A great 4-star scandi noir/ crime fiction which really immerses you into this chilling story – meet Winterkill by Ragnar Jónasson.
The plot:
Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crows of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.
Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes ‘she was murdered’ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…
As a violent blizzard closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór Arason must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth… one that will leave no one unscathed.
I’m here for more Ragnar Jónasson
I’m genuinely gutted that I’ve discovered this author for his final book of the Ari Thor (Dark Iceland) series. Winterkill is the 6th book in this wonderful collection – I have Rupture (3rd), but I’m immediately going back to the beginning. You can see why there are so many raving reviews for this author, as well as the protagonist. Don’t make my mistake and start from the beginning!
I love an atmospheric book, but the way this author writes brings Iceland to you (and with winter outside, it’s perfect to read by a fire/radiator). The perfect scandi-noir for me, has to have a chilling atmosphere and a (somewhat) troubled protagonist with an underlying police procedural element, and Winterkill ticks all the boxes.
It’s a relatively short book at 225 pages, which allowed Jónasson to write in a way where the ending just creeps up quietly on you. You meet one plot twist, which isn’t hugely shocking as you’re working things out alongside Ari Thór, and then BOOM another plot twist, which is definitely jaw-dropping.
Albeit a shorter read, it’s still incredibly pacey, as there’s lots of conversation, and it’s fairly intense at times, which means those pages keep turning. It reminded me of Agatha Christie’s books, but set in Iceland, which I much prefer.
The only reason it’s lacking that extra star is due to the blizzard element – it seems to be quite a key element to the story based on the synopsis, but apart from one point near the end, it didn’t seem that significant. I could imagine that it was cold and stormy, but I would’ve liked the ‘cut-off’ element to be more ‘dramatic’, and also the repetition of the protagonist shivering annoyed me a little.
All in all, I’m ready for the previous books in this series, and I’m already attached to Ari Thór – it can most definitely be read as a standalone (exhibit A), but I’d recommend reading from the start of the series, as there are some aspects mentioned which I believe link back.
I’m here for more Ragnar Jónasson.
Winterkill, Ragnar Jónasson, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository
Pages: 225
Publisher: Orenda Books
Genre: Crime Fiction/ Scandi Noir
