Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Snowblind

Having read the Hidden Iceland series it was interesting to read about a totally different kind of bleak and I thought the description of claustrophobia provided another dimension to the murder mystery. I did enjoy the twists and turns but couldn’t help but feel as though Ari Thor has some growing to do. I’m interested to read more though as I would like to learn more about these characters.

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katelindsay's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Snowblind by Ragnor Jónasson is the first in an Iceland noir series. Originally published in 2010, this book was translated and published in the United States in 2015. We follow our protagonist Ari Thor Arason from Reykjavik to a small town on the northern coast when he takes his first job as a police officer. When he arrives in town he’s told nothing ever happens there.

Not long after his arrive, an esteemed write and chairman of the town’s Dramatic Society appears to have fallen down the stairs. Ruled as an accident until a women is found close to death, bleeding in the snow, there may be more to the older man’s death than meets the eye. Without an ounce of delicacy, Ari Thor digs into the lives of townspeople who definitely do not trust the newcomer.

Jónasson uses the setting to create tension. Surrounded by mountains and the ocean, the town is only reachable by a small mountain tunnel. Snow falls frequently and the tunnel becomes cut off due to a small avalanche. Tensions rise as the down becomes isolated and everyone feels trapped with a murderer.

Nordic mystery novels have risen in popularity over the last decade. Although I’ve read a few short stories from a collection of Swedish crime stories, Snowblind is my first Nordic novel. Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie, this seemed like perfect foray into the genre. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the story as much as I would have liked.

I appreciated that the plot and murders weren’t very dark or graphic, as well as the amount of information about the characters we received before the murders. However, I never felt invested in the story or characters. While the story was definitely well written, I prefer older mysteries and historical fiction mysteries.

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silver_valkyrie_reads's review

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This fell perfectly in that zone in between cozy mystery and thriller for me--neither cheesy nor gory. Other than that, I found it disappointing, mostly in that the mildly likeable characters at the beginning never improved, and sometimes became even less likeable as the story progressed.

It would have been three stars, but it lost another half star because the ending wasn't *quite* satisfying for me.

The main plus to this book is that I've now read a book set in Iceland...

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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson

mtnest's review against another edition

enchantressreads's review against another edition

petitemass15's review

georgiesutton's review

katelindsay's review

silver_valkyrie_reads's review