We are in present day Iceland and Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is due to retire, but before she leaves the police force, she is keen to solve the case of the death by drowning of a Russian asylum seeker that her colleagues had thought to have been an accident or suicide. With only a few days left Hulda starts digging into the case and it becomes clear that the previous investigations into the death have been cursory at best. In parallel we start to learn more of Hulda’s difficult upbringing and about the death of her teenage daughter and her husband and the influence these events have had on her life as a detective of police. The plot is well constructed and gathers pace to a climatic and surprising ending; however, I was disappointed that the descriptive passages failed to convey the bewildering beauty of the stark Icelandic landscape and I also thought that the characters were lacking in depth with the text failing to bring them fully to life. The book has been translated from the original Icelandic and maybe the original text was more effective.

This is the first book I have read by Jonasson and I picked it up because I do enjoy some scandi noir now and again.

The Darkness is told from the point of view of 64 year old Hulda Hermannsdottir, who is investigating one last cold case before her retirement.

I am still processing what I thought of this book. It seemed quite short to me, and with a few different flashbacks and threads happening at once, it gave me the feeling that it didn’t delve into things or create as much mystery as it could have. Because of the length, the pace was pretty quick in revealing different secrets, so the suspense didn’t last very long. Having just finished it, I also feel like the ending didn’t provide much resolution so I don’t feel satisfied. I was going to give it 3.5/5 until the ending! I like my scandi noir to be gritty and intellectually stimulating, which this book missed a bit for me.

I did enjoy reading this book overall but I didn’t like the ending and wasn’t gripped by it as a whole, which meant I didn’t actually mind it being quite short. 3/5 stars.

Hulda Hermannsdóttir is 64, a Detective Inspector in the Reykjavik Police and is being put out to pasture by her boss and forced to take early retirement. With a week left at work and no cases of her own to work on she re-opens a cold case, the death of a Russian woman, Elena, who was awaiting asylum in Iceland. Written by Ragnar Jónasson, author of the Dark Iceland series of books, The Darkness is the first in his Hidden Iceland series. intriguingly, this is the final chapter of Hulda’s story with the rest being told in reverse chronological order.

Things don’t go according to plan for Hulda; the book opens with her questioning a woman over the hit and run of a paedophile and she makes a questionable decision which has potentially huge consequences. The cold-case she re-opens steps on the toes of the colleague who investigated originally, she visits a suspicious drug-dealer who unbeknownst to her is under surveillance putting a long-running operation in jeopardy and her boss really, really doesn’t want her to be at work. The only silver lining is a potential relationship with Petar, a kind, retired man who she can see herself living the rest of her days with in quiet companionship.

I’ve enjoyed the books I have read from the Dark Iceland series, they are well-written noir thrillers and I am pleased to report that The Darkness is just as good, if not better. I really loved reading about an older woman, it made such a refreshing change especially as Hulda is a complicated, nuanced character who I found utterly compelling. Jónasson writes people so well, they’re never black and white and are always fully formed – words are used sparingly to build characters who, love or loathe them, get deep under your skin.

As usual in a Ragnar Jónasson novel, Iceland is a character in itself. I’ve developed a bit of a love affair with Iceland after reading Names for the Sea recently and the descriptions of the brutal yet beautiful landscapes in The Darkness did nothing to dampen it. Hulda’s strength and resilience is mirrored in the harsh terrain which is subjected to the elements and I loved how the weather was used to build tension and horror.

This is a book with a clever and inventive plot which examines the present day but is also interspersed with the story of a woman who is visiting her child in a children’s home. Who the child and woman are and how they fit into the story isn’t immediately clear but is gradually unveiled to create one of the shock moments in the book (there a few!). This is a wonderful counterpoint to the thoroughly modern story of refugees and asylum seekers and in particular how they are treated. A dead Russian woman isn’t important news, a year or so after her death nobody remembers her or much about the story. Hulda’s dedication to finding out what happened to her reflects her pain at retirement staring her in the face and her loss of identity. Who would miss her if she was gone? The layers that Jónasson builds into The Darkness are wonderful – yes it is a thriller/mystery but at its heart it is an examination of life and its value.

I really enjoyed this book and tore through it quite quickly – the writing is excellent and the plotting and narrative structures excel to create something that is a little bit different and very special.

tired and confusing to me. sorry didn't enjoy it as much as i wanted to

The Darkness - Ragnar Jonasson

A novel that unflinchingly lives up to its name. There is lightness in the sympathetic main character of Hulda Hermannsdottir, a police detective in the final days of a distinguished career before an unwelcome retirement. But all else is unremitting gloom - the bleak Icelandic landscape, the loneliness of a mother’s bereavement, the disappointment at the demise of a career, the struggle of a woman in a male-dominated role, the isolation of an older single woman. Add to that a dead refugee and a police force that doesn’t care what happened to her. A tragic story that unfolds right onto the final page. The Darkness is a compelling read and Hulda is a magnetic personality, but, goodness, it’s pitch black in her world.

Favourite line: “The advantage of the darkness is that there are no shadows.”

What's it about?

When Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik police is forced into early retirement, she is told she can investigate one last cold case of her choice – and she knows which one. Yet, when her own colleagues try to put the brakes on her investigation, Hulda has just days to discover the truth. A truth she will risk her own life to find.

My thoughts

There's a definite style to Icelandic crime writing. It's very straightforward, clear, and almost blunt. It must be a feature of the original language, because I've noticed it in the work of Arnaldur Indriðason and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, as well as Jónasson. (Hark at me, name-dropping Icelandic authors I've read). This style means that these books are not hard to read, but deceptively deep. Underestimate these books at your peril. This book in particular lulled me into a false sense of security before culminating in one of the most unexpected and startling endings I've read in yonks. 

The rest of the plot I found to be not as engaging as it could be. There were a few holes and transitions that seemed cobbled together to serve the end game of the story. It needed a bit more thought. However, it was just as noir as other Icelandic crime novels I've read; I particularly liked the noting of the change in weather, possibly because I'm British, but mainly because that really helped develop a sense of place and dreariness.

There's also the character of Hulda. I think Jónasson was trying to reinvent the old hardboiled detective trope with this parboiled female detective, largely successfully. She's as changeable as the Icelandic landscape, and I'm still not sure what to make of her. I don't know if I like her, but I don't know if that's necessary. I'd have liked some of the revelations that crop up in the final chapters to have happened earlier, so as to not distract from the grand finale, but it's a minor niggle. 

This is the first one in a series of three, and I'm keen to see what Jónasson does next. With no spoilers, the way forward from here is ambiguous and I want to see where it goes from here. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes, especially if you're a fan of Scandi-noir.

Great Read!!
I’m a slow reader but found I wizzed through this one.
A very atmospheric read, dark, mysterious and what a great twist at the end.
This is the first book I have read by this author and this particular book is the first in a new series which I will now keep an eye out for.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Huldur is 64 and is being forced into early retirement by the Police force she has served for over forty years. She lives alone following the death of her husband and daughter and life is lonely. On the positive side she has a new relationship starting with Petur, a comfortably well-off retired doctor, and she is allowed to take one cold case to work on before she leaves. When Huldur picks up a case about a Russian asylum seeker found drowned in a remote cove near the airport she realises that what was dismissed as a suicide is actually a murder and she determines to solve it. However Huldur holds secrets of her own and some of those are about to surface.

On the face of it this is a standard Scant-Crime police procedural. The idea of having an older female protagonist is a good one as it opens up lots of avenues around the changes in policing, sexism, ageism etc. The plot around the death of an asylum seeker is also a clever one as it allows for an examination of racism, human trafficking etc. There are some nice twists in the story as Huldur's actions come to light, she is not the simple heroine depicted in the first half of the book. However for some reason the plot never really caught fire and I found the ending predictable and somewhat lacklustre.

I haven't read any of this author's previous books so wasn't sure what to expect. The story was quite slow to get going but easy to read. The ending was very strong and not what I anticipated.

The Darkness is a real page-turner, albeit one with at times quite simplistic use of language (whether the original author or the translation is attributable I can’t say). I got a real sense of place from the descriptions, and the lead character is well drawn (lesser characters perhaps less so).
There are a few overlapping narratives taking place; these are well drawn together in such a way that whilst I thought I knew where it was going I was wrongfooted, which is always a positive in a thriller. The tone of the whole piece is somewhat fatalistic, perhaps reflecting both the age and position of the lead (approaching retirement) and the bleakness of the landscape.

This is a gripping crime thriller with a chilling twist at the end. I read it in one sitting. I look forward to the other two books in the trilogy. I thoroughly recommend it. The book is set in beautiful Iceland and is clever and enjoyable.

I loved this thriller - a fabulous central character and a dark and totally involving story. As the first novel in a trilogy, this book has made me desperate to read the next book. Highly recommended for a dark and gripping read.

A gripping tale full of twists and turns. The landscape and characters are both expertly drawn. I was gripped from start to finish. The landscape is as bleak as the characters.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so descriptive and atmospheric that I felt that I was in Iceland. Now I want to go there, such is the power of this book. The characters were so very well drawn and Hulda will remain in my head for a long time. What a story she had to tell.
Really enjoyed it and would love to read more.
Thank you

This was a great read, I could hardly put it down. That character of Hulda was excellent I could easily picture her image and experience her frustrations in being sidelined into retirement from the police force long before she was ready. The story flew by and by the time I was heading for the conclusion I couldn't wait to see who the culprit was. It was also a lovely introduction into Iceland's beautiful landscapes, at numerous times I could feel the snow, the icy wind, see the view from the top of a mountain. The end was disappointing for me only in that I was hoping for more Hulda books, perhaps with her as a retired detective now working as a private investigator. I shall certainly look for more publication by this author.

I really enjoyed reading this book. A good storyline that moved along nicely and with some twists and turns that you didn't really see coming.

An excellently written novel that quickly draws you in to a fast paced "cold case " investigation being carried out by DI Hulda Hermannsdottir. Hulda, due to retire within a year, is shattered to be given the news that her retiral has been cut to only 2 weeks due to her replacement having been successfully recruited. All her caseload is to be passed over with immediate effect to her colleagues. She is told, to fill her last weeks, that she can choose a cold case and try to solve it. She immediately grabs this chance to solve one last case but little knows the problems and tragedies that shall arise as a result of her investigation. If I have a criticism at all it is, that by running 4 separate stories in parallel with only chapter breaks serving as the tool to move the reader between scenarios, the narrative occasionally lacks flow. But make no mistake, this is a piece of vividly descriptive writing allied to a truly gripping plot which together provide an excellent read.

I enjoyed the twists and turns within the story and would definitely recommend it.

I really enjoyed Ragnar’s previous series, the brilliant Dark Iceland, so I was very excited to receive a copy of The Darkness the first book in his new series, Hidden Iceland.

The pace in this book felt a little different from his previous ones. For me it was faster and I felt drawn into the story a lot quicker. My interest was piqued from the start not only by the murder investigation but by Hulda’s personal back story and struggles. I thought it was great that the author was able to make this story stand out by being different from his previous books.

I wasn’t expecting the story to be as though provoking as it was as it does raise a lot of interesting questions regarding how we treat people in the work force, particularly women and the older members, and the techniques people can use to get ahead in work. I found myself thinking about this story quite a lot when I wasn’t reading it wondering how I would react in such a situation.

Hulda is a brilliant main character that I found highly likeable. I enjoyed following her investigation and learning more about her. I felt so sorry for her and the way she was treated by her colleagues that at times I wished I could reach into the book and give her a hug. We’ve all been been there and felt under appreciated so I really emphasised with how she was feeling. I wanted her to succeed and solve the cold case she was working on so she could show her colleagues how capable she was!

As with his other books Ragnar provides some great descriptions of the stunning Icelandic scenery. I felt I could really imagine the setting of the novel and even looked up some of the places on the internet. I’d never heard of the lava fields and I did enjoy looking at pictures of them as they are so unlike anything we have in England.

This is the third book I have read by this author and it definitely won’t be my last as I really enjoy his books. I’m very interested to read the other books in the Hidden Iceland series, especially as the story is being told in reverse order and the other books are set in an earlier time.

Huge thanks to Laura Icnol and Michael St Joseph for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

This was a pretty lacklustre thriller for me. It tells the story of Hulda, a detective coming up to retirement in Iceland who takes on one last cold case before she leaves. The basic premise is sound, but I thought that the execution was not good. Hulda is suitably prickly, but some of her decision making is really questionable and I worry that she is just not a realistic representation of a successful police officer. The prose seemed quite stilted, whether that's the translation or not I'm not sure, but it just didn't scan that well. Having said that, I did read the book quite quickly and find the idea of a trilogy in reverse (of which this is the first instalment) quite an original concept. I'm just not entirely convinced by this offering.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.