoccupies his mind and he can’t drop it. To complicate matters, he is also called to the local retirement home, where old flame Ugla now works. One of the residents has written something disturbing on the wall – could it be related to the case? And of course it wouldn’t be the dark Iceland series without a serious turn in the weather – a blizzard that brings everything to a standstill and contributes to the feeling of claustrophobia.
As per usual this is a carefully constructed crime novel, and it’s always good to spend time with Ari, but for me this wasn’t one of the strongest outings in the series. I felt I was able to hazard a guess as to what happened before the final reveal. Still, it was well plotted and I felt that Ari’s story was wrapped up well. I would like to visit Siglufjörður some day, though hopefully when the weather is a bit better. A solid end to a solid crime series.