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The Darkness
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
42 posts | 35 read | 37 to read
'Ragnar Jnasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir' Peter James, The Number One bestselling author of Love You Dead **Be the first to read the incredible, chilling first novel in the new Hulda crime series from Icelandic superstar Ragnar Jnasson by pre-ordering your copy now** At sixty-four, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir of the Reykjavik Police is about to take on her last case before she retires: A young woman, an asylum seeker from Russia, found murdered on the seaweed covered rocks of the Vatnsleysustrnd in Iceland. When Hulda starts to ask questions it isn't long before she realizes that no one can be trusted, and that no one is telling the whole truth. Spanning Reykjavik, the Icelandic highlands and the cold, isolated fjords, The Darkness is a thrilling new crime thriller from one of the biggest new names in Scandi noir. Praise for Ragnar Jnasson '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 'A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens . . . first rate and highly recommended' Lee Child on Snowblind 'A modern take on Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom . . .' Ian Rankin on Snowblind 'His clues are traditional and beautifully finessed - and he keeps you turning the pages' The Independent on Snowblind 'Distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction . . . atmospheric . . . economical and evocative prose' The Guardian on Nightblind 'Jnasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir . . . all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone' Sunday Express 'The ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach' Frettatiminn **** 'Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie' Kiljan on The Island
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jenniferw88
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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March's fiction and nonfiction choices for #12booksof2023 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks an author I need to read. 4mo
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SamAnne
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Mehso-so

My #Doublespin. I appreciated the read after spending a week in Iceland this month. But a so-so-so. I liked the MC, a female detective. I didn‘t like how many mistakes the author had her make. And I sure as hell didn‘t like the “twist” at the end. Think I‘m donr with Nordic noir for awhile and will pick up some Tana French again.

Ruthiella I get annoyed when an alleged professional is made incompetent just to move the plot. 😕 8mo
SamAnne @Ruthiella agree. I found it particularly infuriating because one of the themes was the glass ceiling she endures in the police department. The novel starts with her approaching retirement and being treated like crap. 8mo
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SamAnne
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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It‘s only appropriate that my #Bookspin would be the tagged Icelandic noir while I‘m traveling Iceland. Photo is of the farthest western point in Europe in the West Fjords that also hosts the largest bird colony in Europe. Puffins are damn cute! #doublespin is a Swedish noir Blaze Me a Sun. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Oh how fun!!! I have heard so many wonderful things about visiting Iceland - I hope your trip is amazing!!!! 9mo
SamAnne @TheAromaofBooks thanks! We are loving it. 9mo
bnp Nice coincidence! 9mo
AnnCrystal Puffins! I love these little guys. Beautiful photo... (edited) 9mo
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jenniferw88
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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TheEllieMo
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

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jenniferw88
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick
jenniferw88 Tw: Child sexual abuse 1y
Librarybelle Good choice! 1y
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swishandflick
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Excellent! It's been a while since I've picked up Icelandic crime fiction and this was a wonderful reminder of how *insanely* good they can be. I was totally along for the ride (to the point where I was up crazy late because I couldn't put it down). A cop just about to retire picks up a cold case to review in her last week. And the rest is a twisty journey with atmospheric settings and perfectly executed red herrings 👏🏽

Bklover I just bought this from ThriftBooks! Now I have to go find it 😉 1y
vivastory I read this a couple of weeks ago 1y
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vivastory
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

In book 1 of The Hidden Iceland trilogy Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir, with retirement ahead is abruptly notified that she has only a couple of weeks on the job before forced early retirement. With no active cases, her supervisor tells her to look into a cold case. She reopens the cold case of a Russian asylum seeker, whose death had been ruled as a suicide by one of her inept colleagues. Although I'm not near retirement age, I could def👇

vivastory relate to Hulda's exasperation with office politics & the frustration of dealing with upstart employees. Jonasson's novel appeared on a list while I was looking up novels, specifically mysteries, with unusual chronologies. The trilogy moves backwards, from retirement to when Hulda first became a detective. Although the mystery in The Darkness isn't terribly involved, I did find this one satisfying & will def be reading more of this author who I 2y
vivastory have had on my TBR for awhile now.
2y
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Tove_Reads
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Went to the library today to pick up books by the authors coming to the Crime Lit fest in September. Well, this is like half of the ones I need to read before the event 😀

rabbitprincess OMG what are the two massive chunksters?! 2y
aperfectmjk I'm already feeling overwhelmed for you. 😄 2y
Tove_Reads @rabbitprincess Those are actually the non-crime books for my book club. Two books from the New Zealand series by Sarah Lark. 2y
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MittenGirlPeach
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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My May #Bookspin! A nice mix I‘m looking forward to reading. Eddy Charcoal approves.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
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majkia
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson

Very atmospheric, with a complex mystery with twists and surprises galor. And the ending... Sort of saw it coming but still...

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Soscha
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

This was my first Iceland Noir book.

Oh friends, I was not ready.

60-ish detective forced into retirement takes on one last cold case.

Dark, dark, darker ▪️◾️◼️ ⬛️

SamAnne I‘ve been in. Nordic noir kick. Stacked! 3y
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kspenmoll
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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CHILLING. 😱

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MamaGina
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

My first by this author. I think it‘s the first time my rating for a book has gone from 3 to 4 stars based on the Epilogue...I did not see that coming!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruthiella Oooh! Intriguing ...😲 3y
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amywithbooks
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this! A quick read, I finished it in two sittings and it ends on a cliffhanger 👀
I look forward to the rest of this trilogy! 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

vivastory I've had snowblind sitting on my TBR shelves for awhile now, really should move it up 3y
amywithbooks @vivastory i am definitely going to check that series out too! 3y
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amywithbooks
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Book and a beer on this Saturday! Starting this tonight, by a new-to-me Nordic crime writer! I have heard great things about his books, and this trilogy in particular. Excited to dive in! 🍺📚

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amywithbooks
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Trying out Thriftbooks for the first time, it seems like there are some good deals on there! Anyone else order from here? Pros/cons?

Thousand-Lives I order from ThriftBooks and think it‘s a good deal. 👍 3y
amywithbooks @Thousand-Lives awesome, thanks! The Jo Nesbo books were only 4 bucks each- even cheaper than they would be on Kindle- I was shocked! 3y
Thousand-Lives @amywithbooks Yay! Glad you found some deals 😁 3y
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Emilymdxn
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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#jennyis30 @jenniferw88

I‘m flying through the squares rn! For now. I‘m loving the honeymoon phase with a challenge where I just do the easy bits. I read quite a lot of Scandinavian literature so this one wasn‘t too much of a challenge for me. I reckon my next read will just about count for autobiography but I might try to find something that fits more perfectly

ImmaEdeli I'm a newbie here and I am was wondering where you got the bingo template? It looks like it's a lot of fun and would love to participate 😉 4y
Emilymdxn Hey there @edeli ! So cool that you‘re new and wanna get involved. The template was posted by @jenniferw88 for her #jennyis30 challenge celebrating her 30th birthday - if you go to the #jennyis30 tag and scroll down there‘ll be a blank one. It‘s a super fun chill challenge and it‘s great to get involved in challenges right off when you‘re new, it took me months to be brave enough to join in. Always tag or comment if you need a hand with anything💖 4y
ImmaEdeli @Emilymdxn Thank you so much!! I can already tell this will be a lot of fun! 😘 4y
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Emilymdxn
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

9/15 #jumpstart2020 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

I liked this a lot more than I was expecting from the reviews, possibly as I‘m ill (did I mention...) and just wanted something noir to get really into, this was everything I was looking for. I loved Hulda and while I would have liked to see an ending that was fairer to the story‘s women, I can‘t deny I enjoyed reading it a lot.

#readeurope2020 Iceland
#jennyis30 Nordic

Clwojick Oooooo. Stacking 4y
Emilymdxn @Clwojick I found out it‘s the first in a series which is awesome! I want to read the second book before I go to Iceland this autumn 4y
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Emilymdxn
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Back in my childhood bedroom while I get over this kidney infection, it‘s really knocked me sideways tbh. I think the antibiotics are working (slowly) but I‘m not very comfortable 😩 reading this even tho it doesn‘t have great reviews as I crave thrillers whenever I‘m sick, not sure why. As I‘ll be going to Iceland later this year I‘m trying to read as much Icelandic as I can! #jumpstart2020 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

ShyBookOwl I hope it's a good distraction and that you feel better soon! 4y
merelybookish Kidney infections are miserable! I hope you feel better soon. 4y
Tamra Anything with gripping plot will hopefully distract you. 4y
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TrishB Hope you‘re on the mend soon, detective books are my go to when stressed or ill!! 4y
llwheeler Hope you feel better soon! 4y
Megabooks Get well soon!! 💞💞 4y
cariashley Feel better!! 4y
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Mitch
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Panpan

Having liked his previous series I was so disappointed with this. Mainly because all the female characters play roles as victims in one shape or form. Each is considered powerless, with no agency and no ability to take control of their own lives, careers and destiny. With lots of stereotypes and tropes, it left the book feeling very dated and unappealing.

Deifio Ugh, that's so sad! Why is it that some authors still think that females are only a nice accessory for the hero or someone to be saved? 😡 4y
Hooked_on_books I read Snowblind by the same author and found the main character to be misogynistic, so sadly this does not surprise me. 4y
65 likes2 comments
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StaceGhost
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Ugh I love when murder mysteries are layered and slightly depressing in a fascinating and realistic way #darkdarkdark I also love chain swallowing vegan sugar cookies #happyholidays

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ElectricKatyLand
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
Pickpick

This Icelandic crime novel had a twist ending I never saw coming, nor seen in any other novel. You should read it just for that! Hulda is a detective forced into early retirement who picks a cold case to close out her career. Like all good scandicrime novels, this one has multi-generational trauma, buried secrets, international sex trafficking, and a hard-boiled detective who lives in shades of gray.

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scowler1
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Reasonably good detective thriller. Very quick read, easy on the mind you might say.

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rabbitprincess
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
Bailedbailed

Am I a hipster, thinking police procedurals set in Reykjavík might be "less interesting" than other Icelandic crime fiction? Or am I having a case of first-in-series blues? Whatever it is, I didn't find this book as engaging as I'd hoped. Going to try the next book when it comes out to see how or whether my feelings toward this series change.

imyril I read Jonasson‘s debut (mostly because it _wasn‘t_ set in Reykjavik; I was curious to see how rural Scandi crime would work), and it was okay but I don‘t really get the hype. That said I often find that with crime, I guess I don‘t love the tropes as much 😂 I quite liked Jar City (Arnaldur Indridason) tho - I‘ve been meaning to reread now I‘ve actually spent time in Iceland! 5y
rabbitprincess @imyril I suspect the hype machine may create unrealistic expectations, wanting to bill all Scandi crime as twisted, dark and terrifying when not all of it is or wants to be! I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Jar City once you've re-read it 😊 5y
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Lel2403
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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I really enjoyed this....Scandi-Noir....and it‘s only 99p at the moment for kindle

https://amzn.to/2IhIpmJ

TrishB One I can resist 😁 I‘ve never really got into the Scandi- dark stuff! 5y
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Pandalibrarian
Darkness: A Thriller | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Oh my goodness, what a book! Huldar is a police inspector being forced into early retirement and is working on one last cold case involving a murdered Russian asylum seeker. There are three different stories being told and they all come together in the surprising ending. This is the first of a planned trilogy - the second one takes place 25 years before this one and comes out on May. I can‘t wait to read it!

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JeaMar82
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Finished! I honestly loved this book more than his other series. Definitely didn't see that ending coming.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Will sell my copy if interested. US members only)
https://goo.gl/e4B2c6

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JeaMar82
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson

50% through and liking it better than his other books so far.

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CaitlinR
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Mehso-so

A good mystery with some twists and turns. Nowhere near as good as Jonasson‘s SNOWBLIND. If you have to choose, go with that one.

THE DARKNESS is, however, a quick and fairly satisfying read.

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Lel2403
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson

This is a real train ride of a book, it rattles along at a fast pace and keeps you on tenter hooks right to the thoroughly shocking end.....I didn‘t see that coming at all. The author has made real characters with totally believable flaws but Huldar is so likeable you feel for her all the way. A great book and a proper heart stopping end, brilliant

Cinfhen Intrigued! 6y
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vlwelser
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

This was really good. I'm really into this author.

#NetGalley #ARC

Mitch Ahh - can‘t wait until October. Love this series 6y
vlwelser @Mitch this seems to be a new series but it's just as good as the other 6y
JustJill1963 I enjoy this author also. 5y
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kezzlou85
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Pickpick

Wow what a read this was. I love these sort of stories. There's lots going on and the mystery is very clever. There are many twists in the plot and the ending wow. It really does catch you out as it's not what I expected. It's clever though. I hope there are more to follow. #Netgalley

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ScorpioBookDreams
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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I had to take advantage of the snow to take a photo of the new Ragnar Jonasson. ❄️❄️

DeborahSmall Great pic, hope you didn‘t cause yourself any injuries 😘 (edited) 6y
Bklover So pretty! 6y
melbeautyandbooks Nice! I have only read the first one so far. Looking forward to the rest. 6y
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mrozzz Perfect picture!!! 6y
Ms_T I have that book on my list to read in March. I really like the look of it. 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @melbeautyandbooks this is the first in a new series of his! 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @Ms_T I enjoyed it. Was a quick read and suitable for this weather! 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @DeborahSmall not today! 😂😂 6y
melbeautyandbooks @ScorpioBookDreams That‘s good to know. Thank you! Putting it on my TBR. (edited) 6y
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ScorpioBookDreams
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Since it‘s Christmas Eve I‘ve opened my parcel from Penguin. It‘s the first book in a new series from Ragnar Jonasson 😍😍

Sarah83 Gorgeous wrapping 😍 6y
bedandabook I love this author. What a Christmas treat! 6y
emmaturi Looks interesting! 6y
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Jess Icelandic noir sounds like what I need right now. Was at B&N when I saw this and immediately picked up one of his older books. Thanks! 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @Jess you‘re welcome! Hope you enjoy it. 6y
rabbitprincess A new series from Ragnar? YESSSS adding to TBR list 6y
Libby1 Hello, my fellow nocturnal friend! I hope you have a lovely holiday season. 💕 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @Libby1 thank you! Merry Christmas to you too 🎄🎅🎄 6y
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ScorpioBookDreams
The Darkness | Ragnar Jonasson
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Absolutely gorgeous bookmail from Penguin this morning!

celtichik That paper tho 6y
Jess Nice! I floated the jolabokaflod idea with my family and it didn‘t go over too well. I‘m going to keep trying though! Happy jolabokaflod! 6y
Bookladylinda I love this idea!!! 6y
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Christine11 What pretty wrapping paper! 6y
LeahBergen 😍😍😍😍😍😍 6y
ScorpioBookDreams @Jess it seems like such a great idea and Penguin definitely has a great publicity team! 6y
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