Snowblind

Taut and terrifying, a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors, and which is accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik, with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and where secrets and lies are a way of life. An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling, and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness—blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

Ragnar Jónasson is an Icelandic crime writer who works as a lawyer, while teaching copyright law at the Reykjavik University Law School. He has worked in TV and radio, including as a news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. He has translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic, and has had several short stories published in German, English, and Icelandic literary magazines, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Jónasson set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) in Reykjavik, and is cofounder of the international crime-writing festival Iceland Noir.