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

The Girl Who Died - Ragnar Jónasson

'TEACHER WANTED ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD . . .'

Una knows she is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.

So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom of the old house where she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.

Una worries that she's losing her mind.

And then, just before midwinter, a young girl from the village is found dead. Now there are only nine villagers left - and Una fears that one of them has blood on their hands . . .

What did I think?

In his first standalone thriller, The Girl Who Died, Ragnar Jónasson shows once again why he is considered one of today's greatest crime writers.  After that amazing first line ('Teacher wanted at the edge of the world') the story builds up like layers of snow, at first seeming soft and gentle but getting more dangerous as times goes on.

Skálar is the village on the edge of the world that troubled teacher Una is drawn to.  This really is a village where everybody knows everybody as there is only a population of ten with two children in the school.  When Una arrives in Skálar there is a creepy welcome from a girl at the window dressed in white; she thinks it must be the little girl who lives in the house...but is it?

As Una gets to know people in the village they make their feelings for her quite clear: apart from Salka who requested a teacher for her daughter Edda, none of them want her there.  With creepy singing in her ear at night and such a frosty welcome, it's no wonder that Una turns to alcohol and this throws a shadow of doubt on her reliability.  With a ghost, a death, a missing person and an historic crime thrown into the mix, there are a couple of mysteries to solve and I love how they are woven together so seamlessly to create a hugely intriguing page-turner.  

I actually exclaimed (WTF?!?) out loud at one point as I got such a shock because of the way that Ragnar Jónasson's hypnotic prose seems to lull us into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under us.  It's absolutely stunning writing from Ragnar Jónasson and fantastic translation by Victoria Cribb.         

Claustrophobic, atmospheric and simply brilliant, The Girl Who Died is a masterclass in crime writing from Ragnar Jónasson.  Very highly recommended and one I will definitely read again.  

I received an ARC from the publisher and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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.

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Mist - Ragnar Jónasson

 

1987. An isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.

The snowstorm should have shut everybody out. But it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did.

An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda will be haunted forever . . .

What did I think?

STOP! Don't read my review - just buy the book!  It's THAT good.  Or more seriously, read my review really fast until you reach the buy links near the bottom, click to buy and wait until one of the BEST books you'll read this year lands on your doormat.

I absolutely love Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland series starring police officer Ari Thór Arason, but I completely missed that he had published this Hidden Iceland series starring Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir.  The Mist is the third book in the series but you can totally read it as a standalone, while you wait for your order of the previous two books to arrive, as you'll want to read them as soon as you've read The Mist.

The prologue is set in February 1988 with Hulda Hermannsdottir returning to work after some time off.  My little antenna of curiosity stood to attention as I desperately wanted to know what had happened to Hulda and I thought I'd made a terrible mistake in jumping in at the third book in the series, but fear not because Ragnar Jónasson rolls back the clock a few months and Hulda's JAW DROPPING story will be revealed within this very book.  So get your reading skates on as there's some speed reading to do!

Oh my word, Ragnar Jónasson's magnificent writing is an absolute pleasure to read.  Impeccably translated from Icelandic to English by Victoria Cribb, you can't tell at all that it's a translated book.  The prose is exquisite, building tension layer upon layer just like the snow falling during the storm.  Snow that you can 'feel' without having to look outside.  How true is that?  It's like we have a sixth sense that makes us draw back the curtains to find that our street has been coated in blanket of snow.

I'm going to say very little about the plot so that I don't spoil it, but I previously mentioned Hulda's very intriguing story and this gives us a dual storyline in between the murders that she is investigating.  Both storylines have little cliffhangers at the end of their chapters so that you are compelled to keep reading, so brew a big pot of coffee as you'll be up all night reading The Mist.  The Mist is so good, it's a read it in one-sitting book; I definitely wasn't going to go to sleep until I'd finished it!

It was through reading Ragnar Jónasson's books that I found out about Jólabókaflóðið, the Icelandic Christmas book flood, and there's another fabulous Icelandic tradition mentioned in The Mist: buying new clothes to ward off 'The Christmas Cat'.  According to Icelandic legend, this is an evil cat that eats children who don't get any new clothes for Christmas.  Although we don't have a similar British equivalent, it perhaps explains why we get horrific knitted jumpers from our grandparents when we're young!

Brilliant from beginning to end, The Mist is one of the best books I've read this year.  Perfectly plotted, fast paced and completely addictive, The Mist is an exceptional thriller that is impossible to put down.  This is such an outstanding book that a five star rating feels woefully inadequate; I really can't recommend it highly enough.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a gifted book to read and review; all opinions are my own. 

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Follow the tour:

COVER REVEAL: The Girl Who Died - Ragnar Jónasson

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the cover reveal of the new Ragnar Jónasson book today.  The Girl Who Died is Ragnar's first standalone novel and it's being published on 29 April 2021.  I can barely contain my excitement so let's have a look at the cover before I burst!!

This cover really sets the scene for what I'm sure will be an AWESOME book, it's dark, snowy and isolated - I've got chills already!  You can read the synopsis of the book below, where you can also find out more about the author and most importantly, click on that preorder link.

Here's a little bit about the book:

Una is devastated after the suicide of her father. So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in Skálar on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom in the old house she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.

Una worries that she's losing her mind. And then, just before Christmas, there's a death in the village…

About the author:

RAGNAR JÓNASSON was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he works as a writer and a lawyer. He also teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University, and has worked as a TV news reporter for Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. He is the author of the DARK ICELAND series (Snowblind, Nightblind, Blackout, Rupture and Whiteout) and the HIDDEN ICELAND series (The Darkness, The Island, The Mist).

Ragnar is the co-founder of Iceland Noir, Iceland’s first crime fiction festival. From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic; a practice that has inspired his own writing. 

Follow him on Twitter @Ragnarjo

Preorder link:

Waterstones