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rickaevans 's review for:
Snowblind
by Ragnar Jónasson
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.