Published by: Penguin UK
Publication Date: 15th March 2018
I.S.B.N.: 9780718187248
Price: £12.99
Blurb
Before Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police is forced into early retirement she is told to investigate a cold case of her choice, and she knows just the one. A young woman found dead on remote seaweed-covered rocks. A woman who was looking for asylum and found only a watery grave. Her death is ruled a suicide after a cursory investigation. But Hulda soon realizes that there was something far darker to this case.
This was not the only young woman to disappear around that time. And no one is telling the whole story. When her own force tries to put the brakes on the investigation Hulda has just days to discover the truth. Even if it means risking her own life . . . Spanning the icy streets of Reykjavik, the Icelandic highlands and cold, isolated fjords, The Darkness is an atmospheric thriller from one of the most exciting names in Nordic Noir.
My Review
I’d planned to wait to read and review this book until closer to publication date, I already have a full schedule, but after finishing one of the author’s previous books a few days ago (Blackout, published by Orenda and translated by Quentin Bates) I wanted to read more by the author.
I was transfixed by the narrative, alternating between Hulda’s last few days before retirement and the story of the missing women on their last day. It all comes together in a shocking ending that reveals Hulda and the murderer’s secrets, although nobody else will ever know what those are. I read the first 60% on Tuesday and finished the rest on Thursday. I had to have a rest afterwards or I’d have written this review yesterday.
Quick writing update – on Wednesday I finished the second draft of Bridas’ Justice. I will start back on Charley’s War now I’ve got that finished.
Hulda’s struggles with enforced early retirement and developing relationship with Patur add depth to the narrative, allowing an exploration of her past and motivations. The depth made for compelling reading.
The structure reminded me of classic murder mysteries but with a modern twist and with an ending Agatha Christie probably wouldn’t have used. The clues to the murderer’s identity are cleverly hidden but shout out at you once you know who it is. The red herrings are plausible and not obviously red herrings. There’s even an elderly lady investigating a crime the ‘authorities’ would rather she kept her nose out of, and an incompetent police officer. Once you know that Ragnar spent years translating Agatha Christie into Icelandic, this isn’t a surprise.
Ragnar writing is clever and has a good pace, with sufficient depth and twists to keep the reader enthralled. I highly recommend this book and any of his other novels you can get hold of (you don’t have to mug his translator, like I did; they have his books in the shops now).
4/5
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