Nightblind (Dark Iceland) Paperback – January 14, 2016

I started with Mankell and Nesbo some years ago and since then there is no going back. I am fond of Scandinavian thrillers and the Night Blind is good!!!

3rd in englishI enjoy them.Iceland and mystery seem to go hand in in hand

The police chief of a very small town is gunned down and solving the crime falls on the shoulders of his lone subordinate. Except, the former police chief, who had ascended to a position in the big city, returns to direct the investigation.The writing flows smoothly and the author plays fair with the reader, as far as divulging the clues. The characters are fleshed out pretty well, but there is a flip side of that.That side is that all the characters are embroiled in soap opera lives, and their dalliances and issues tend to eclipse the mystery. Setting the stage, the author tends more toward giving weather reports than giving a sense of the town. But, it is readable.

I’m totally hooked on this “Dark Iceland” series. I’ve read the books in the order the author suggests, and I’m now on the fourth of the four. The descriptions of a small town on a fjord in Northern Iceland is perfectly depicted with wonderful atmospheric writing. The landscape, the people, and a half-dozen interwoven stories all combine to make both a lovely tale and chilling, complex mystery!

My only complaint is that I wish the book was longer!

I love this new series.. Nordic Noir has a new great author to tantalize us. Well plotted and captivating..

I liked it

Enjoyed this new mystery writer .The setting of the story in Iceland was interesting and the author made you feel like you were really there the descriptions of the region were very real.

A while ago I read the first book 'Snow Blind' as part of the three books in The Dark Icelandic series and was pretty impressed. The only drawback to 'Snow Blind' was the appearance of so many Icelandic names of characters that focusing on the actual killer was pretty tricky. Otherwise it's a very decent and well written story.'Night Blind' is a worthy follow-up bringing back the main character of Ari Thore five years after 'Snow Blind'. This is a slightly different style of writing, but it still works well. However, the main action doesn't happen until halfway through the book.The story of 'Night Blind' focuses on two stories that run throughout the book. One story being a diary which manages to cause the second and main story to have a deeper impact. It is the double-whammy effect that enables comparisons to a writer such as Paul Auster for example. The effect is very impressive and causes 'Night Blind' to be a very effective thriller.The difference in writing style is also good. The story is set five years after 'Snow Blind' so there are some changes to characters but the approach of describing character's thoughts was a nice touch and very effective over the revelation. On the whole it's a very impressive thriller - beautifully atmospheric and well-written.

I've read 3 of the other books in this series, each of which I have enjoyed (the first one I read, "Snowblind" is still my favorite, but I have not yet read one Jonasson book that I didn't enjoy)I especially like the device of breaking up the present day narrative and the events and suspicions swirling around the investigation of the shooting, in Siglufjordur, of the new police chief, Tomas's successor, with the mysterious diary entries of an unknown person, a younger, unwholesome character, writing from the inside of an as yet unspecified institution... Which will, inevitably, spill over into the events of the present...I won't spoil the surprise, suffice to say it adds an increasingly sinister edge to the events unfolding in the investigation.And it's great to see that Tomas is back, on sabbatical from his promotion in the South to take charge of the investigation into the shooting of his successor... I always liked Tomas, and was sad when he left the series to move South to save his marriage.The fantastically rich Icelandic landscape, and the season - this time, the short, wet Autumn, grey, gloomy and permeated with the tension and gathering dread of the approach of the potentially deadly, claustrophobic 24 hour darkness of winter - form the dramatic backdrop to events, as we've come to expect from Jonasson, and the Dark Iceland series.

Nightblind is actually the fifth book in the Dark Iceland series however it is the second one to be translated in to English. Blackout, which was published in July 2016 and 2 other books will fill in the gap between the Snowblind and Nightblind.Nightblind takes place approximately 5 years after Snowblind so a lot has changed; Ari Thór has been reunited with Kristín and they are new parents to baby Stefnir. However, somethings haven't changed; Ari Thór is still seen as the new boy despite being there now for 5 years and remains as a police officer, overlooked for promotion to Inspector when Tómas left for Reykjavik.Ari Thór's new Inspector is Herjólfur, however we are not given much opportunity to get to know him as he is murdered whilst checking out an abandoned home in the middle of the night - tragically Herjólfur shouldn't have been on duty however he was covering for Ari Thór who was recovering from the flu.Upon the attack and subsequent death of Herjólfur, Ari Thór and Tómas are reunited to investigate why he was visiting that house in the first place and find out who the perpetrator of the point blank shooting was. This is quite a complex investigation with various strands that need looking into, all adding to the suspense. Once again we are thrown into the harsh Icelandic winter and the politics and secrets of this little fishing village.Alongside the present day investigation, we are also privy to snippets from an unknown individual's diary about their time incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital in 1982. This throws in a different story and voice into the mix.Once again, Jónasson's writing is wonderful - beautifully describing the cliquey community that is Siglufjörður which is shrouded in secrets as well and the natural landscape of the little fishing village and northern Iceland. The book is well thought out and written in such a way to keep you guessing throughout.Also I need to highlight the fantastic translation by Quentin Bates because the narrative flows beautifully and, once again, it's easy to forget that this wasn't actually written in English!

This book is the second in the series featuring Ari Thor, a policeman in a small northern Icelandic village. It's an easy to read thriller revolving around the shooting of the local police inspector. There are a number of red-herrings and sub plots which look as if they give complexity to what is really a straight forward main plot and therefore seem very cosmetic. From previous experience this is very much the author's style.It has some atmosphere of Iceland and much of the book revolves around the secondary characters. However if you're looking for a clever and creative plot you may be disappointed. 3.5-stars.

Ari Thor is sick. Properly sick. He has flu. He can’t possibly go back to work tonight. He needs another day at least. So his boss, Herjolfur, has no choice but to do another night shift. He just hopes that Ari remembers that he’s got time off very soon and Ari needs to be back at work. Although Herjolfur is the senior police officer, he still feels a little nervous when he’s called to an abandoned house on the edge of town. And so he should be. It’s the last call he ever takes.Ari Thor is reunited with his old boss, Tomas and together they investigate Herjolfur’s death. The murder of a police officer is an unlikely occurrence in Iceland and so the pressure is on. As winter and darkness sweeps across and envelopes Siglufjordur, can the murderer be found?This is my first foray into Icelandic noir and it definitely won’t be my last. Jonasson interweaves his story with great atmosphere, tension and pace. On the one hand I loved Ari Thor and then on the other, I wanted to give him a good slap and tell him to sort out his personal life! It’s not surprising that the TV rights have been sold. This will make an excellent TV series.