This was a wonderfully different police procedural. Set in Iceland, an older police woman is being forced out into retirement to make room for a fresher and younger replacement. With her final week she kills time by looking into a cold case. With dual timelines and surpiising twists, this was great read with a brilliantly different man character in an interesting setting, and.... THAT ENDING!!!

I am partial to a bit of Scandi noir, with all the cold, dark brooding reflected in the weather and scenery.

This one takes place in Iceland and follows the unhappy story of a female detective, who is being forced into premature retirement. Can she solve one more crime before time runs out?

This is fast paced and keeps you busy all the way to the shocking and unexpected conclusion, which definitely side-swiped me!

I do feel that it suffers a little for being a translation from the original Icelandic, but this is inevitable.

This novel follows a detective named Hulda, just before she is due to go into retirement. She is ending an investigation at the beginning of the novel, and then jumps into a closed case after that. Most of the novel is her then investigating this case which was closed, as she has a gut feeling that there is more to it than meets the eye. There are also other chapters which give an unknown perspective of someone, which becomes explained later in the narrative. You also get a perspective from someone linked to the case she re-opens. At first, all this jumping around was a little confusing and irritating, but as you settle into the story, it all becomes easier to follow and work out.

I went into this novel relatively blind, I have never read anything by this author before, and only picked it up for the genre more than anything else. Towards the beginning of the novel I wasn't keen, and assumed I'd be giving it a low rating. This was because of how the narrative jumped around, that I have already mentioned in this review. Something kept pulling me in to keep reading though, and I'm not entirely sure what that something was? It could have been the atmosphere, there was a wonderful creepy vibe throughout reading this novel. I didn't know who Hulda could trust, and I personally trusted no one, not even Hulda. She was very easy to dislike, as she continually just seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. She continually went on about the police force being sexist towards her, she was so much better than they treated her, but because she was a woman, and an older one at that, she hadn't had any real career progression. I would have liked this subject to be explored, as obviously it can be true. However, I felt like Hulda just assumed this was the reason for how she was treated, and didn't look at the bigger picture. From the outside looking in, it seemed she lacked the ability for team work, she lacked respect for her supervisors and just acted as if she could do whatever she wanted. I wouldn't have promoted her either based on the behaviours I saw throughout this novel.

Hulda is equally unlikeable outside of work too. She has started seeing a man older than her, she is sixty four and he was around seventy. The problem with this, is that she seems all over the place with this relationship too. He is a retired doctor, and has a lot of time on his hands, and so is ready to jump at Hulda's wishes at the drop of a hat. I just didn't get the feeling she was genuinely interested in him, and I felt like she was using him. This became very obvious when she started talking about how big his house was, and how she could imagine living there and having this lavish lifestyle that she had never really had before. She seemed to lack any level of trust for him, and only occasionally mentioned anything about enjoying his company. She would go on about how handsome he was, and yet would often only see him when it suited her. I just didn't like this relationship at all, and I felt incredibly sorry for him as a result.

Despite Hulda being unlikeable, I enjoyed following her round as she investigated this supposed suicide. Her gut instincts are clearly what has got her as far in her career as she did get, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the tension. I had many guesses as to who could be a potential killer, and guessed incorrectly. I never suspected who the bad guy was, and had no gut instinct telling me anything about him at all. I did not expect the ending to go the way it did, and even then I expected things to get twisted on its head. I was genuinely shocked when I finished this book. There are dark themes that twist and link Hulda's career with her private life, and I was honestly blown away by the overall plot.

Obviously this was a mixed bag of a read for me, and normally I wouldn't have rated something that had me so conflicted quite this highly. I did genuinely enjoy this very much overall though, so much so, that I need to get my hands on the second book in this series, which takes place earlier in Hulda's career.

The Darkness is a dark and brooding crime thriller set in Iceland. Lonely detective Hulda, close to retirement decides to investigate the cold case of a young Russian asylum seeker found dead in unusual circumstances. This is an intense novel that speeds along and will captivate the reader.

Let me begin by saying that I've greatly enjoyed the ''Dark Iceland'' series written by Ragnar Jonasson and I honestly believe that the setting of the novels in Siglufjörður was one of the most interesting places for a good thriller or a classical whodunit to unfold. I also think that the protagonist, Ari Thor, was one of the most amiable main characters in the Nordic Noir genre in general. So when I heard that Jonasson is beginning a new series of books, titled ''Hidden Iceland'', I was eager to wait for the publication date in order to purchase it.

Overall, I cannot claim that the book disappointed me, but I enjoyed the previous series novels a bit more. We are introduced to a new protagonist, Hulda Hermannsdottir who does not resemble Ari Thor in the slightest bit. She is an old-school detective, in her mid-60s and on the verge of retirement who is carrying a troubled family history which is revealed to the reader in a slow-tempo until the last pages where we get the full picture. Hulda is asked by her boss, Magnus, to clear her desk in a two weeks time and during this short time she could choose any cold case she wanted to reopen and reinvestigate. Hence, Hulda decides to search for the truth I a seemingly clear case involving the suicide of a young woman, an asylum-seeker from Russia. and the plot begins.

I found Hulda's characterization to be very thorough and well-written in a way that the reader has to evaluate and re-evaluate his own feelings toward the protagonist, At the beginning she seems to be a character that we, as readers, can truly empathize with, but as we gradually learn more about her bleak past a lot of question marks are raised. The main drawback in this novel is that the story is not engaging enough and I found myself quite indifferent to what happens next in this simple plot which is nothing like the ''Dark Iceland'' ingenious plotlines that I enjoyed. The ending is quite ambiguous and leaves the reader a bit dumbfounded, but I hope for a second book to clarify things. Ragnar Jonasson is a gifted character who knows well to create chilling atmosphere through his great descriptions of places and characters. I truly hope that the next book will be better than this one.

If you are fans of Scandinavian and, more specifically, Icelandic Noir, you should check out ''The Darkness'' as it is written by one of the most important Icelandic crime fiction writers.


Finally, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this book.

This book is set in Iceland and by an author I haven't read before.
Found the book rather bleak and boring and not really my type of Scandi Noir reading at all. I have read books by Swedish writers who wrote very interesting thrillers.Thanks to Net Galley and the Publishers for an advance copy of this book.

I had heard fantastic things about this book so I just couldn't wait to read it. Also, it's set in Iceland! I love Iceland, like would move there in a heartbeat love, so anything to reignite the love and annoy my husband about us going back. Also, Icelandic fiction is so good and Ragnar Jónasson is meant to know his noir and doesn't he just!
This review is going to contain no spoilers whatsoever so don't worry about me giving away any of the plot. What I will say about the plot is this, I would have put my mortgage on it and lost everything! The twists and turns in this book have been executed perfectly, there are red herrings dotted throughout and Jónasson keeps the reader on their toes right until the end.
The story follows Hulda, who I am sad to say I didn't warm to in the beginning, but by the end I really enjoyed her as a character and was able to empathise with her. Hulda is a police officer in Reyjkavik, who has been forced to take early retirement, she doesn't fit in with her peers - the majority of whom are younger and male. Hulda is awkward, quiet and very work focused. When her senior officer brings forward her retirement, he takes her off all the active cases and says she is at liberty to chose a cold case to work on in the two weeks she has left as a police officer.
Hulda isn't comfortable with early retirement, the idea of lounging at home, going for hikes and long lunches doesn't really appeal to her, so immediately she digs out a case where a Russian asylum seeker - called Elena - was found dead in a small cove on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The case was deemed unexplained, more than likely suicide and was closed. As Hulda digs deeper and uncovers mistakes and missed evidence, more about Elena's life is uncovered and Hulda reveals that it's more likely a murder has taken place.

The story is fast paced, I read this book in just over 24 hours, I wanted to know how things were going to pan out and also try to work out who had done it - which I didn't do!

The writing is slick, the majority of the chapters follow Hulda in the present day, but there are two other voices we hear during the book; one being Elena and the other, would be a spoiler so you will have to read it and find out. I liked these perspectives and it definitely brought a little more depth to some of the characters. We also find out some of Hulda's back story which is heartbreaking and goes some way to explain why she is the way she is and makes the choices that she does. I think it was these factors, that made me warm to her in the end.
This is the first book in the Hidden Iceland series, the second book is out in the UK at the beginning of next year, its called 'The Island', with a third 'The Mist' to follow that. Both of these are definitely going on my #tbr as I cannot wait to see how Hulda's story is going to unfold.

Ragnar Jónasson has created a dark story within The Darkness. If you enjoy noir crime fiction then this book is definitely for you. Now, I am off to work my way through Ragnar Jónasson's other books which have been translated into English.

Scandi Noir is my new found passion, over the last year I have become addicted. This book was no exception, everything I wanted and much more. I will definitely recommend this to those who are new to this genre.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'll definitely be reading more! I loved that the protagonist was a detective inspector in her 60s, who generally follows the rules, treats people well and isn't (too) damaged. It makes a nice change from the stereotypical renegade cops in a lot of books in this genre. Some reviewers have said they found the story dragged at times, but I thought that this gave it greater depth.

A really well written novel. I really loved the descriptive landscapes. It gave me a picture of Iceland in my mind. The story was gripping and an enjoyable read until the end. Really disappointed. Felt like it was a bit of a lazy end to the story.

This Nordic noir is at times fast-paced, at times slow, at times urgent, at times reflective, echoing the compound Icelandic landscape. Having been a life-long devoted detective, Hulda is struggling with her looming retirement, as well as the pervasive sexism in the police force. Committed as ever, she dedicates her remaining time to solving a terrible murder, where nothing is as it seems, meeting road blocks at the police department and at the immigration and asylum offices head on.
Throughout the book we get to know Hulda's complicated family. It's only towards the end that learn the reason for Hulda's nightly nightmares. The ending was very unexpected, which was great. I loved that the book provided insights into everyday Icelandic life, as well as giving detailed descriptions of the complex Icelandic landscape, with residents in the highlands and fjords at the mercy of the unforgiving forces of nature. I’d probably read more books of this series. *3.5 Stars*

Many thanks Penguin UK for this book.
I am not expert in Nordic Noir literature but I have already read several titles. I picked up The Darkness out of curiosity because the story location is on Iceland: beautiful but freezing, with many unhospitable places. What can possibly happen there? It appears it can and it can be a very dark, grippy and chilly story. Everything starts when a detective inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik police is forced to retire early. However, she is given a choice to investigate another case for her remaining two weeks in the office. And she picks up a case where a young woman body is found at the sea cave. Everything looks like a suicide but Hulda is not convinced. Step by step she is getting to the truth. I don’t want to reveal here the whole story but I found in this book a real Nordic noir deal, through and through until the dark culminating end. I think it is cleverly written, the main character of detective inspector is likeable, with the dark past and secrets and with many doubts as a person who is about to retire and not sure how to approach this issue. I know there are some not overly enthusiastic reviews but I think if there is someone who really likes deep darkness of a man soul, this is the good book to read.
The end took me by surprise but I was happy to find out there is the next title coming soon.

The Darkness was indeed a very dark book. Hulda's life hadn't been a breeze, and now, with retirement looming, it didn't appear that things were going to get much better. Would Petur be the answer? It seemed as if it was too good to be true. Hulda's last case, trying to work out if Elena had been murdered, also seemed like a fruitless search. Nobody really wanted to help and nobody really cared. I found the investigation into Elena's murder was interesting. There were parts of the book that I felt dragged a bit, mostly where there was a great deal of description about the scenery or the mountains. The twist was indeed a big twist. Was it a twist too far? For me, the story was a tad unremittingly bleak. I would have liked a smidgen of happiness. The other issue was I didn't really warm to Hulda, I thought she was quite unlikable, and if you don't feel a connection to the main protagonist, then the book is unlikely to captivate you. But one man's meat is another man's poison, so although I didn't love it, I'm absolutely sure there are plenty who will.

The Darkness drew me in with its promises of a Scandi noir thriller, emphasised by the name and cover. Its focus on an unusual protagonist, the retired Hulda Hermannsdóttir, served further to pique my interest. However, unfortunately the book did not live up to its promise. Perhaps it was the translation but I found the writing to be quite amateur at times, the plot was a little slow, and the characters seemed to be caricatures with no proper depth.
It was a light read, but I wouldn’t recommend to friends.

So, now to a little deviation from the hugely successful Ari Thor series from Ragnar Jonasson, and The Darkness being the first outing for Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir. Featuring a slightly longer in the tooth police protagonist was a nice move on the author’s part, and Hulda was a nice combination of dogged and a tad neurotic, railing against the gender bias of her police department, her looming and unexpected departure from the police, and quite obviously a woman still deeply angered by her former marriage, and the emotional insecurity that a prospective new dalliance puts in her path. With all this going on, and the split narrative that Jonasson uses in conjunction with this, I did begin to wonder how much energy she would have left to investigate her cold case- the suspected suicide of a Russian migrant which is not all it appears. As instances from Hulda’s past rise to the surface, there did feel a little unbalance in the book, and I sometimes felt that the deliberately rushed investigation was a little too deliberately rushed to accommodate the deeper concentration on Hulda’s angst. However, when Hulda knuckles down to her work, sometimes in a wonderfully ham-fisted style, proved to be the more satisfying part of the book for me, and I was genuinely engaged with her investigation and the varying obstacles in her path.

In common with the ‘Shadow’ series by Arnaldur Indridason I also wondered about the order of publication as for reasons I cannot reveal here, I would have liked to read this one later on but hey ho. An interesting flawed protagonist, and Jonasson shows his usual knack for a good crime yarn

This was the first book Ive read by Jónasson and I will definitely be reading some more! Having recently been in Iceland, I loved that it was set there adding to the atmosphere of the story which was gripping and fast paced

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK, and the author Ragnar Jonasson.

This novel follows Hulda Hermansdottir, a Icelandic detective approaching her retirement from the police force, and the final case she takes on.
Overall, I found the novel disappointing. The progression and development was ok, but I never felt totally gripped by it, and at times I was tempted to stop reading.
I was surprised by the ending, however, but the denouement was spoiled by the lack of build up and suspense.

An average thriller, easy to read, but ultimately not for me.

So full of drama and suspense there was no way I could guess what was going to happen. This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

Just finished this book; Hulda is forced into early retirement. Her boss lets her take one final case not expecting her to take him up on it. This book has different sub plots which all build up. Her past, her upbringing, her child and marriage. And what about the case of a Russian asylum seeker was she murdered? And was she wrong to let a woman who ran down a paedophile go free. As pressure builds up to end the case there is one final twist. Brilliant book from start to finish.