Ragnar Jónasson – Winterkill (Translated by David Warriner)

‘Winterkill’ by Ragnar Jónasson and translated by David Warriner, is the sixth book in the Dark Iceland series and very possibly the final one also.

I now have to admit as to not having read all the series, this is something I quickly need to correct. I really find I am enjoying the Icelandic Noir genre that I have read increasingly more over the past 18 months. I find these books read fine as standalone, yes a few things are out of correlation such as events at times, it hasn’t affected my enjoyment of these excellent books.

Ari Thór, now an Inspector, is still living in the town of Siglufjörður, and over the years it has increased in popularity for tourists due to better transport links. Easter weekend is coming and expected to be a busy one, well, busier than Ari prefers anyway. He is alone once again, due to major changes in his personal life but at least he isn’t classed as the new one anymore.

Ari is called to a scene in which a teenage girls body has been discovered beneath the balcony of an apartment complex she has no connection with, and the actual apartment owner is in Reykjavik, so how has the girl got into the apartment? Ari has to find a way to answer the questions of the girls family as well as decipher a cryptic message on the girls mobile phone and come to the correct conclusion of whether it was suicide or murder. Ari finds himself distracted by an appearance of a face from the past and his personal issues also bringing the skillfully created web of mystery, intrigue and suspense together to give us another perfect Ari Thór instalment.

There is something about the Icelandic Noir writing that I adore, maybe it is the fact that the author brings the chilliness of the storyline as well as the physical sensation that easily comes when you read the descriptions of snowdrifts and the weather that is so powerful in its presence it can cut Siglufjörður off from the rest of the island. Such descriptions show the power the author has with his words, in my opinion, this makes this particular series what it is, excellent.

The story is not my usual fast-paced read but one in which every single strand is as important as the other. Right down to the lives of every character, they are spun together to create a story of lies, family, love and mystery that kept me hooked until the last beautifully translated word!

With thanks to Orenda Books for the copy of the book for my review today and to Anne Cater for having me on this fabulous Orenda tour yet again.