Great narrator

I loved this narrator, the story was good, but not sure that I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it myself

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Tense & claustrophobic

When Ari Thor Arason takes his first posting as policeman in the remote fishing village in Northern Iceland, he does so with the reassurance: “Nothing ever happens in Siglufjörður.” Nobody even locks their doors here, because it is a small community where everyone knows and trusts each other. So the whole town is rocked to the core when a young woman is found half dead in the snow, brutally attacked and left for dead. As the weather closes in and the last access route to Siglufjörður is blocked by an avalanche, Ari Thor’s sense of claustrophobia and doom mounts. There may be a murderer living amongst them, and there is no way out ....

I’ve been wanting to put Iceland on my armchair travel map for ages, so when another book blogger recommended Snowblind to me, I immediately put it on my TBR list and marked it as the perfect audio book for my daily commute. Cloistered in my car, driving lonely dark country roads, this tense and claustrophobic mystery made the perfect companion! The Dark Iceland series is definitely one I could easily get hooked on, and I especially liked young Ari Thor, the earnest and intelligent police officer who is setting out in his career in this lonely, isolated place far from his family and friends.

Snowblind is a slow burning, character driven mystery that relies heavily on Jonasson’s excellent character development and his ability to create a tense, claustrophobic setting in a wild and isolated place. His portrayal of small town politics and dynamics is well done and lends authenticity to the story. There is nothing better than the tension created by entrapment – this time through forces of nature alone, as the Icelandic winter closes in on this small fishing village. Jonasson’s writing is almost poetic, even though the story fits perfectly into the Nordic Noir genre, with the whodunit atmosphere and careful plotting of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. Soon all the threads and different POVs fall into place to reveal the bigger picture, even though Ari Thor still has his work cut out to prove his theory.

Snowblind will appeal to readers who love Nordic noir, or just want a cracking good read! Tense, claustrophobic and atmospheric, this is armchair travel of the best kind, even though I’m not sure I would have the nerve to visit Siglufjörður in winter. This is one of those books that exponentially expanded my alpine TBR list, as I had to add all other works by the author!

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The book grew on me

I have always liked scandi noir/crime fiction. Straight away I enjoyed being immersed in Icelandic every day life. Just strengthened my wish to visit. At first I found this author’s literary technique of a moving time time line a little hard to follow and getting my head around the delightful Icelandic names required concentration. The story drew me in quickly and I agree with another reviewer’s comment about feeling the claustrophobic tiny community in remote Iceland. The young and inexperienced police officer main character felt authentic. Overall I enjoyed the book. I think I will follow through to hear/read more in the series.

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Good story, good intro to chatacters

Enjoyed the pace and storyline. Look forward to reading more of the series of books

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Loved every gripping second

loved it, couldn't stop listening! listened anytime it was humanly possible. An exceptionally beautifully written Scandi noir thriller!

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Good Book

I enjoyed this book, written by an author so far away from my country, Australia. The scenery was wonderfully written, the characters very much alive in the work, and a good story. I loved the narration very much.

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I really wanted to like this

What disappointed you about Snowblind?

I find it hard to pinpoint what it really was in the end, but I'm leaning towards the narrator. After a promising start, I found it increasingly difficult to listen to. After about two third I gave up because I just couldn't get back into the story. The last few chapters I must have heard about four or five times, each time drifting off. I just couldn't stay focused for more than a few minutes. I didn't get beyond chapter 31.

What was most disappointing about Ragnar Jonasson’s story?

It started off really well, but then lost momentum/

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I found the narrator's voice very difficult to follow. A little less 'soul' and a little more 'force' would have been good sometimes.

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2 people found this helpful