BLOG TOUR: Snowblind: 10th Anniversary Edition, including NEW Dark Iceland series mystery, FADEOUT - Ragnar Jónasson

I'm delighted to repost my review from 2016 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson.  This is still one of my favourite books EVER and this fabulous new edition is a good excuse to reread it, especially as it comes with a brand new prequel, Fadeout.

 

SNOWBLIND

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he's unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life.

 

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness – blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

 

Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

 

FADEOUT – NEW!

When Ari Thór Arason receives a staggeringly high bill for a foreign credit card that was taken out in his name, his life takes a turn he never anticipated. The bill in question belongs to his namesake – his father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances when Ari was only a child.

 

Seeking answers, Ari Thór travels to London to investigate, hoping to learn the truth about what happened to his father all those years ago, and discovering far more than he could ever have imagined…

What did I think (in 2016)?

I've been following Orenda Books on Twitter for quite some time and it's always great to see the excitement caused by the release of a new book.  I thought at one point that Snowblind was going to break Twitter as there were so many tweets about it.  So I listened to my learned fellow book bloggers and headed straight over to Amazon to secure a copy for my Kindle.  I even have to admit that at the time I purchased Snowblind, I didn't even have a Kindle so what a good excuse to buy one!

Ari Thór accepts a job offer which results in him moving North on his own, leaving behind his girlfriend.  His girlfriend doesn't seem that upset, to be honest; she seems colder than the snow up north.  When he arrives in Siglufjörður he's told that it's a quiet village and nothing ever happens there, so there's no need to even lock doors at night.  Then a famous author, now part of the dramatic society at the local theare, falls to his death.  Was it an accident or was he pushed?  It's Siglufjörður, so surely he just fell down the stairs...at least that's what the police think until Ari Thór disturbs an intruder in his house one night and a young woman is found bleeding to death in the snow.  Things have certainly started happening in quiet peaceful Siglufjörður.  Has the snow brought this madness or are there some underlying secrets just bursting to be revealed?

Snowblind is so very atmospheric that I had to put an extra warm layer of clothes on just to read it.  I felt as if Ari Thór was the only normal person in the village and all of the villagers had hidden agendas.  They do all have secrets to some degree, which is no mean feat in a town where everybody knows everybody's business.  I found the snow to be a perfect setting, it almost absorbed all of the background noise giving the story a good pace without it being too busy and over-worked.  

I've also got to mention an excellent idea that Ragnar Jónasson has now introduced to me through reading Snowblind.  Ari Thór has a Christmas tradition of receiving a new book as a gift on Christmas Eve and reading it late into the night.  I'm definitely adopting this tradition!

My rating:

Buy it from:

Orenda Books

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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COVER REVEAL: Snowblind 10th anniversary edition - Ragnar Jónasson

I'm absolutely thrilled to join in the cover reveal for the 10th anniversary edition of Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson, publishing on 10th October 2025 by Orenda Books.  It's not just a republishing of Snowblind, it also includes a novella prequel Fadeout.  I can't wait to read it but let's have a look at the new cover, shall we?

Isn't that just breathtaking?  The new cover is amazing and the hardback has spredges!

Here's a little bit about the book:

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he's unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life.

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness – blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

Preorder link:

https://geni.us/a0tqMI

BLOG TOUR: Winterkill (Dark Iceland 6) - Ragnar Jónasson

 

A blizzard is approaching Siglufjörður, and that can only mean one thing…

When the body of a nineteen-year-old girl is found on the main street of Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór battles a violent Icelandic storm in an increasingly dangerous hunt for her killer … The chilling, claustrophobic finale to the international bestselling Dark Iceland series.

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

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 the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

Chilling, claustrophobic and disturbing, Winterkill is a startling addition to the multi-million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting and acclaimed authors in crime fiction.

What did I think?

I have not read a Ragnar Jónasson book that was anything less than brilliant and Winterkill is no exception.  Winterkill, translated by David Warriner, is the stunning conclusion to the fantastic Dark Iceland series and although I'm sad to say goodbye to Ari Thór Arason, I'm mindful that it's only au revoir as I plan to read this amazing series all over again.

You could definitely read Winterkill as a standalone novel as the storyline is brilliant and the characters are so well developed, however, reading the earlier books explains the foibles of Ari Thór's character.  Ari Thór is a bit of an odd character but I really like him; he's not very proactive in life, expecting things to fall in his lap with little effort which is how he's living alone and stuck in Siglufjörður, dreaming of a future life in Reykjavík.

Ari Thór looks like he has a simple case of suicide after a teenager plunges to her death from a balcony.  As it's not her home, the only loose end is the question of what she was doing there.  The case becomes more complicated when a resident in a nursing home writes a message on his wall after overhearing his carers talking about the girl's suicide: 'She was murdered'.  What does the old man know that Ari Thór doesn't?  

With such a razor sharp plot, I hope Ragnar Jónasson didn't cut himself when writing Winterkill.  It's just brilliant from start to finish, impossible to second-guess and even more impossible to put down.  Ragnar Jónasson is one of the best crime writers I have ever read; his writing cleverly builds layer upon layer of suspense in keeping with the snow falling in Siglufjörður.  I am completely in awe of Ragnar Jónasson's writing talent and I am delighted that the Dark Iceland series has been optioned for TV; I can't wait to see Ari Thór on my screen.

Winterkill is tense, ominous and chilling so wrap up warm, put the kettle on and sit down with one of the best books you'll read this year.  Very highly recommended and once again Ragnar 'Five Star' Jónasson is awarded my highest possible rating.

I received an ebook to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Icelandic crime writer Ragnar Jónasson was born in Reykjavík, and currently works as a lawyer, while teacher copyright law at the Reykjavík University Law School. In the past, he’s worked in TV and radio, including as a news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. 

Before embarking on a writing career, Ragnar translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic, and has had several short stories published in German, English and Icelandic literary magazines. Ragnar set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) in Reykjavík, and is co-founder of the International crime-writing festival Iceland Noir. 

Ragnar’s debut thriller, Snowblind became an almost instant bestseller when it was published in June 2015 with Nightblind (winner of the Dead Good Reads Most  Captivating Crime in Translation Award) and then Blackout, Rupture and Whiteout following soon after. To date, Ragnar Jónasson has written five novels in the Dark Iceland series, which has been optioned for TV by On the Corner. He lives in Reykjavík with his wife and two daughters.

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Rupture (Dark Iceland #4) - Ragnar Jónasson

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them. 

Haunting, frightening and complex, Rupture is a dark and atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland’s foremost crime writers. 

What did I think?

Rupture is another of the Dark Iceland series that is set before Book 2, Nightblind.  Again, I do wish I had read them in the order that they were written rather than the order in which they were translated (and bought), as if I needed such a brilliant excuse to read the whole series again!

I loved the Agatha Christie feel to this book, with Ari Thór investigating a cold case from 50 years ago, all based around an intriguing old photograph.  It has the added menace of a deadly virus outbreak which leads to Siglufjörður being on lockdown, so with nobody being able to get in our out, Ari Thór can concentrate on solving this murder from the 1950's.  I do love the character of Ari Thór; he is such a cool iceman who has no thought for people's feelings and just says what he thinks.  

With the reintroduction of Ísrún, the reporter we met in Blackout, another layer is added as Ari Thór utilises her investigative skills.  Ísrún is investigating a missing child so we have two mysteries to solve in Rupture and I loved untangling the threads of both of these brilliant 'whodunnit' storylines.

Like I have said before, Ragnar Jónasson has the ability to conjure such detailed images in the readers' minds through his impeccable writing.  The scenery is breathtakingly described and I have such a vivid image of Siglufjörður in my head that every time I read a Dark Iceland book, I feel like I am actually there.  I love the pace and length of these books, they pack such a lot into their short length and this is most definitely a case of quality over quantity.  As dark as they are, they always leave me looking forward to my next visit to Siglufjörður.

My rating:

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Blackout (Dark Iceland 3) - Ragnar Jónasson

On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer’s night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person’s life hangs in the balance. Ari Thór Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjörður struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. What secrets does the dead man harbour, and what is the young reporter hiding? As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it’s a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies…

What did I think?

The fantastic cover of Blackout gives some hint of the creeping darkness in this third instalment of the Dark Iceland series - I bought an ebook but I think it would have looked even better 'in the flesh'.

As an ash cloud threatens to turn the country into darkness, a brutal murder is committed in Iceland.  I used to want to visit Iceland, but I'm having second thoughts after all the murders portrayed in Ragnar Jónasson's books; they are so very realistic that you forget they are fiction.  I even think of Ari Thór as an old friend, one who's annoying at times but he is a cool iceman after all.

I felt like there were a lot of characters in Blackout, and being set before book 2, Nightblind, it didn't take much to confuse me.  As much as I didn't know who was who at times, it didn't stop me enjoying the story but I do wish that I had read Blackout before Nightblind.  As I've come to expect with Ragnar's books, the elements are painted as characters in their own right and there was nothing more menacing than an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption.  

I particularly loved the new character of Isrún, a young journalist, who is determined to get her story before the darkness descends.  We dig a little into Isrún's family history which was my favourite part of the story, being almost a dual storyline and the thread which kept me turning page after page.

The whole Dark Iceland series is set to be a classic series for crime fiction lovers.  You don't get much darker than Icelandic Noir and Blackout will have you turning the pages until all its dark and chilling secrets are revealed.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Whiteout (Dark Iceland #5) - Ragnar Jónasson

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? 

With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thór Arason discovers that the victim's mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place. 

Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland's bestselling crime writers.

What did I think?

A new book from Ragnar Jónasson causes such excitement in the reading community as so many readers, myself included, eagerly await the next adventure of Ari Thór Arason.  I was shivering in anticipation of the chilly temperatures and the chilling storyline I might find in this latest instalment of the Dark Iceland series.  As with it's predecessors, Whiteout is set before the events of Nightblind but I wasn't confused at having read Nightblind much earlier, it just felt like it slotted in nicely to fill in a few blanks.

Whiteout has chills throughout from the snowy cover to the almost ghostly feel as 3 women from the same family are compelled to throw themselves over the cliffs at the same spot but several years apart.  Ásta is the latest victim: her death appears to be suicide but the police think something more sinister could be at play when they find out that both her sister and her mother perished after falling from the very same cliffs.  

Tómas is still settling into the Reykjavik police force and feels like he has something to prove so he calls on his ex-colleague, Ari Thór Arason, to help him with this case.  Ari Thór has recently been reunited with his girlfriend, Kristín, and he won't make the same mistake twice about accepting a job without consulting her.  Kristín, even in her current state and so close to Christmas, is surprisingly amenable and agrees to accompany Ari Thór to the eerie semi-deserted village of Kálfshamarvík.  With few people still living there, the ones that remain all happen to have been there at the time of all three deaths.  Certain that the killer is among them, Tómas and Ari Thór have no intention of declaring Ásta's death a suicide so they can get home in time for Christmas.  

After feeling a little overwhelmed with characters and Icelandic place names in Blackout and Rupture, I felt that Whiteout brings us back to the old-fashioned whodunnit murder mystery style of Snowblind and Nightblind.  There were just the right number of characters for me to keep track of and I loved the coastal location.  I could just imagine the craggy headland with the lighthouse standing proud and aloof, seeing everything with its bright eye and holding all the village secrets in its locked tower.

Although I do love the main character of Ari Thór, I don't think he is the easiest guy to get along with; he doesn't seem to let people get too close to him.  I'm sure there is a good reason for this and there is perhaps a hint of why this could be at the end of Whiteout which left us with a nice little teaser to keep us on tenterhooks until the next instalment...which I hope is in the not too distant future!

Whiteout is another superb instalment of what is turning out to be a majestic crime series and it's one of those series that is so atmospheric that, even though you know the ending, you could read it over again and enjoy it every bit as much as the first time.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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Nightblind (Dark Iceland #2) - Ragnar Jónasson

The peace of a close-knit Icelandic community is shattered by the murder of a policeman - shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark Arctic waters closing in, it falls to Ari Thor to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik where someone is being held against their will...

What did I think?

I have to say that I love the Dark Iceland series, the only problem is that each instalment is too darn short.  I really ought to read slower to make the experience last longer but my eyes seem to have other ideas as they scoot across the page greedily devouring every single line.  

We are reminded again that nothing ever happens in the sleepy arctic town of Siglufjörðor, until someone is shot.  We meet back up with our favourite fictional Icelander, Ari Thór, who has finally talked his girlfriend, Kristín, into moving to Siglufjörðor where they live with their young son, Stefnir.  Ari Thór is off work with flu so his new police inspector, Herjólfur, is covering his shift.  Herjólfur is called out to an abandoned house frequented by drug dealers where he is shot at point blank range, leaving Ari Thór to wonder whether he was the intended target.

With Herjólfur clinging on to life, but unlikely to regain consciousness, Ari Thór's old boss, Tómas, returns to help with the investigation.  In between the investigation there are tantalising snippets from a diary that had me completely riveted with questions pouring out of my brain like an avalanche.  Whose diary is it?  Is it past?  Is it present?  Can I read any faster to find out?

Nightblind is another stupendous instalment from Ragnar Jónasson.  As ever, the landscape feels like a main character itself, as the words on the page magically transform into a landscape painting in my head.  I have to applaud the translation of Quentin Bates in addition to the talented writing of Ragnar Jónasson; absolutely nothing is lost in translation, but everything is gained as the ingenious words paint such a vivid picture.

I was slightly confused as to which order I should read the books as the UK series order differs from the original.  When I've read them all, I'll decide if it really matters but at the moment I just want to read them all in whatever order I can.  I can only presume that the order will matter in the development of Ari Thór and Kristín's relationship as in Nightblind, Ari Thór seems completely oblivious to Kristín's feelings.  I think their relationship is as cold as the temperature outside in Siglufjörðor but time will tell whether they can survive the cold, dark winter.

Nightblind is so good I have two copies of it: one a treasured signed first edition, that I handle with kid gloves, and a kindle copy to which I added copious effusive notes.  Bring on book 3, Blackout.

My rating:

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