I’m usually a fan of this author, have read several of his previous books and was very happy to be able to read this in advance of publication. Unfortunately I didn’t think this one was anything like as good as his previous books.
Teacher Una has a somewhat unhappy life in Reykjavik and, with some misgivings, accepts an offer to go and teach two girls in the remote village of Skalar. When she gets there, Una doesn’t feel entirely welcome (in fact, some of the villagers are particularly unwelcoming), there is the ghost of a child in the house she’s living in and one of the children she teaches is unfriendly, as is that child’s mother.
The main story is interspersed with flashbacks from a woman who has been imprisoned for a murder she is sure she didn’t commit.
I felt that the flashbacks from the imprisoned woman didn’t really go anywhere – that story is relevant but could’ve been told without the flashbacks. The unfriendliness of one of the children Una teaches is highlighted but turns out to have no relevance to the story and the circumstances around the death of one of the villagers seemed quite implausible to me. The ending was something of an anti-climax and, given the unfriendliness of the villagers (which also seemed a bit overdone), although there was no huge reason for Una to return to Reykjavik, there was no reason for her not to either.
A disappointing novel, but I would read more from this author as his previous novels have been good.

Una, a teacher in Reykjavik, is unsettled by her father’s suicide and has few friends. She answers an advert for “A teacher wanted at the edge of the world” . That description is exact. She goes possibly just for a year to Skalar on the Langanes Peninsula to teach the only two children there. The context of this book is as chilling as the story. The residents are unfriendly, the job unrewarding and Una drinks too much. The only hope is a relationship with the only eligible young man until it transpires that he is not what he seems. Slowly, Una grasps that there are hidden stories in this desolate place and the book moves towards an unexpected ending. Whether Una reacts correctly to what she learns is unresolved. Woven into all this is the death of a child, thus the title and, of course, the suggestion of a ghost. It is well written and keeps you interested.

The Girl Who Died toys with the reader - is it a murder mystery, a ghost story or the story of a woman before her murder? At one point, all of these seem to be possible.

I really enjoyed the story, it kept me up reading, under the covers, long into the night until I had to stop because I was a bit terrified. For a short book, it certainly packs a punch.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This was another excellent Icelandic mystery by Ragnar. Previous books have been truly excellent. Even though the pace is quite slow you are still itching to read just another chapter, then another and another. I thought Una was very brave to take on the teaching job in the isolated Skalar but she didn’t have much of a life back in Reykjavik. Her dismissal from the school was appalling, I think I would have appealed to the governors if they have something like that over there. Parents shouldn’t be able to constantly criticise teachers and at the same time send destructive and insulting emails to a teacher and expect an instant reply or else. Una was contending with a weak and biased headmaster. This book is part ghost story, part murder mystery and part fascinating about the lives of these people living in an isolated village on one of Iceland’s peninsulars. Once all was finally revealed by Thor and Hjordis I personally would have left as soon as but Una decided to stay, possibly permanently. Even though I cannot fault this brilliant authors work I did find the alter passages by Bjorne quite laborious and too long so I sadly ski mimed some of these pages. Until the very end you are not aware of the link so because there was so much content from her it started to feel annoying as you just want to continue with Unas story. I eagerly look forward to more from this author, he’s one of. My favourites .

I looked forward with eager anticipation for the next novel from the pen of Ragnar Jonasson who had enthralled me with his Dark Iceland series. The Girl Who Died though is in a different genre, yes, mystery is still there in abundance, but it isn't the remotest part of Iceland that delivers the tension but the small number of people who inhabit it. There is certainly a hint of menace apparent as Una tries to fit in to the community where she has accepted a commission to teach two pupils for the academic year. The literary interjections in italics hint at murder and deep injustice. I am not sure how well that works. I need to re-read The Girl Who Died to ascertain whether this lays a firm enough foundation as the story evolves. So yes, there are glimpses of Ragnar Jonasson's talent, but there are too many loose ends that have not been addressed - but maybe it leaves the door open for a further novel set in this village at the very edge of Iceland.

Una, a young woman living in Reykjavik, takes up a post as a teacher in a remote Icelandic village which has just 10 inhabitants, including the two children she will teach.

What happens next is a fairly familiar plot, usually based around a large spooky house, whereas in this case it’s the entire village. Una enters a closed and not entirely friendly world, with strange happenings and talk of ghosts. Alongside this are flashbacks to a murder, though these are fairly brief and not explored in any depth.

For me this novel didn’t really work. The sense of dread doesn’t appear and the denouement is predictable for this genre. A shame as I like the dark Iceland series, but it seems that Jonasson is better at detective thrillers than spooky stuff.

One of my all time favourite Scandi authors and what a disappointment. This book was so slow, where was the tension and suspense that this author does so Well??? It was a real struggle to finish it. I really hope that other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Penguin UK and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

#TheGirlWhoDied #NetGalley
It sucked me in.
Una knows she is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.
So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly
I would like to definitely recommend this book to everyone. It's slow at some points but overall it's a good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy.

When Una, struggling to pay the mortgage on a flat in Reykjavik on a supply teacher's salary, sees an advert for a teacher in a small community in north east Iceland, it seems like the perfect opportunity to save some money and have a change of scene. However, when she arrives at the isolated rural community of Skalar she realised everything is not quite what it seemed.

Pervaded with a creeping sense of darkness and dread, The Girl Who Died was an enjoyably spooky read for a December night but if I'm honest, I think it didn't go far enough. I would have liked more build-up and tension prior to the events of Christmas, and more exploration of the sinister possibilities afterwards. Instead it felt rushed and the final dénouement (although it at least made sense of the irritating sections that periodically take the reader away from Una and Skalar - and break the tension at the same time) lacking in shock.

A solid 3.5 stars.

The Girl who died by Ragnar Jonasson
3 Stars
I struggled to finish this book because of repetition and the sheer dour nature of the tale. That the author can write is not in question but there was no light at the end of this tunnel.

It must be hard to attempt to write a crime novel based in a country whose criminal activity is so low. Perhaps a novel aimed at evidencing the ability of humans to not just live but thrive in this beautiful but inhospitable country would be a better vehicle.