I am absolutely delighted to be participating in the Blog Tour to celebrate the publication by Orenda Books of Ragnar Jónasson's Winterkill, on January 21st 2021. This is the sixth and final novel in his Dark Iceland series. I also have a great International Giveaway to offer- an audio copy of Winterkill. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
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 marks
the startling conclusion to the million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland
series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting authors
in crime fiction.
My Thoughts
This is such a bittersweet read as it is the final instalment in this brilliant crime series and perhaps our last look at Ari Thor. I have loved all of the books, so was hotly anticipating what would be in this one. It did not disappoint. As the chilling and relentless weather closes in on the town of Siglufjörður, attention concentrates onto the death of the young girl, found lying in the street. Ari Thor seems to have to battle his way round, and you sense an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere.
This is a masterclass in how to plot a crime story, with different story threads interweaving and apparently innocuous details becoming significant. Ari Thor himself is still unsure of his future in a town where many people are looked on as outsiders, but you sense that he is slowly beginning to understand the place more. Throughout the book, I got the feeling that Ari was exhausted with the effort of living in the inhospitable place and coming to terms with events in his life. There have been losses. It is the character of Ari Thor which rings true through the story. You always want to know what he is thinking and his instinctive reaction to what he discovers shows his basic humanity and sincerity. He may feel that he has let people down, but his drive to fulfil his role is absolute.
Special mention must go to David Warriner's translation as the prose flows smoothly and with fluidity. If you haven't read any of this series, you have a treat in store. I am hoping for more visits to this chilly town, but if this has to be the final visit, I must say, it is perfect!
In short: Nordic Noir at its best
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
Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the Blog Tour.
Follow the rest of the Blog Tour!
Giveaway (International)
To win an audio copy of Winterkill just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is December 8th 2020 and there is one winner. Good luck!
*Terms and Conditions – International. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks so much for supporting the blog tour x
ReplyDelete