I'll Pray When I'm Dying - Stephen J. Golds

DO ALL SONS BECOME THEIR FATHERS?

Ben Hughes is a corrupt Boston Vice Detective and bagman for the Southie Mob.

Already desperately struggling with obsessive compulsions and memories of a traumatic childhood, his world begins to fall apart at the seams, triggered by the photograph of a missing child in the newspaper and the anniversary of his father’s death twenty years earlier.

‘I’LL PRAY WHEN I’M DYING’ IS THE STORY OF A BAD MAN BECOMING WORSE…

 

What did I think?

I've made no secret of the fact that I am a huge Stephen J. Golds fan and his latest novel, I'll Pray When I'm Dying, is an outstanding addition to his already stunning back catalogue.  I marvel every single time at Stephen J. Golds' amazing ability to write novels with such a vintage feel that it's like a black and white film transferred from screen to page.

With a dual timeline set 20 years and many miles apart, we read the stories of William and Ben Hughes, father and son respectively.  Ben has followed his father into the police force but has left London and is now a detective in Boston and an agent for the Irish mob.  Ben is ruthless and violent but he also suffers with OCD and it's heartbreaking to see how debilitating this is.  Yes, that's me feeling sorry for a baddie!  

Throughout the prose there are flashbacks to Ben's childhood as he struggles with episodes of OCD and this built my empathy further as his trauma was laid bare.  When a report of a missing child sends Ben into a spiral of despair, he is obsessed with saving the boy as nobody ever saved him.  I've never felt such empathy for a violent protagonist but that's the magic of Stephen J. Golds' writing.

I'll Pray When I'm Dying is beautifully written, and somehow the prose is lyrical even when it's brutal.  Perfectly crafted with not a word out of place, it's dark, disturbing, haunting and compelling.  Completely unforgettable and I'll definitely be reading it again in the future to fully appreciate its brilliance.  Stephen J. Golds' star continues to rise and he once again scoops the full five stars from me.

Many thanks to Stephen J. Golds for sending me a digital ARC to read and review.  This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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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:

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Love Like Bleeding Out with an Empty Gun in Your Hand: Poems and Stories - Stephen J. Golds

 

An aging hitman is embittered by his career choice at the point of no return. A shell-shocked soldier in World War Two finds hope through death, reflected in the eyes of his enemy. A serial killer confesses in veiled, lurching prose. A mobster unravels at the zero hour of this mortal coil. A man reevaluates existence after discovering a suicide. These are some of the twenty-nine dark, twisted, and gritty stories by Stephen J. Golds collected here for the first time — bound taut with thirty poems of loss, love, and other thoughts that haunt you after last call.

What did I think?

WOW!  This short story and poetry collection from Stephen J. Golds absolutely blew me away.  I have to be honest and say that I'm not a fan of short stories (or indeed poetry) as they always seem incomplete and leave me feeling unsatisfied.  So why did I read this book, I hear you say.  Well simply because I am a huge fan of Stephen J. Golds unique writing; it has such an inimitable vintage noir quality that continually makes my jaw drop.  If all short stories were like these, I'd definitely be a fan!  

With such a varied range of characters and settings, Love Like Bleeding Out with an Empty Gun in Your Hand is an exquisite collection of exceptional short stories.  Stories that are often chilling but filled with emotion and stunning visual depictions.  I found myself comparing Stephen J. Golds' written word to Quentin Tarantino's movies - they are both masters at depicting violence in an artistic way but I have to say that the book is better.  Golds easily kicks Tarantino's ass!

The final 10% of the book is made up of poems but I've never been able to grasp poetry and unfortunately I still don't get it.  As much as it felt completely alien to me, I could still appreciate and marvel at the quality of the writing.  I'm sure Stephen J. Golds could make his shopping list appear dark, sinister and lyrical.

What is amazing about this collection is that the quality of the stories doesn't waiver at all.  The bar is set extremely high from the start and it doesn't dip at all; every single story is outstanding and that's no mean feat as there are 29 stories in the book.  Even with a gun to my head, I wouldn't be able to pick a favourite from among them as I loved them all and I'll definitely be rereading them again.

Dark, chilling, gritty and exquisitely written, Love Like Bleeding Out with an Empty Gun in Your Hand is the best collection of short stories I have ever read.   Incredibly highly recommended and well deserving of nothing less than 5 stars for this magnificent collection.

Many thanks to Stephen J. Golds for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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How's the Pain? - Pascal Garnier

Death is Simon’s business. And now the ageing vermin exterminator is preparing to die. But he still has one last job down on the coast, and he needs a driver. 

Bernard is twenty-one. He can drive and he’s never seen the sea. He can’t pass up the chance to chauffeur for Simon, whatever his mother may say. As the unlikely pair set off on their journey, Bernard soon finds that Simon’s definition of vermin is broader than he’d expected … 

Veering from the hilarious to the horrific, this offbeat story from master stylist Pascal Garnier is at heart an affecting study of human frailty. 

What did I think?

Pascal Garnier is certainly what I would consider one of my great finds of 2020 and I was so looking forward to reading more of his books after I'd read and enjoyed A Long Way Off.  I picked up How's the Pain? and I was hooked from the first shocking chapter, unable to put the book down until I had greedily devoured every single perfect word, flawlessly translated once again by Emily Boyce.

At 171 pages, How's the Pain? is a short book but my goodness, there's lots going on in it.  I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions as, although it's considered to be in the noir genre, it's very funny.  By carefully choosing his words, Pascal Garnier creates such well developed characters that the reader really gets to know over the course of the book.  Even though he has a dubious career, I really liked Simon and I loved the interaction between him and his new acquaintance Bernard.

The writing is sublime and the narrative is sharp and witty, making the story flow beautifully and it's easy to read in one short sitting (I think it took me about 90 minutes to read).  It's definitely a book I'll read again, as I'm sure I'll have missed some things at the rate I was reading, and I've no doubt that I'll still find the same parts hilarious.

Filled with dark humour and quirky characters, How's the Pain? is completely magnifique!

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for me to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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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:

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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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A Long Way Off - Pascal Garnier

Marc dreams of going somewhere far, far away – but he’ll start by taking his cat and his grown-up daughter, Anne, to an out-of-season resort on the Channel.

Reluctant to go home, the curious threesome head south for Agen, whose main claim to fame is its prunes. As their impromptu road trip takes ever stranger turns, the trail of destruction – and mysterious disappearances – mounts up in their wake. 

Shocking, hilarious and poignant, the final dose of French noir from Pascal Garnier, published shortly before his death, is the author on top form.

What did I think?

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of A Long Way Off; it sounds so quirky and original but as it turns out, that doesn't even come close to describing the book.  At 124 pages long, it only takes around an hour to read it but there is so much crammed into the story that it doesn't feel like a novella.  Originally written in French, absolutely nothing has been lost in the amazing translation by Emily Boyce. 

Marc is the main character and when we are first introduced to him he come across as a bit socially inept.  It's no surprise then when he decides to buy a cat and chooses the oldest, fattest and most lethargic cat in the pet shop.  Boudu the cat goes on a road trip along with Marc and his daughter, Anne, who is usually resident in a psychiatric hospital.  This is where the story really takes off as strange things start to happen wherever the trio stop for the night.

As Marc isn't exactly a very colourful character, it took me a little while to get into the book but once Boudu and Anne joined the story it became a book that I easily read in one sitting.  I'm not easily shocked but my jaw did hit the floor and I gasped in horror as the story reached its very very dark conclusion.  This is Noir with a capital 'N' as Pascal Garnier shows how it should be done.

A Long Way Off is a little book with a big storyline; it's short, sharp and shocking.  I'd definitely read more Pascal Garnier books as his dark humour and ability to shock his readers is second to none.

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

My rating:

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The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn

What did she see?

It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

What did I think?

I saw a lot of posts on social media about The Woman in the Window so I just had to read it for myself and, although I didn't love it as much as I thought I would, I really enjoyed it and I'm pleased that I have read it.  It's quite a quick read with short chapters and an intriguing storyline so it's one of those books that you find yourself racing through.

Dr Anna Fox is a child psychologist suffering from agoraphobia.  Trapped in her house, she observes her neighbours' lives and binge-watches old black and white movies.  Anna gets her zoom lens ready for a real life episode of Neighbours when a new family move into the street.  The mother, Jane Russell, introduces herself to Anna but a few days later Anna hears Jane scream...frantically focussing the zoom lens, has Anna just witnessed a murder?

Anna is on medication and drinks a lot of alcohol so her reliability as a witness is called into question by the police and by the reader.  I wasn't even sure if Jane Russell was real with Anna's penchant for watching old movies and Jane Russell being the name of a 1950's film star.  I love books that make you think like this, as your brain tries to see behind the smoke and mirrors.

Full of suspense with deceptions at every turn, you can't help but raise an eyebrow or drop your jaw at some point in the book.  Although very well written, I felt more intrigued than gripped and I do like my heart to race at some point in a book.  I think this would be a great book to pack in your suitcase for a holiday read and I can imagine The Woman in the Window being seen a lot on the beach this summer.

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

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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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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BLOG TOUR: Wolves in the Dark - Gunnar Staalesen

Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum's life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts. When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he's accused of being part of a paedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material ... and who is seeking the ultimate revenge. When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest - and most personal - case yet. Chilling, shocking and exceptionally gripping, Wolves in the Dark reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world's foremost thriller writers.

What did I think?

It felt a little bit daunting when I picked up Wolves in the Dark, as I hadn't realised how many earlier Varg Veum books there were - this is number 21, in case you are wondering.  I was worried that joining a series so late would lessen the enjoyment of reading the book, but I am delighted to report that it works so well as a standalone that it left me wanting to find out more about Varg's back story.

The drama begins on the very first page when Varg is awoken by the police as they turn up at the crack of dawn to arrest him for having shocking images of children on his computer.  Varg has never seen the images before but with such compelling evidence stacked against him, he struggles to prove his innocence.  Whilst being investigated he tries to remember anybody who might bear him a grudge.  It took me a little while to get used to the writing style at this point, as it wasn't clear to me that we were reading about Varg's past so I was wondering how he got out of custody.  Once the penny dropped, I got used to it and although I didn't need a 'then' and 'now' chapter heading, something like a '3 years ago' hint would have alleviated my confusion.

The storyline is quite serious and shocking at times, but I loved the little bits of Gunnar Staalesen's dry humour sprinkled throughout - Varg's rapid-fire quips and humorous anecdotes did make me laugh on more than one occasion.  The thing that intrigued me the most about Varg is that he's a private investigator who's not very good at following people.  He doesn't really care about his work either, since he lost his lover Karin, all he cares about is picking up his next bottle of Aquavit (a Scandinavian spirit).  He reminded me of Dr House and his addiction to Vicodin - both struggling to block out the pain by any means necessary.

Wolves in the Dark is one of those fast-paced sweaty palm sort of books; you could feel the net closing in and the clock ticking down whilst the hunted man is still struggling to prove his innocence.  It's a book that makes me simultaneously want to reach for the back-catalogue as well as seeing when the next instalment is coming out - now that I've been introduced to Varg mid-series I definitely want to know more.  A brilliant introduction to the Varg Veum series; giving us a glimpse of such a well established character certainly left me thirsty for more.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour.

My rating:

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Snowblind (Dark Iceland) - Ragnar Jónasson

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.

What did I think?

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.  Even though it's a bit of a creepy village, I'm really looking forward to visiting Siglufjörður again in Nightblind.

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 and have already marked out the perfect book -  I think it's only right that it's an Orenda book so click here if you want to see what I've chosen.

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