Ragnar Jónasson

Taut and terrifying, a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights Siglufjorour: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors, and which is accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thor 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 theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and where 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."

Snowblind

FEATURED IN THE TIMES TOP 100 CRIME NOVELS SINCE 1945 SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES 'An intelligent, provocative whodunit with a killer twist' IAN RANKIN ____________ A body is found off the coast of Iceland. A cursory police investigation calls it suicide. She's just another statistic, soon forgotten. But not by Reykjavik Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir. Difficult and unconventional, Hulda is being forced into early retirement. Offered one last cold case to investigate she chooses Elena's. And when she discovers another woman vanished at a similar time, she believes a killer roams free. With days before she's stripped of her badge, can Hulda catch the killer alone? ____________ THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Superb . . . chilling . . . one of the greatest tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction' Sunday Times 'Outstanding' Daily Mail 'Expertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker' Guardian 'Brilliantly effective. Each book enraptures us' The Times Literary Supplement 'Magnificently dark and twisted and that ending - blimey!' C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man

If you like Saga Noren from The Bridge, then you'll love Hulda Hermannsdottir

The Darkness

THE SECOND INSTALMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD As the light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by a recent volcanic eruption, Icelandic police officer Ari Thór Arason take on an increasingly perplexing case, when a young man is discovered brutally beaten to death on the shores of a tranquil fjord... ‘A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended’ Lee Child 'A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...’ Ian Rankin ________________ 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... Dark, terrifying and complex, Blackout is an exceptional, atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland’s finest crime writers. ________________ ‘Jónasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic Noir’ Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express ‘The darkness and cold are palpable’ Marcel Berlins, The Times ‘A distinctive blend of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction ... economical and evocative prose, as well as some masterful prestidigitation’ Laura Wilson, Guardian ‘Ragnar Jonasson does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves ‘A brilliantly crafted crime story that gradually unravels old secrets in a small Icelandic town ... an excellent debut from a talented Icelandic author. I can’t wait to read more’ Sarah Ward ‘Is King Arnaldur Indriðason looking to his laurels? There is a young pretender beavering away, his eye on the crown: Ragnar Jónasson...’ Barry Forshaw ‘A truly chilling debut, perfect for fans of Karin Fossum and Henning Mankell’ Eva Dolan 'Fans of dark crime fiction that doesn't pull punches will be amply rewarded' Publishers Weekly ‘A vivid cast of characters, whose fears, ambitions, rivalries and longings are movingly universal’ Oprah magazine ‘Puts a lively, sophisticated spin on the Agatha Christie model, taking it down intriguing dark alleys’ Kirkus Reviews ‘The best sort of gloomy storytelling’ Chicago Tribune

Blackout

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. ‘Traditional and beautifully finessed... morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ Independent • ‘Jonasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic noir’ Sunday Express • ‘Bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ Express • ‘A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...’ Ian Rankin • ‘A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended’ Lee Child • ‘Chilling, poetic beauty... a must read!’ Peter James • ‘British aficionados of Nordic Noir are familiar with two excellent Icelandic writers, Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Here’s a third: Ragnar Jónasson ... the darkness and cold are palpable’ Marcel Berlins, The Times For fans of Trapped, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Agatha Christie and Ann Cleeves

Rupture

THE FIFTH INSTALMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD When a police officer is murdered in the dead of night, in the isolated Icelandic town of Siglufjörður, Ari Thór Arason faces a complex investigation that takes him back to the past, and some sinister secrets... ‘A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery’ Ian Rankin ‘Bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ Sunday Express ‘Seductive ... Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves ________________ Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him. The peace of this close-knit 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 winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór 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. Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all. Dark, chilling and complex, Nightblind is an extraordinary thriller from an undeniable new talent. ________________ ’Traditional and beautifully finessed’ Independent 'This is an atmospheric portrayal of a claustrophobic place where everyone is connected’ Laura Wilson, Guardian ‘Jónasson plants clues fairly before a devastatingly unexpected reveal, without sublimating characterization to plot’ Publishers Weekly ‘A tiny, segregated town is a superb setting for a crime novel, and Jónasson exploits it well. He builds a layered mystery featuring a series of unhealthy secrets, and past crimes buried deep in the sheltered, almost claustrophobic recesses of family life’ Crime Thriller Journal ‘A must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir’ Peter James ‘Ragnar has Nordic Noir down pat – a remote small-town mystery that is sure to please crime-fiction aficionados’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir ‘A challenging investigation that uncovers local secrets and Scandi-noir meets oldfashioned murder mystery in an atmospheric whodunnit’ Daily Express ‘Jónasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic noir’ Sunday Express ‘What really makes Nightblind stand out is its vivid cast of characters, whose fears, ambitions, rivalries and longings are movingly universal’ Oprah magazine

Nightblind

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.

Hidden Iceland Series, Book Three

The Mist

DUNKEL

THE FOURTH INSTALMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD When the body of a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted Icelandic village of Kálfshamarvík, police officer Ari Thór Arason uncovers a startling and terrifying connection to an earlier series of deaths, as the killer remains on the loose... ‘Jónasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic noir’ Sunday Express ‘Jónasson skilfully alternates points of view and shifts of time ... The action builds to a shattering climax’ Publishers Weekly ________________ 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. ________________ ‘Traditional and beautifully finessed ...morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ Andrew Taylor, Independent ‘Jónasson has come up with a bleak plot and characters, but his evocation of Iceland’s chilly landscape is hard to put down’ Sunday Times ‘A distinctive blend of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction ... masterful’ Laura Wilson, Guardian ‘Required reading’ New York Post ‘Puts a lively, sophisticated spin on the Agatha Christie model, taking it down intriguing dark alleys’ Kirkus Reviews ‘The best sort of gloomy storytelling’ Chicago Tribune ‘The prose is stark and minimal, the mood dank and frost-tipped. It’s also bleakly brilliant, although perhaps best read with a warming shot of whisky by your side’ Metro ‘A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended’ Lee Child ‘Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read’ Peter James ‘A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom’ Ian Rankin ‘Seductive ... Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves

Whiteout

THE STUNNING FINAL INSTALMENT OF THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES **Sunday Times BOOK OF THE MONTH** ‘Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me ... possibly the best Scandi writer working today’ Lee Child ‘Is this the best crime writer in the world today? ... Truly a master of his genre’ The Times 'The engaging Ari Thor returns in this darkly claustrophobic tale. Perfect mid-winter reading' Ann Cleeves ‘A stunningly atmospheric story. Ari Thór Arason returns in this pitch-perfect, beautifully paced crime novel ... Ragnar Jónasson is at the top of his game, and a master of the genre’ Will Dean ______________ 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. _______________ Praise for Ragnar Jónasson ‘A sinister twisted tragedy’ The Times ‘If Iceland missed out on the Golden Age of crime writing, the country – and Jonasson – is certainly making up for it now’ Sunday Times ‘Outstanding ... Series fans will be sorry to see the last of Ari Thór’ Publishers Weekly ‘Jonasson’s Dark Iceland novels are instant classics’ William Ryan ‘Jónasson’s punchy, straightforward prose is engrossing ... A diverting mystery’ Foreword Reviews 'Consummate crime writing ... poignant and disturbing’ New Books Magazine ‘Chilling, creepy, perceptive, almost unbearably tense' Ian Rankin 'A tense, gripping read' Anthony Horowitz 'Icelandic noir of the highest order, with Jónasson's atmospheric sense of place, and his heroine's unerring humanity shining from every page' Daily Mail ’Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty’ Peter James ’Traditional and beautifully finessed’ Independent ‘Jónasson’s true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting’ New York Times ‘A chiller of a thriller’ Washington Post ‘Jónasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic noir’ Express

Winterkill

FEATURED IN THE SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'The ending really took my breath away' IAN RANKIN Discover The Island - Agatha Christie meets Nordic noir. . . _____________ Four friends visited the island. But only three returned . . . Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is sent to the isolated island of Elliðaey to investigate a disappearance. But she finds haunting similarities to an old case - the murder of a young woman ten years ago. Has a patient killer struck again? What secrets is the island hiding? And what price will she pay for uncovering the truth? ____________ THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'One of the greatest tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction' Sunday Times 'Dark, chilling and utterly gripping, The Island is Nordic noir at its best, and is destined to become a classic of the genre. I couldn't put it down' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door 'Brilliantly effective. Each book enraptures us' The Times Literary Supplement 'Magnificently dark and twisted' C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man 'Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read' Peter James, bestselling author of Love You Dead 'Out of all of Ragnar's books this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie' Kilian Praise for Ragnar Jonasson 'A distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction . . . atmospheric and evocative prose' Guardian on Nightblind 'Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir . . . all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone' Sunday Express 'His clues are traditional and beautifully finessed - and he keeps you turning the pages' Independent on Snowblind

Hidden Iceland Series, Book Two

The Island

Dimma

Darkness

Nomeado melhor policial do ano pelo Sunday Times Autor com 3 milhões de livros vendidos PRECISA-SE DE PROFESSOR NO FIM DO MUNDO. Tudo o que Una quer é ser professora, mas, até ao momento, tem sido incapaz de manter um emprego em Reiquiavique. Sem poupanças, sem vida amorosa e assombrada pelo suicídio do pai, a perspetiva de passar mais um inverno fechada no seu minúsculo apartamento parece-lhe insuportável. Assim, fazer as malas e mudar-se para Skálar, uma pequena aldeia piscatória com dez pessoas situada no extremo norte da Islândia, parece-lhe ser um baixo preço a pagar pela hipótese de endireitar a sua vida e voltar a ensinar. No entanto, à medida que a escuridão de um inverno rigoroso vai caindo sobre a aldeia, Una dá por si a passar cada vez mais tempo no pequeno sótão que alugou, a beber para esquecer a solidão, e assaltada por aparições de uma menina de vestido branco a cantar uma canção de embalar, que, noite após noite, a fazem acordar sobressaltada. E quando uma tragédia repentina traz ao de cima algo que os habitantes de Skálar procuram esconder a todo o custo, a inquietação de Una leva-a a desenterrar uma verdade que se manteve oculta durante gerações. Sobre A Menina Que Morreu: «Um thriller intenso e envolvente. Ragnar Jónasson é um poeta da escuridão e do frio.» The Times «Misto arrepiante de terror e thriller psicológico, o novo livro de Ragnar Jónasson é perfeito em ambos os universos.» Booklist «Um romance inquietante envolto num ambiente claustrofóbico. Um thriller superior.» Publishers Weekly «Uma tempestade perfeita de perigo e intriga.» New York Post «Uma história de fantasmas arrepiante e misteriosa, com um toque de policial noir.» Kirkus Reviews «Cinco estrelas. Com a sua habitual prosa elegante e o seu sentido único de lugar, Ragnar Jónasson tece lentamente uma história assombrosa, com um final arrepiante.» Sunday Express «À medida que, a cada página e com toda a mestria, o autor desenvolve a intriga e o suspense, o mistério que envolve a aldeia de Skálar irá agarrar os leitores tanto quanto agarrou Una, num fogo lento de temor e inquietude.» BookPage «Um dos herdeiros da coroa de Agatha Christie.» The Daily Telegraph

A Menina Que Morreu

Þorpið

" L'inspectrice islandaise Hulda Hermannsdóttir est la meilleure héroïne tragique que nous avons lue depuis longtemps. " The Times Hulda a tout donné à sa carrière. Mais en faisant toujours cavalier seul. Elle a beau être une des meilleures enquêtrices du poste de police de Reykjavik, à soixante-quatre ans, sa direction la pousse vers la sortie. La perspective de la retraite l'affole. Tout ce temps et cette solitude qui s'offrent à elle, c'est la porte ouverte aux vieux démons et aux secrets tragiques qu'elle refoule depuis toujours. Et ses échappées dans la magnificence des paysages islandais, pour respirer à plein poumons la sauvagerie de son île, ne suffiront plus, cette fois. Alors, comme une dernière faveur, elle demande à son patron de rouvrir une affaire non résolue. Elle n'a que quinze jours devant elle. Mais l'enquête sur la mort d'Elena, une jeune russe demandeuse d'asile, bâclée par un de ses collègues, va s'avérer bien plus complexe et risquée que prévu. Hulda a-t-elle vraiment pesé tous les risques ? Par l'auteur de Snjór et des enquêtes de Siglufjördur Ragnar Jónasson est né à Reykjavik en 1976. Grand lecteur d'Agatha Christie, il entreprend, à dix-sept ans, la traduction de ses romans en islandais. Découvert par l'agent d'Henning Mankell, Ragnar a accédé en trois ans seulement au rang des plus grands auteurs de polars internationaux. Son nouveau roman, La Dame de Reykjavik, a été traduit dans vingt-cinq pays.

La dame de Reykjavik

Outside

Ragnar Jónasson is de nieuwe kroonprins van de IJslandse thriller. Sneeuwblind is een beklemmend en angstaanjagend debuut van een buitengewoon nieuw talent. Siglufjörður: een idyllisch vissersplaatsje in het onherbergzame noorden van IJsland, dat alleen bereikbaar is via een smalle bergtunnel. Waar niemand zijn huis op slot doet en waar iedereen elkaar kent. Ari Thór, een jonge politieagent, begint er aan zijn eerste baan, ver van zijn vriendin in Reykjavík en ver van de demonen uit zijn verleden. Wanneer een jonge vrouw halfnaakt in de sneeuw wordt aangetroffen, bloedend en bewusteloos, en een gerespecteerd schrijver zijn dood tegemoet valt in het plaatselijke theater, ontdekt Ari dat hij niemand in de kleine gemeenschap echt kan vertrouwen, en dat geheimen en leugens er een levenswijze zijn.

Sneeuwblind

Pimeys

Första boken i Hulda-trilogin »Superb ny roman. Hulda Hermannsdóttir är en av de stora tragiska hjältinnorna i samtida kriminallitteratur.« | The Sunday Times En ung kvinna hittas död på en enslig strand. Här sökte hon skydd. I stället fann hon sin grav i vågorna. En förhastad polisutredning bedömer händelsen som självmord. Hulda Hermannsdóttir, kommissarie vid Reykjavikpolisen, tvingas till en tidig pension. Dessförinnan ges hon möjlighet att åta sig ett sista fall. Hon vet exakt vilket hon ska välja. Och vad hon finner är något avsevärt mycket värre än självmord. Ändå har hon svårt att få ut ens den mest elementära information i fallet. När Huldas egna kolleger försöker bromsa utredningen, finns till sist bara ett sätt kvar. För att avslöja sanningen riskerar hon sitt eget liv. Mörkret är den första boken i en planerad romantrilogi om poliskommissarie Hulda Hermannsdottír, av Islands just nu hetaste kriminalromanförfattare, Ragnar Jónsson. I svensk översättning av Arvid Nordh. RAGNAR JÓNASSON är en prisbelönt isländsk kriminalromanförfattare, omtalad som tongivande i den nya vågen »Nordic Noir«. Hans böcker är sedan tidigare översatt till engelska och franska. Med Mörkret den första romanen i serien om Hulda Hermannsdóttir introduceras hans författarskap för första gången på svenska. Crime Novel of the Month i The Sunday Times »Mästerligt berättad. Med ett i sanning chockerande slut.« | The Guardian

Ragnar Jónasson

Books

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