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    Nightblind
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    Nightblind
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    Nightblind
    Ebook278 pages4 hours

    Nightblind

    By Ragnar Jónasson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherORENDA BOOKS
    Release dateDec 1, 2015
    ISBN9781910633120
    Unavailable
    Nightblind
    Author

    Ragnar Jónasson

    RAGNAR JONASSON (he/him) is an international award winning author, with over four million books sold in 36 territories. His books have been number one bestsellers in Germany, where he had three books on the top ten of the Spiegel bestseller list at the same time, as well as on Amazon Kindle in the UK, Canada and Australia. His books are frequent number one crime fiction bestsellers in France, and in 2021 he became the first Icelandic author to enter the Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. His series, the Dark Iceland series, and the Hulda series, are being developed for television by CBS Studios/Stampede and Warner Bros. respectively.

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    Reviews for Nightblind

    3.5/5

    113 ratings16 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Best for: Completionists. Although if you’re not familiar with any of the characters in the series but like mysteries, you’ll probably enjoy this.In a nutshell: A police officer (not our protagonist) is shot at an abandoned house. Had he stumbled upon a drug deal? Was the mayor involved? Or was something else going on?Why I chose it: When I read the first in the series, I immediately bought the rest. And now I’m done. Woo!Review:After the new police inspector is found shot by the main character police officer Ari Thor, an investigation ensues, taking Ari Thor and his old boss, Tomas (assigned to assist the investigation) back to old possible crimes and new political ones. Throughout are excerpts from a diary of someone who had been committed to a psychiatric facility after a suicide attempt. But we don’t know who is writing the diary, or when.This book focuses a bit more on Ari Thor than I’d like. I’m just not a fan of the character, or his girlfriend, really. In fact, I’m not sure I really like any of the characters, but I still enjoyed the story as it unfolded. I’m not sure what that means about the author — that he’s good at writing less than admirable characters and great at pushing plot forward? Or that he has a talent for plot but doesn’t realize his characters are pretty unlikeable? Unclear. But I enjoyed the book nonetheless.I see that the author has moved on to a different series, focused on a different police officer, which I’ll probably check out at some point.
    • 4/5
      The second in the Dark Iceland mystery series, which takes place in Siglufjörður, a small fishing village and the northernmost town on the Icelandic mainland, about 25 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The novice policeman Ari Thor Arason is has make a home for himself despite being an outsider, and he and his old boss investigate the murder of his new boss, who's gunned down one night in a case that shocks the country, where the violent death of a policeman is unheard of. A really well thought-out plot and interesting characters make for a big improvement over the first in the series. Very enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      It has been five years since Ari Thor has come to Siglufjordur, and he now feels more comfortable in the village and his job as a policeman. His personal life has changed as well, but lately that has been a bit bumpy. He is out with the flu, when his superior is shot at the site of an old house, that has a storied past. Crime happens rarely in this small fishing village and Ari is well aware of the fact that had he not been out sick, the man fighting for his life, could well have been him.I love the atmosphere in this series. The Arctic winter is closing in, the extreme cold, and since it has been below zero with single digits here, I can relate, surrounds one. One gets a very good sense of this village, and the people that live within. It is a slower paced procedural with many different avenues investigated before the truth is known. Ari Thor, is a pondering sort of man, he is always thinking, trying to make connections, working things out in his own mind. Doesn't just accept another's word for something, even Tomas, who brought Ari to this village. He is tenacious, and follows every lead, talks to everyone involved, even those who may not lead him to an answer. Eventually he will get there.In between chapters, there are writing from a journal, penned by someone who is in as psychiatric ward in Reykjavik. Who this is and what it has to do with tshooting is not revealed to hear the end. Added to the overall mystery and the atmosphere as well.A very good , solid story, with an interesting, well described setting. I enjoy this series, but I know there are five books so far, this the second the only other one at my library so far. Hopefully, as they are translated we will acquire them.
    • 3/5
      The clever and low-key resolution of this redeemed it for me. Up to then, it had been clichéd and a bit dull.
    • 2/5
      Well, I read this because I saw promise in the author's first book in this series. Unfortunately, although the essential elements of a mystery were present, the writing did not really generate any feelings of suspense or imminent danger. I don't plan on reading any more of this series.
    • 4/5
      Atmospheric and complicated!Once again I enjoyed the atmosphere of Siglufjördur, a small fishing village in Northern Iceland, previously closed to the outside world in winter, now with a tunnel the outside has come in. Ari Thór Arason, a police officer still seems an awkward, tormented sort of soul. His relationships are always troubling, even more so now that he has a ten month old son with girlfriend Kristín. When Tómas, his boss, was promoted down south to the capital city of Reykjavík, Ari was hopeful for Tómas' position. Ari was passed over for Herjólfur.Ari has flu and Herjólfur is working his shift. Herjólfur takes a call to a deserted old place on the edge of town, where he is shot. A shot that ricochets violently around the tiny town. This is a new happening. It seems the tunnel has brought the outside world in with a vengeance. As Ari was supposedly on duty, he can't help but wonder if the bullet was meant for him.Tómas is called back to work on the case. Ari and he go through some upheavals to resolve their roles in this renewed situation.The shooting opens up memories for Ari that he's tried to let go. It seems Ari had an abusive childhood which begins to explain some of his behavior patterns.The frequent references to Ari's mild manner covering an unexpected temper is interesting. There are memories and recollections punctuating the prose that you know are important but you can't seem to finger just whose memories they are.I must admit that I didn't feel as involved or caught up with Ari as I had been in Snowblind. He seems to have not really flowered in the way I had hoped for after the first novel I read, leading to a somewhat disjointed psychological view of him. His personal life becomes more disarrayed as the facts around the murder are uncovered. Resolution and implosion seem to go hand in hand as Nordic Noir complexities support the continuing story of Ari. I am certainly wondering what comes next for him.A NetGalley ARC
    • 3/5
      Top cop is murdered in a small Icelandic village where no major crime ever takes place. Several story lines involving the investigating officer, the mayor, the mayor’s assistant, the dead man’s family and a diary from a 1982 psychiatric patient intertwine. Not a great Nordic noir thriller.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story about the murder of a cop newly working in a small, seemingly Icelandic village. Odd that the second in the series is set a few years in the future from the debut, with future novels filling in the gap. There is a lovely afterword that includes the author's grandfather's description of the long winter and change into spring.
    • 3/5
      Okay, so I was hoping this one would be better than the previous installment, and I liked that one; I just wanted more. This one is set five years after the events in Snowblind, and so I was expecting more character growth - at the very least in the relationship department, but Ari Thór let me down. This one has too many red herrings and not enough setting. One of the things I really loved about the first book was that the setting was like a character, and it added to the tension and the atmosphere - I mean, it's Iceland for Pete's sake. But here it barely gets a mention, and the new tunnel makes getting snowed in a no go. I am tempted to try the third book just to see it it's any better - books three and four go back and fill in the gaps between books one and two. I thought this was such a clever premise for a series, but you have to be able to carry it off. So maybe if book three is a Kindle deal at some point or our library system gets it, I might give it a whirl. Otherwise, I think not.
    • 3/5
      This is the third of Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland series published in English that I've read, and I've read the books in chronological order rather than by publication date. An earlier book, Blackout, was one of the best books I read in 2017. Jónasson does a stellar job of describing his Icelandic setting and its climate. In Nightblind, a new tunnel has been constructed which prevents the small fishing village from being completely cut off from the outside world during the heavy winter snowfall, but that convenience comes at a price: outsiders are bringing problems and crime to Siglufjörđur.The mystery in Nightblind is an interesting one, but it slowly sinks under the weight of all the characters' personal problems.The occasional journal entries that readers are given do tie into the mystery, and there's a slowly developed surprise that's revealed at the end, but all those personal problems sapped my interest in the mystery. Nightblind is still a good read; it's just not on par with Blackout.
    • 4/5
      After several years of upheaval, Ari Thór Arason has finally settled down. He & girlfriend Kristín have reunited & set up house with their baby son. The residents of Siglufjördur have accepted him & he’s content being a small town cop. When his previous boss moved to Reykjavik, Ari hoped to fill his shoes. Instead the job went to Herjólfur, a seasoned cop from down south. He & Ari have forged a professional albeit cool relationship. But it’s early days & they have time to get to know each other.Actually, they don’t. Late one night, Ari gets a life changing call. Officer down. He finds Herjólfur fatally shot outside an abandoned house where another mysterious death occurred decades ago.All of Iceland is reeling after the news trickles south. This is a place where annual murders can be counted on one hand & the whole country is in shock (as evidenced by response to the recent real life murder of a young woman in Reykjavik). The tiny police department is hardly equipped for the case let alone the glare of national media attention. So when Tómas returns to head up the investigation, Ari is grateful to see his old friend & mentor.In alternate chapters we meet an anonymous patient in a psychiatric hospital. As they scribble their thoughts in a daily diary, we slowly learn about their life & why they ended up being committed. As time passes, the entries become increasingly ominous & this is heightened by not knowing their identity or even when the events occurred. The 2 main story lines run parallel until we get a glimmer of how they might intersect. There are plenty of shiny red herrings dancing around the murder investigation to make you pause & rethink what you thought you knew. Political intrigue & drug dealing complicate the search for a killer & add to the mysteries Ari & Tómas must solve before the shocking truth is revealed.We also get more insight into Ari’s character. Herjólfur’s death rocks his world & makes him question his priorities. He & Kristín are going through a rough patch & for the first time, he begins to understand how his own behaviour affects those around him. It just might be time to come to terms with his past & finally share the secrets he’s been carrying since childhood.If (like me) you’ve been reading these in chronological order, this is the most recent in the series. Every time I pick up one of these books, I get transported to this small piece of Iceland & the residents who have become so familiar to me. I feel like I could travel there & immediately find my way. The setting is starkly atmospheric & the persistent rain & gloom mirror the mood of the characters. For Siglufjördur, like the characters, is changing. Its innocence has always been protected by isolation but the new tunnel provides access for tourists & those sniffing out new territory for criminal activity. The influx of new faces adds to the general unease in the aftermath of Herjólfur’s death. Some would call it progress but there’s great irony in people travelling to the same place to get away from it all.Nightblind is another immersive & satisfying read in this great series. And now that I’m back in my own little corner of the world, it’s going to feel like a loooong wait for the next one.
    • 3/5
      Things were becoming more complicated again, and suddenly Ari Thór felt like the outsider again, the same feeling he'd had when he first moved to town. A stranger in a place where everyone was connected and nobody could be trusted completely.Ari Thór has been a small town policeman for 5 years and since the events of Snowblind his doctor girlfriend has moved up from Reykjavik and they now have a baby boy. His former boss has moved on to a job in the capital, but Ari failed to get the inspector's job and resents his new boss.A policeman is killed and the ripples reach around Iceland so policemen from the capital descend on the town to work the case, including Ari's old boss, because of his local knowledge.I am not really enjoying this series as much as I would like. I don't find Ari sympathetic, and I feel kept at a distance rather than drawn into the story. I may pick up the other books in the series if I see them at the library, but I'm not going to be upset if I don't come across them.
    • 4/5
      It was a bit difficult at first, getting used to the names and places but one gets used to it. When the story started out with a new detective, I thought the last one was finished. It wasn't until I finished the story and read some of the reviews, did I find out that the books are not in sequence. The story did take a leap forward, omitting a few years of the main character's life. There are two story lines going at the same time and I was unable to put them together till near the end, intentionally written that way. The main character is weak, easily taking offence at any small remark to the point that it overwhelms him.
    • 5/5
      Night Blind – Addictive Icelandic NoirThe Crown Prince of Icelandic Noir is back with his follow up to his excellent debut book Snowblind with his latest breath taking thriller Nightblind. Ragnar Jónasson brings together in Nightblind the best of Scandinavian noir with the tradition of good old fashioned murder mystery, with the twists of a Christie whodunit. Jónasson’s writing brings in the suffocating closeness of the local community not far from the Arctic Circle, and the darkness of the winter, it all works itself in to a thrilling read.Nightblind is five years on from where Snowblind leaves off, Ari Thór Arason is still a police officer in Siglufjördur, he missed out on promotion when Tómas was promoted and moved to Reykjavik. Ari Thór does not really know anything about the new inspector, Herjólfur other than he is married with 2 children one in a local college and the other down south somewhere. His relationship with Kristin is back on and they share their life with their baby son Stefnir.Ari Thór is off ill in bed with the flu and Herjólfur is on night duty when he is called with a tip off that there is a drug deal happening on the edge of town. While investigating the call Herjólfur is blasted with a shotgun and Ari Thór receives the call and has to break the news to his wife and son. Herjólfur is clinging to life and is flown down to Reykjavik with his family. Tómas is sent to assist Ari Thór in the investigation as the news of the shooting breaks over Iceland and the shock of a Police Officer being shot on duty brings its own pressures. At the same time winter is closing rapidly on Siglufjördur when things will become even harder for the local population. With a murderer on the loose everyone in town is looking to Ari Thór to crack the case and keep them all safe in their small town.At the same time of the Police Investigation, Ari Thór comes under pressure from the new out of town mayor as well as a local politician all interfering in the investigation. Ari Thór also realises there is something odd about the new mayor’s deputy, who is also an out of towner and there is a darker side that she is avoiding which could drag them all down.As we read our way through Siglufjördur and the unfortunate death of Herjólfur we are also treated to segments of a diary written by a patient on a secure psychiatric ward in Reykjavik which gives some depth to whoever the person is. It gives us a chilling insight in to a person’s mind when they are being pumped full of drugs and ignored.This all adds up to a tense and compelling thriller within the closed society of Siglufjördur which builds the claustrophobia the read feels throughout this excellent thriller. The darkness and coldness of winter in Siglufjördur adds to the claustrophobia and that there is no such thing as a secret in this town.Ragnar Jónasson writing cuts through the darkness like a hot knife through butter, while like a lady of the night he shows us a bit of leg with the clues, and wonderful misdirection. Nightblind is tense wonderful and highly addictive and now the wait for the next in the series begins.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars.

      Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson is a gripping mystery that takes place just as winter is beginning in a small Icelandic town on the coast. This second installment in the Dark Iceland series is a fast-paced police procedural starring Ari Thór Arason and takes place five years after the first novel ends since the translated editions are slightly out of order.

      Ari Thór and his girlfriend Kristín have reunited and now live together with their ten month old son.  His former boss, Tómas, has relocated to Reykjavík and he does not know the new police chief, Herjólfur, very well. While  Ari Thór is recovering from a bout of the flu, he is stunned to discover that the small police department has been rocked by a shocking murder. With Tómas temporarily reassigned to help with the investigation, they start their investigation at the deserted house where the shooting occurred.

      Although five years have passed since his introduction, Ari Thór is much the same. He is quiet  with a keen intellect and sharp instincts but he is not one to talk about his problems. The encroaching winter darkness still presses in on him and leaves him feeling claustrophobic. His relationship with Kristín remains troubled and despite his concerns about her recent emotional distance, Ari Thór finds it easier to ignore their problems instead of discussing them.  He is also still troubled by events from his childhood and he is still unable to discuss these issues with Kristín.

      Despite some lingering  resentment over not being chosen as Tómas's replacement, Ari Thór does not let this interfere with  the murder investigation.  He feels a bit of  kinship with the victim's son and he keeps a respectful distance in order to allow him to process his grief in private.  Although Ari Thór is happy to be working with Tómas again, he cannot help but bristle a bit when his old boss takes complete charge of the police department.  Ari Thór might not be as experienced as Tómas but he is an excellent investigator with an uncanny ability to solve crimes.

      Interspersed with the investigation are chapters containing diary entries from a patient at a psychiatric hospital. While the person's identity remains shrouded in mystery, the pages from the diary paint a  fairly bleak picture of somewhat dodgy treatment for an unspecified condition.  The person's identity and the significance of these chapters are not revealed until Ari Thór has unmasks the murderer and uncovers the motive for the crime.

      Nightblind is an absolutely riveting police procedural that is fast-paced and compelling.  The plot is complex and the characters are well fleshed out. The investigation into the murder unfolds at a realistic pace and Ari Thór utilizes good old fashioned detective work to solve the crime. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this latest addition to Ragnar Jónasson's Dark Iceland series to readers who enjoy atmospheric mysteries.
    • 4/5
      This is a follow up to Snowblind, although set some years after the original, where the author again plays with his key principles of isolation to conjure up another satisfying read. Some character development of our main protagonist, who for all his detective instincts, still acts as an immature young man when faced with life's other problems of trust and relationships. Looking forward to the next book which promises to fill in the gap years...