I’m a big fan of the Nordic Noir genre, so I was pleased to find a new author. My excitement was short-lived, however. The book was hard to get into—boring, in a word. A journalist and the police are both investigating the same murder. So many plot lines, involving murder, human trafficking, rape, lost loves, past abuse, medical malpractice—unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. I didn’t care about any of the characters at all.

Ragnar Jonasson's Dark Iceland series is a solid addition to the Scandinavian Noir genre, perhaps not as dark as some of the standard titles in this category. Ari Thor is a policeman in a small Icelandic town, finding his way among the locals. This title involves the murder of a not-so-nice man, many people having possible motives. The first in this series is Snowblind, which is excellent. Blackout is good, but not the best in the series. Jonasson learned English by translating Agatha Christie books into Icelandic, which can give you a sense of the series.

The summer days in Iceland are long, the sun barely sets before it rises again, but this year the skies are darkened by the ash of an erupting volcano and a man is found beaten to death under the Arctic sky. A police officer and a reporter both search for answers about why the man was killed, even as they struggle with their own demons. Iceland provides a majestic backdrop in this intense and meticulously told tale of Nordic Noir

I am so angry at myself. I have already read this wonderful book and posted my review on Goodreads. I gave it five stars out of five. Highly recommended!