Nightblind

Chilling and complex, Nightblind is an extraordinary thriller from Ragnar Jonasson, an undeniable new talent. Ari Thor Arason is a local policeman who has an uneasy relationship with the villagers in an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland-where no one locks their doors. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by a murder. One of Ari's colleagues is gunned down at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark Arctic waters closing in, it falls to Ari Thor to piece together a puzzle that involves a new mayor and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik. It becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all. Praise for Ragnar Jonasson:. Ragnar Jonasson hailed as one of "the heirs to the Agatha Christie crown" by The Daily Telegraph (UK). "Jonasson is an automatic must-read for me ... possibly the best Scandi writer working today." -Lee Child, internationally bestselling author of the Jack Reacher thrillers. Praise for Nightblind:. "Story's got me gripped but even more satisfying is how the characters are never just there as pawns in the plot."-Ian Rankin. "The ending is a satisfying surprise. But what really makes Nightblind stand out is its vivid cast of characters, whose fears, ambitions, rivalries, and longings are movingly universal."-Oprah.com. "Excellent...Jonasson plants clues fairly before a devastatingly unexpected reveal, without sublimating characterization to plot."-Publishers Weekly (starred). "The final surprise carries a real shock; and of course the advent of the Icelandic winter is likely to chill hearts even below the Arctic Circle."-Kirkus Reviews. "A unique Nordic Noir of the first order."-BookPage. "Jonasson delights in playing with the expectations of his audience, pulling the carpet out from under us on more than one occasion. Pure entertainment."-Mystery Scene. "British aficionados of Nordic Noir are familiar with two excellent Icelandic writers, Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Here's a third: Ragnar Jonasson...the darkness and cold are almost palpable."-The Times. "There will be no better way to start the year than by reading Nightblind by Ragnar Jonasson...Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir."-Sunday Express. "Nightblind...certainly lives up to the promise of its predecessor...this is an atmospheric portrayal of a claustrophobic place where everyone is connected...economical and evocative prose, as well as some masterful prestidigitation..."-The Guardian. "A joyful reading experience. Nightblind firmly places Jonasson's writing on the map when it comes to solid Icelandic crime novels."-Mystery Tribune. "Ragnar Jonasson has written a spellbinding novel, with deep insights into the many conflicted characters in the book."-Marilyn's Mystery Reads. "This novel is an effective melding of classic village mystery with contemporary Nordic noir."-Reviewing the Evidence. New York Post's Must-Read Books for Week of December 16. Praise for Snowblind:. "A classic crime story . . .first-rate and highly recommended." -Lee Child. "A modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom..." -Ian Rankin. "This classically crafted whodunit holds up nicely, but J³nasson's true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting, lashed by blinding snowstorms that smother the village in "a thick, white darkness" that is strangely comforting."-New York Times Book Review. "J³nasson skillfully alternates points of view and shifts of time...The action builds to a shattering climax."-Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred). "A chiller of a thriller whose style and pace are influence by J³nasson's admiration for Agatha Christie. It's good enough to share shelf space with the works of Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Arnaldur Indridason, Iceland's crime novel royalty."-The Washington Post, "Best Mysteries and Thrillers to Read in January". "J³nasson's whodunit puts a lively, sophisticated spin on the Agatha Christie model, taking it down intriguing dark alleys."-Kirkus Reviews. "In this debut novel, J³nasson has taken the locked-room mystery and transformed it into a dark tale of isolation and intrigue that will keep readers guessing until the final page."-Library Journal Xpress. "J³nasson spins an involving tale of small-town police work that vividly captures the snowy setting that so affects the rookie cop. Iceland noir at its moodiest"-Booklist "Required reading."-New York Post. "What sets Snowblind apart is the deep melancholy pervading the characters. Most of them, including Ari, have suffered a tragic loss. That's bad for them, but along with the 24-hour darkness closing in, it makes for the best sort of gloomy storytelling." -Chicago Tribune. "Perfectly capturing the pressures of rural life and the freezing, deadly Icelandic winter, Snowblind will keep readers on the edge of their seats-preferably snuggled beneath a warm blanket."-Shelf Awareness. "A real find. I loved it. The turns of the plot are clever and unexpected, and Ari is a wonderful character to spend time with."-Mystery Scene. "Snowblind has the classic red herrings, plot twists and surprises that characterize the best of Christie's work. J³nasson's latest is nicely done and simply begs for a sequel."-BookPage. "If a Golden Age crime novel was to emerge from a literary deep freeze then you'd hope it would read like this." -Craig Robertson. "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 - From the Publisher. *10/16/2017. Set five years after the action of Snowblind, J³nasson's excellent second thriller featuring Ari Th³r Arason to be published in the U.S. finds Ari Th³r passed over for the position of inspector in the small Icelandic town of Siglufj¶rdur, a setback mitigated by his reunion with his girlfriend, Krist­n, and the birth of their son, Stefnir. When Herj³lfur, the man who got the inspector's position, dies after being blasted at close range by a shotgun near an abandoned house, Ari Th³r's former superior, T³mas, oversees the investigation. Ari Th³r and T³mas step on some powerful toes as they follow leads pointing to the town's mayor, Gunnar Gunnarsson; phone records show that Herj³lfur called Gunnarsson late at night shortly before the attack. The mayor's claim that the conversation was about traffic strikes the pair as implausible. Ari Th³r soon begins to feel like a "stranger in a place where everyone was connected and no one could be trusted completely." J³nasson plants clues fairly before a devastatingly unexpected reveal, without sublimating characterization to plot. Agent: David Headley, DHH Literary Agency (U.K.). (Dec.) - Publishers Weekly. 2017-09-03. A second case looms for Ari Th³r Arason, half the police force of the north Icelandic town of Siglufj¶rdur, when the other half gets shot in an abandoned house.Nothing much has happened in the house near the entrance to the Str¡kar tunnel since 1961, when one of the twins living there took a fatal header from its balcony. And Inspector Herj³lfur, a recent arrival to the community, wouldn't even be investigating the report of someone seen inside if Ari Th³r weren't down with the flu. As it is, his patrol ends abruptly with a shotgun blast that sends him to the hospital, hovering between life and death. Will it also send Ari Th³r, who campaigned unsuccessfully for the position of inspector, into Herj³lfur's place? Not a chance. Instead, the powers that be summon T³mas, the boss who preceded Herj³lfur, back from Reykjav­k to take charge of the case. So T³mas is also on hand when an even more recent arrival is stabbed to death. To Ari Th³r's chagrin, his old chief insinuates himself into this case as well. It looks as if the eternal second fiddle (Snowblind, 2017) will have enough time on his hands to take care of his son, Stefnir, who's almost a year old, when his physician wife, Krist­n, accedes to the local hospital's pleas that she return to her job. Maybe Ari Th³r will even have the leisure to notice that corruption threatens the local political establishment and that Krist­n is thinking seriously of leaving him. The plotting is rudimentary, but the final surprise carries a real shock; the excerpts from a 1982 diary pack a punch of their own; and of course the advent of the Icelandic winter is likely to chill hearts even below the Arctic Circle. - Kirkus Reviews