Susan's Reviews > Snowblind

This is the first book in a series, which is set in an isolated, rural community in Iceland. Our main character is Ari Thor, a young man who has given up studying for a theology degree and joined the police college. He lives in Reykjavik, with his girlfriend, Kristen, a medical student. However, jobs are scarce and, when he is offered a job in Siglufjordur, in the North of Iceland, he eagerly accepts. Kristen, understandably (although, Ari Thor seems unsympathetic to her point of view) is less pleased at her boyfriend haring off across the country, when she is still studying in the city.

Ari Thor is an odd mix of an empathetic young man and yet a little petulant at times. He is, at first, somewhat lost in his new environment. The small community all view him with eager interest and he is unused to being so visible. The house he is given to live in, feels cold and unfriendly and he misses Kirsten, while feeling resentful that she has not joined him. The small community of Siglufjordur is very much a character in this crime novel. Dark, snowed in and, ultimately, cut off, you feel cold just reading this. Having visited Scandinavia, I could imagine the dark, freezing cold, all too well and sympathised with Ari Thor’s struggle with his new workplace.

This is very much a traditional mystery, even though it has elements of Nordic Noir. In a very classic crime setting, there is a death at the local dramatic society. Ari Thor’s boss seems to think that there is nothing suspicious about the death. However, as the book progresses, it seems that the small community has more than its fair share of secrets to uncover.

This was a good first novel, in what looks to be a promising series. This is a book that I have meant to read for some time and I am glad that I finally gave it a try and look forward to reading on. If you are considering seeing what Scandinavian crime fiction is all about, but prefer something a little less violent, then this might be an excellent series for you to try.