Would definitely recommend this - a real page turner, that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Ghosts, deaths, crimes, mysteries.

A teacher moves to an isolated village where she will have two students. But the longer she is there the more there is a mystery of what has happened, is there anything to hide, what is really going on. To say more might reveal a spoiler!!!

The location is as important a character as the people themselves, and there is a really sense of unease on every page.

With thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an ARC.

"As she was approaching Skálar, fog rolled in without warning, blotting out the landscape and merging sea with sky. It felt like driving into an Impressionist painting, in which her destination kept receding as fast as she approached it; like entering a void in which time had ceased to have any meaning".

Ragnar Jonasson has established himself as one of the most important contemporary Icelandic crime writers and global readership has been introduced to his work through the majestic, award winning "Dark Iceland" series and the, more recent, "Hidden Iceland" saga featuring 64-year-old Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir of the Reykjavik Police Department. The Girl Who Died is Jonasson's latest standalone novel taking place in one of the remotest locations in Iceland, the tiny hamlet of Skálar right at the end of Langanes Peninsula with a population of of only ten people. The story is set, chronologically, in 1985, even though, as Jonasson writes in a brief author's note in the beginning of the book, in reality Skálar has been abandoned since the mid-1950s. The author did a research on the settlement and the historical facts presented reflect the truth about the village's past such as the presence of American troops during the Second World War in a radar station built there. Skálar is a perfect setting for a crime story to unfold as it is cold, gloomy, and snowy, while the limited population of the village forces its inhabitants to stick together through thick and thin in order to be able to survive. In many ways, the setting of the book is reminiscent of Siglufjörður, the quiet village in Northern Iceland where the stories featuring Ari Thór Arason take place. Both are isolated, closed-knit communities far away from the capital of Reykjavik where people like to keep their own to their own and are suspicious of any newcomers, or external prying eyes threatening to disrupt the normality of their everyday lives.

The story begins when Una, a teacher living in Reykjavik and struggling to make ends meet, sees a newspaper advertisement under the title: "Teacher wanted at the edge of the world". Una is initially reluctant to apply as Skálar is 700 km outside Reykjavik and she is a person who is used to the bustling commotion of the city, so she isn't sure if she is ready to take such a big leap. Nevertheless, the lack of any romantic entaglement and the financial difficulties she is facing convince her to take the decision and move to the back of beyond. When Una arrives in the village, she meets her landlady, Salka, who welcomes her and gives her some basic information about living in Skálar and the other members of the miniscule local society. Salka has a daughter, Edda, who, along with another girl, Kolbrun, will be the only two pupils in Una's class. Edda and Kolbrin are different characters as the former is sociable and outgoing, while the latter is introverted and shy. Una tries hard to adjust to her new life and when she meets a local young man, Thor, she even believes that she has a chance to rekindle her long gone love life. But, as she settles in Salka's house, Una begins to have horrible nightmares where a little girl dressed in white and singing a haunting lullaby haunt her. The protagonist doesn't believe in the existence of ghosts, nevertheless, she is scared out of her wits and begins to make intrusive questions to the village's residents who seem unwilling to help her. After a horrible tragedy happens involving Edda, Una will suspect that something truly sinister is going on in Skálar and she won't rest until she finds out the whole truth about what is happening now and what happened in the past.

Jonasson interjects some chapters where we read about a case of double murder that took place in the past and for which an innocent woman was arrested. The reader has no idea about how the two parallel stories are connected until the end of the novel where everything is explained and the bond between them is revealed. The double timeline narrative is handed expertly by the experienced Icelandic author who knows how to build the tension gradually and handily, while the descriptive parts of the novels are so well-written that captivate and arouse the reader's imagination. Of course, it should be noted that Victoria Cribb does a marvellous job in translating the book into English, highlighting the merits of the author's simple, straightforward prose which conveys in the best possible of ways the eeriness of the story. In terms of plot, The Girl Who Died is not a complex crime novel that is based on a labyrinthine story structure, but rather relies on the power of an ominous natural setting, the magic of the Icelandic folk tales, and the accurate psychological profiling of the main characters. If you haven't still read a Ragnar Jonasson's novel, this could be the best introduction to the author's magnificent body of work and it is also recommended to the many fans of Icelandic crime fiction. Jonasson remains on the forefront of the country's most significant crime writers and he has won the readers' hearts with his splendid mystery/thrillers during the last decade. Every time I finish one of his books, I feel thirsty for more and I'm always on the lookout for his latest writing attempts. Let's hope that we will have the chance to read more similar, high-quality novels in the near future. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this title.

I love Icelandic noir, and Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favourite Icelandic authors – with good reason. I was thrilled to be able to read and review his latest stand-alone novel, which delivered the same kind of atmospheric setting as his Ari Thor Arason books. With the added bonus of a spooky element!

Let’s talk a bit more about setting, which was my favourite element of the novel. A hostile little village – both in its isolation, the harsh weather and the suspicious and outwardly unfriendly villagers – made for the perfect claustrophobic setting. Very cleverly, Jonasson chose a 1980’s timeline for his story, which completed the sense of utter isolation. No cell phones, no internet, not even TV to keep in touch with the news. Can we even still imagine such a life? This is the situation Una, a city girl through and through, finds herself in when she takes on a remote teaching post in the far East of Iceland. I have been to the area Jonasson describes in his novel, and even though I found it breathtakingly beautiful, I could imagine that the long nights and harsh weather would soon wear a bit thin, and the lack of human kindness would soon get to you.

Not only has Una discovered that most of the locals are not very friendly, and don’t want her here, but she is also aware of some supernatural happenings in the house she is staying in. I give credit to Jonasson for striking just the right balance with his paranormal element to make it just the perfect degree of creepy without going over the top. I also loved the way he employed the setting to ratchet up the creep factor.

I found myself very involved in Una’s narrative but thought that the 2nd POV didn’t marry well with the overall story and didn’t add much for me. I would even go as far as saying that it was superfluous and could easily have been merged into Una’s POV by letting Una discover the “secret”, which would have given the ending a much bigger impact. As it was, I wasn’t invested in those chapters at all.

All in all, THE GIRL WHO DIED was an atmospheric and slightly creepy mystery with that sense of claustrophobia and darkness that makes Icelandic noir so compelling for me. It’s a slow burning mystery which will appeal to readers who value atmosphere, setting and an underlying sense of unease over action and plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved reading a standalone novel by one of my favourite Icelandic authors!

This is a slow burner of a book, I’m so pleased I stuck with it as the last quarter is by far the best part. I particularly loved the descriptions of life in a tiny Icelandic village. It truly is a haunting tale in many ways and different to the average thriller/detective/crime novel.

Love this Icelandic author. Great atmosphere created with a teacher feeling unwelcome by locals when she moves to a remote location to tutor 2 children. Not as good as Ragnar's Hulda books, but a good read nevertheless.

Well - if you’re looking for a book to cheer you up on a winter’s evening Ragnar Jonasson’s latest offering, ‘ The Girl Who Died’, isn’t going to be the one. Like other novels from Jonasson it takes the bleak Icelandic winter as the theme for this tale of a remote tiny village whose eleven inhabitants share dark secrets into which a young teacher intrudes to find a complex web of mystery and intrigue that threatens her very sanity. In some Icelandic crime novels this grim mixture of dark secrets, long dark nights and the bleak Icelandic landscape combine with an unexpected synergy, but this novel is, perhaps a little more routine. Certainly, there’s a mystery to solve and there is also a sense of mounting peril for our central character, who is made to feel increasingly unwelcome as the tension mounts. Overall, however, for this reader the various themes fail to spark into a satisfying whole. Having said that, it was a book that was not easy to put down and was quickly read. Overall, then, it’s fair to award a four star review.

A supernatural crime thriller with an Icelandic happy ending.

Una, a schoolteacher, becomes an economic refugee from the mid eighties house-price boom in Reykjavik and escapes to a small and very remote fishing village where she will have just two pupils to teach. She does not become instantly at home there and experiences both a haunting and increasing hostility and paranoia from the flesh and blood inhabitants. Meanwhile, in a parallel plot a man begins a new career as a contract killer and a young woman is falsely arrested for his first murder. The two plotlines inexorably converge towards a conclusion that English readers might find surprising.

Despite the supernatural aspects, this is in many ways a realistic novel. For example, an ambitious young man who finds himself a bit-player in a large and powerful criminal organisation probably has two options: get out at the first opportunity and try something else, or knuckle down and build a reputation for doing the dirty work with calm efficiency. In the real world, it’s the killers who rise to the top of criminal organisations and it is only sensible to treat any criminal king-pin as if he were a ruthless killer because however skillfully he has hidden the evidence, it’s most improbable that he got where he is by non-violent means.

I have read and enjoyed all Ragnar Jonasson’s previous novels but found this one a little disappointing. The setting of a hamlet miles from anywhere with only ten inhabitants and Una, an unwelcome incomer, creates a creepy atmosphere in this Icelandic story. However, the characters all seem unbelievable in their strange behaviour towards Una and she too lacks definition so as a result the novel does not appear authentic..
The novel tries to be a mystery, thriller and ghost story and because it doesn’t know which it is the story lacks suspense and credibility. I found the ending disappointing and confusing.

I’m not sure how to describe the genre of this book. It’s a bit of a crime story, a bit of a ghost story and a bit of a mystery. Una is dissatisfied with her life and responds to an advert for a teacher in a remote community where only ten people live. She doesn’t get a warm welcome and, on top of that, her room in the attic is haunted by the ghost of a little girl. The first half of the book builds the character and atmosphere and does this very well. Then a stranger visits the village and a tragedy strikes. Una searches for the truth in face of hostility from everyone. The vey end was a little weak. I read this in one sitting and would highly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love the atmospheric and detailed images of the most remote and bleak parts of Iceland that Ragnar Jonasson conjures up. His latest story takes place in the tiniest village of just ten residents, far away from any other kind of civilisation. Una, a teacher from Reykjavik takes up a post as a teacher in the village. With only two pupils it holds few challenges. However, the dark winter, a creepy home and unwelcoming villagers make life very uncomfortable for her. Believing she sees and hears a ghost, she drinks too much and lets her imagination run away with her. Una then begins to delve into past lives of the locals and uncover secrets that they would rather stay buried. I can’t say I warmed to Una, she seemed rather pushy and rude. Expecting people to immediately be her friend when she is the outsider who should respect the isolated existence of the locals. I suppose there wouldn’t have been much of a story if she’d kept herself to herself but because I couldn’t relate to her, this was not my favourite book by this talented author.

An excellent book, with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it, thank you for letting me read an advance copy netgalley and the publishers.

what a strange little book: part thriller part got story and not really either. I thought there were pages missing.

The description of the landscape, the hamlet is powerful and some of the reveal well handled but I remained unsatisfied.

This had such a dark eerie feeling throughout, almost sinister. I don’t know if it liked the way it made me feel! However it was a really interesting concept and so well written I was soon swept along. Really enjoyed it.

I think this was somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. The novel leans highly on atmospheric and the buildup in this aspect is superb. When Una leaves her job in the capital and goes off to a remote location, she has no clear idea what she is heading into. Her new job entails teaching 2 pupils, in a village where there reside only 10 people. And yet, and yet. There is something eerie about the whole place and Una is soon left thinking if she has not made a mistake by coming here. Because people seem to be strange in this isolated space and there are some secrets which are buried deep. It helps that the book is set in time when mobiles abd internet was non existent and adds to the overall feel of the book.

A dark and chilling story, engrossing too. It is set in a tiny, remote village in the frozen wastes of Iceland, and Una takes a teaching job there to escape her unsatisfactory life in Reykjavik. She only has two children to teach and there are only ten people in the village altogether. Una soon begins to think that she has made a terrible blunder in coming to Skala, , as strange and terrifying things begin to happen and she realises she is clearly unwelcome in the village. The book is well plotted and mostly well characterised and paced, but the writing felt a little clunky at times. I read until late at night to finish it though, so it won’t let you go until the very end.

Having hugely enjoyed (actually, not sure if the right word, but they were excellent) the Hidden Iceland trilogy, I’ve been looking forward to this new Ragnar Jonassan book. Expectations can be an enemy... I’m afraid I found this a much slighter work, with less depth to the characters and ultimately less to hold the interest. The setting is as well drawn as ever, but the inhabitants seemed more ‘stock’ suspicious locals than a real community. I wondered if this reflects the expectations of the central character, rather than the villagers themselves... but i fear I’m trying to read more than is there.
After a few days reflection, for me the problem lies in the central character - there’s just not enough going on with her to be of interest, and the sub plot (revealed occasionally in italics) is less central to the ongoing story than one might expect.

It’s an enjoyable enough read, but by no means essential.

Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favourite Nordic crime writers and here he has written a stand alone novel and was a little disappointed not to see his protagonist Hulda Hermannsdottir. Set in Iceland, Una decides to take a teaching job in Skalar, a very remote town in the north of the country. So remote only 10 people live there and 2 children which she will be teaching.
Una, a city girl, nothing prepared her for the cold welcome she got. Lodging in an attic, she is convinced the house is haunted as she hears singing and glimpses ghostly apparations of a little girl. Her landlady has a little girl and she tells Una it is not her. But when her landlady's daughter dies and the village people start acting oddly, her uneasiness grows. A well told story, Jonasson describes the bleak scenery so well. This kept me engrossed.

This author is on top form and goes from strength to strength with every book he has written. Set in the 1980s, it sounded like the perfect retreat to go to and get paid for it. When Una sees an advertisement for a teacher in a remote location, she jumps at the chance. Skálar is home to only ten residents, and 2 of them are the children she would be teaching. Una is to lodge with one the children’s mother, but there is something that feels very off and edgy, in the room she is given.
Una finds that the isolated town is cold in more ways than one as the welcoming Committee is rather non-existent and even the two children are alien to each other. It’s the 1980’s with the only connection to the outside world being a landline and newspapers, with her entertainment consisting of VHS tapes that she has brought with her. It was going to be a long winter than she originally thought it would be.
The descriptions of Skálar are superb, making it visual, audible and chilling in every way possible. The setting perfection to enable personal sanity to be questioned and found wanting. Was Una going mad? She had come to the Island to find peace, not the isolation that she found herself in.
The unease grows and snowballs as the book progresses, but I never saw what was coming, well only the tip of the iceberg before it went into a complete and devastating meltdown of the past and present. It is a real heart gripper. I felt spent of all my emotions. I still can’t think about this story without feeling my heart sink. A story that stands out. Brilliant.
I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Una has struggled since the death of her father. She works as a supply teacher and drinks alone in the evenings. A fiend suggests she takes a job teaching in a remote village in the north of the country. The village is a tiny fishing community with a handful of inhabitants who are not welcoming to Una to say the least. Winter draws on and the constant darkness and feeling of oppression in the village increase but Una decides to stick it out as she has only two pupils and enjoys teaching them. Then at Christmas, there is a sudden death, and Una must find the truth of what is happening or she will lose her grip on reality. Gripping, unputdownable stuff.

Another great read from this writer. With a series of twists interest is sustained throughout. An enjoyable story.