Nightblind

by Ragnar Jónasson

  PRAISE FOR RAGNAR JÓNASSON

  ‘Enjoyed Ragnar Jónasson’s Snowblind – a modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom…’ Ian Rankin

  ‘A tense and convincing thriller; Jónasson is a welcome addition to the roster of Scandi authors…’ Susan Moody

  ‘Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty – a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir’ Peter James

  ‘Seductive … an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves

  ‘His first novel to be translated into English has all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunnit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express

  ‘On the face of it, Snowblind is a gigantic locked-room mystery, an investigation into murder and other crimes within a closed society with a limited number of suspects … Jónasson plays fair with the reader – his clues are traditional and beautifully finessed – and he keeps you turning the pages. Snowblind is morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ Independent

  ‘Ragnar Jónasson’s Snowblind is as dazzling a novel as its title implies and the wonderful Ari Thór is a welcome addition to the pantheon of Scandinavian detectives. I can’t wait until the sequel!’ William Ryan

  ‘A truly chilling debut, perfect for fans of Karin Fossum and Henning Mankell’ Eva Dolan

  ‘An isolated community, subtle clueing, clever mis-direction and more than a few surprises combine to give a modern-day Golden Age whodunnit. Well done! I look forward to the next in the series’ Dr John Curran

  ‘Snowblind brings you the chill of a snowbound Icelandic fishing village cut off from the outside world, and the warmth of a really well-crafted and translated murder mystery’ Michael Ridpath

  ‘The complex characters and absorbing plot make Snowblind memorable. Its setting – Siglufjördur, a small fishing village isolated in the depths of an Icelandic winter – makes it unforgettable. Let’s hope that more of this Icelandic author’s work will be translated’ Sandra Balzo

  ‘In Ari Thór Arason, Nordic Noir has a new hero as compelling and interesting as the Northern Icelandic setting’ Nick Quantrill

  ‘If a Golden Age crime novel was to emerge from a literary deep freeze then you’d hope it would read like this. Jónasson cleverly squeezes this small, isolated town in northern Iceland until it is hard to breathe, ensuring the setting is as claustrophobic as any locked room. If you call your book “Snowblind” then you better make sure it’s chilling. He does.’ Craig Robertson

  ‘If Arnaldur is the King and Yrsa the Queen of Icelandic crime fiction, then Ragnar is surely the Crown Prince … more please!’ Karen Meek, EuroCrime

  ‘Ragnar Jónasson brilliantly evokes the claustrophobia of small-town Iceland in this intriguing murder mystery. Let’s hope this is the first of many translations by Quentin Bates’ Zoë Sharp

  ‘Ragnar Jónasson is simply brilliant at planting a hook and using the magic of a dark Icelandic winter to reel in the story. Snowblind screams isolation and darkness in an exploration of the basic Icelandic nature with all its attendant contrasts and extremes, amid a plot filled with twists, turns, and one surprise after another’ Jeffrey Siger

  ‘A chilling, thrilling slice of Icelandic Noir’ Thomas Enger

  ‘A stunning murder mystery set in the northernmost town in Iceland, written by one of the country’s finest crime writers. Ragnar has Nordic Noir down pat – a remote small-town mystery that is sure to please crime fiction aficionados’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

  ‘Snowblind is a brilliantly crafted crime story that gradually unravels old secrets in a small Icelandic town … an excellent debut from a talented Icelandic author. I can’t wait to read more’ Sarah Ward

  ‘Is King Arnaldur Indriðason looking to his laurels? There is a young pretender beavering away, his eye on the crown: Ragnar Jónasson …’ Barry Forshaw

  ‘An intricately plotted crime novel, Snowblind is a remarkable début. Ragnar Jónasson has delivered an intelligent whodunnit that updates, stretches, and redefines the locked-room mystery format. The author’s cool clean prose constructs atmospheric word pictures that recreate the harshness of an Icelandic winter in the reader’s mind. Destined to be an instant classic’ EuroDrama

  ‘Snowblind is a beautifully written thriller, as tense as it is terrifying – Jónasson is a writer with a big future’ Luca Veste

  ‘It sometimes feels as if everyone in Iceland is writing crime novels but the first appearance of Ragnar Jónasson in English translation (itself a fluid adaptation by British mystery writer Quentin Bates) is cause for celebration’ Maxim Jakubowski, Love Reading

  ‘Snowblind has given rise to one of the biggest buzzes in the crime fiction world, and refreshingly usurps the cast-iron grip of the present obsession with domestic noir … a complex and perplexing case, in a claustrophobic and chilling setting…’ Raven Crime Reads

  ‘The intricate plotting is reminiscent of the great Christie, though the setting is very much more modern and darker. There is an increasing tension and threat, that mirrors the developing snow storm and creates a sense of isolation and confinement, ensuring that the story develops strongly once the characters and scene are laid out’ Live Many Lives

  ‘A brooding, atmospheric book; with the darkness and constant snow there is a claustrophobic feel to everything, which is heightened to the nth degree when there is an avalanche and the one road in and out of the village is blocked’ Reading Writes & For Reading Addicts

  ‘It is surely only a matter of time before Snowblind and the rest of Ragnar’s Dark Iceland series go on to take the Nordic Noir genre by storm. The rest of the world has been patiently waiting for a new author to emerge from Iceland and join the ranks of Indriðason and Sigurðardóttir and it appears that he is now here’ Grant Nichol, Volcanic Lilypad

  ‘Jonasson’s prose throughout this entire novel is captivating, and frequently borders on the poetic, constructing something that is both beautiful and uncomfortable for the reader. … a simply stunning piece of prose that will certainly put him in the thick of the crime genre in the United Kingdom’ Mad Hatter Reviews

  ‘Snowblind uses its stunningly beautiful yet brutally remote setting to create a chilling, atmospheric locked-room mystery. Ragnar Jónasson is an outstanding new voice in Nordic Noir’ Crime Thriller Girl

  ‘Dark Iceland? This man not only invented it, he rules it. From the opening page, the tension and chilling horror is there. The idyllic snow angel image is no longer full of childhood innocence and the snowblind of the title covers your eyes with white flurries and clouds of mist that shroud the mystery and intrigue’ The Booktrail

  ‘Snowblind is a subtle, quiet mystery set in the most exquisite landscape – a slow burner that will suck you in and not let you go until you finish the final page’ Reading Room with a View

  ‘Just when I think I’ve had enough of the frozen north, another promising author shows up. This is a truly enjoyable debut, hinting at much more to come. A charming combination of influences, which feels very fresh and will appeal to those who find cosy crime too twee and Scandinavian Noir too depressing’ Crime Fiction Lover

  ‘The writing is clear, evocative and fraught with tension and the descriptions of the unforgiving nature of an Icelandic winter are executed brilliantly. The overbearing landscape enhances the increasing sense of claustrophobia and isolation Ari Thór feels to the point where it is palpable’ Salboho

  ‘Snowblind is the first in a series of novels labelled as ‘Dark
Iceland’. Read the first page and you will immediately understand why – it is dark, it is gripping and it is fascinating’ The Welsh Librarian

  ‘Snowblind epitomises exactly this sort of exciting, new cross-genre fiction. It is a fusion of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction, with Christie-esque plotting, characterisation and narrative techniques’ Vicky Newham

  ‘This is an excellent debut novel … like reading a modern-day Icelandic Agatha Christie novel. I look forward to reading meeting Ari Thor again soon’ Off the Shelf Book Reviews

  ‘A deliciously old-fashioned mystery’ Crime Worm

  ‘For a debut novel, Snowblind is startlingly confident and sure-footed. The characters and dialogue all ring true, the plot is original and packed with plenty a surprise. Perhaps most pleasingly of all, Jónasson steers clear of hackneyed plot devices and reveals’ Mumbling about Music

  ‘A damn good thriller’ OMG That Book

  ‘The plot twists and turns as the investigation uncovers a plethora of old deceits and current intrigues. Festering wounds are opened spilling secrets as dark as the days, as shocking as the blood on the suffocating snow’ Never Imitate

  ‘There is something almost hauntingly melancholic about this story. The claustrophobia felt by Ari Thor is palpable. You can almost feel the walls of snow caging you in and the sense of perpetual winter darkness makes you reach for the light switch’ From First Page to Last

  ‘Jónasson has bestowed his characters with unique, more importantly believable, personalities, and has made sure that their interactions throughout serve mainly to play on the reader’s mind and psychology’ Book Fabulous

  ‘Ragnar Jonasson’s debut Snowblind is a brilliant new thriller with storytelling that is clear and crisp … The plot twists and turns as the tension and intensity builds and we are treated to an excellent ending’ Liz Loves Books

  ‘The small town mentality juxtaposes with the vastness of the landscape and lends an eeriness to the overall narrative. The prose is delightful with moments of exceptional clarity’ Bleach House Library

  ‘If you like cold and claustrophobic settings as I do, then this might just be the book for you. Jónasson does a wonderful job placing you right there in the small snowed-in town’ Rebecca Bradley

  ‘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, which Ari Thor will pay a high price for unravelling’ Thriller Books Journal

  ‘If the rest of the Dark Iceland series is as accomplished as Snowblind, Ragnar Jónasson’s name is poised to become as common place as that of Stieg Larsson’s. Don’t be fooled into thinking Jónasson is a mere imitation. By deconstructing the Golden Age traditional mystery within a foreign setting, Ragnar Jónasson has practically created his own genre. For lack of a better term, let’s call this Cosy Noir’ Bolo Books

  ‘Siglufjördur is a thriller writer’s dream location – a tight-knit community, encircled by mountains, almost round-the-clock darkness in midwinter, cut off from the rest of the country by the harsh weather; it all adds to the brooding menace of having a killer at large!’ Our Reviews Blogspot

  ‘Snowblind – a masterclass in scene setting and subtle tension building … Where Agatha Christie created a murder mystery with a small suspect pool on a fast moving train or within a large country house, Ragnar Jónasson creates the same feel in a whole town’ Grab This Book

  ‘Siglufjördur is a wonderfully evocative setting; encircled by mountains and cut-off in the winter when the roads are impassable, as the complex web of secrets becomes ever more enmeshed, its small-town, suffocating darkness heightens Ari Thór’s increasing paranoia at being an outsider in his own land.’ Claire Thinking

  ‘This is a first outing in English for Ari Thór, bolstered by a pin-sharp translation by Quentin Bates. Jónasson evokes an almost timeless feel to his narrative, with only mobile phones and computers reminding us that this is the 21st century. It’s no surprise, either, to discover that Jonasson has translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic, as Snowblind has echoes of Golden Age stories. Siglufjördur may be light years away from St Mary Mead, but villagers here have secrets to hide’ Sharon Wheeler, The Times

  ‘Snowblind is as atmospheric a murder mystery as you could find’ For Winter Nights – A Bookish Blog

  ‘An entertaining – and curiously thought-provoking – addition to Icelandic Noir. The writer manages the feat of keeping the prose quite pacey while getting across the ennui of the town’s bleak existence during the harsh winter’ Café Thinking

  ‘Beautifully written … plenty of twists and turns’ Bibliophile Book Club

  ‘Ragnar Jónasson is a new name in the crime-writing genre and I urge anyone who is a fan of Nordic Crime Noir to rush out and get a copy of Snowblind. This you will want to add to your collection. It is really that good … a tense, gripping novel’ The Last Word

  Nightblind

  RAGNAR JÓNASSON

  translated by Quentin Bates

  To Natalía, from Dad

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Maps

  1

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  6

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  37

  38

  39

  40

  Epilogue

  Author’s note

  Extract from Blackout

  About the Author

  About the Translator

  Copyright

  The events of Nightblind take place approximately five years after Snowblind. Ari Thór Arason is still working as a police officer in the small town of Siglufjördur. Tómas, his boss, has moved down south, to the capital city of Reykjavík. The new inspector is a man called Herjólfur. Ari Thór has been reunited with his girlfriend Kristín, and they now have a ten-month-old son.

  The next book in the series, Blackout, picks up the story again directly after the events of Snowblind, with the following two books set to complete the series of events linking Snowblind and Nightblind.

  Something goes astray

  In men and weather,

  Men and words…

  From the poem ‘Broken’, by Þorsteinn frá Hamri

  (Skessukatlar, 2013)

  1

  Unsettling.

  Yes, that’s the word. There was something unsettling about that ancient, broken-down house. The walls were leaden and forbidding, especially in this blinding rain. Autumn felt more like a state of mind than a real season here. Winter had swiftly followed on the heels of summer in late September or early October, and it was as if autumn had been lost somewhere on the road north. Herjólfur, Siglufjördur’s police inspector, didn’t particularly miss it, at least not the autumn he knew from Reykjavík, where he had been brought up. He had come to appreciate the summer in Siglufjördur, with its dazzlingly bright days. He enjoyed the winter as well, with its all-enveloping darkness that curled itself around you like a giant cat.

  The house stood a little way from the entrance to the Strákar tunnel and as far as Herjólfur had been able to work out, it was years since anyone had lived in the place, located some distance from where the town proper hugged the shoreline. It looked as if it had simply be
en left there for nature’s heavy hands to do as she wished with the place, and her handiwork had been brutal.

  Herjólfur had a special interest in this abandoned building and it was something that worried him. He was rarely fearful, having trained himself to push uncomfortable feelings to one side, but this time he’d been unsuccessful, and he was far from happy. The patrol car was now parked by the side of the road, and Herjólfur was hesitant to leave it. He shouldn’t even have been on duty, but Ari Thór, the town’s other police officer, was down with flu.

  Herjólfur sat still for a moment, the patrol car lashed by the bitter chill of the rain. His thoughts travelled to the warm living room at home. Moving up here had been something of a culture shock, but he and his wife had managed to make themselves comfortable, and their simple house had been gradually transformed into a home. Their daughter was at university in Reykjavík; their son had remained with his parents, living in the basement and attending a local college.

  Herjólfur had a few days’ holiday coming up, assuming Ari Thór was fit to return to work. He had been planning to surprise his wife with a break in Reykjavík. He had booked flights from Akureyri and secured a couple of theatre tickets. This was the type of thing he tried to make a habit, to take a rest from the day-to-day routine whenever the opportunity presented itself. Now, in the middle of the night, and while he was still on duty, he fixed his mind on the upcoming trip, as if using it as a lifeline to convince himself that everything would be fine when he entered the house.