Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is being forced into early retirement at 64. But before she leaves, Hulda has two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice. Elena was a Russian asylum seeker who ends up dead a year ago on the Icelandic shore. Hulda's questions highlight the original investigator's incompetence and lack of interest in Elena's death. When Hulda's questions inadvertently alert a man allegedly linked with a prostitution ring, her boss is determined to put an end to her investigation. Then Hulda learns that another woman from Russia had disappeared before Elena's death, and is determined to find her trail too.

Hulda is a troubled woman, a widow with secrets who is not looking forward to her retirement. A subplot involving a single mother's struggle to raise her young daughter is eventually linked to Hulga. The ending leaves lots of questions about how the Hidden Iceland series will continue.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

It is impossible for an English speaker to know if anything was lost in the translation from Icelandic. There were times when the dialogue is stilted and the flow of narrative is slow. That said, this is a genuine thriller that gives twists and turns that are totally unexpected. Detective Hulda is nearing retirement and does not like it. She is supposedly a highly detailed investigator but seems to have lost a lot of ability recently.

Hulda is preparing to retire from Iceland's police force. She is not sure she's ready to give up work, so takes on one final case to discover the truth behind the death of a Russian asylum seeker. She's in too deep almost immediately, and without any help at work. Can she uncover the truth and retain her good name?

What a fabulous start to a series. I had never read anything by Ragnar Jonasson before, so I loved the idea of reading the first book in a brand new series.

I was taken by Hulda from the first page. One of the first things we learn about her is she has her own sense of ethics. She’s a competent DI who has been continually passed over for promotion just because she’s an older woman. As one of the invisible masses of older women, I totally understood. She is literally given her walking papers months before she’s due to retire because they've hired some young wunderkin. She fights for two more weeks and undertakes a cold case to fill that time as all her existing cases had been re-assigned.

The writing here isn’t lush. It’s as pragmatic as Hulda is. The book moves at a fast clip. The current story is interlaced with chapters concerning Hilda’s childhood, which give you a good idea of why she turned out as prickly and hands off as she is.

This one keeps you engaged and then that ending!

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir is being forced into a slightly earlier retirement, being replaced by a younger person. She dreads her future although she has met a very nice man who she thinks might be an answer to her loneliness. Before she cleans out her desk at the police station, she’s been given an opportunity to look into a cold case of her choice. She knows immediately which case it will be. A young Russian women who was trying to find asylum in Iceland was found dead and her death was deemed a suicide. However, Hulda knows that the officer who investigated this case didn’t always do a very thorough job and she has a feeling that there was more to this case than he found.

I was so very impressed with this book and can’t wait to read everything else this author has written. His characterization of Hulda is excellent and very detailed. This woman has had a successful career as a police officer but hasn’t always been accepted by the men in the department. She’s determined to end her career on a high note by solving this cold case but as each day approaches her retirement, errors are made and her situation deteriorates. She begins to pin her hopes on the man she has recently met and envisions a happier future. I loved Hulda and felt complete empathy for her. Secrets in her past are alluded to, which when revealed are absolutely heartbreaking. Also the story of this Russian immigrant is so timely and tragic.

This is the first book in the Hidden Iceland Trilogy. The series is being told in reverse order so the next book will be set 25 years prior to this book. It’s an unusual format for a trilogy and I think I may have preferred reading Hulda’s story in chronological order since now I know how her story ends. But this first book is so brilliantly written that I know I will be anxiously awaiting the next one. This author is one who isn’t afraid of taking risks and definitely knows how to write Nordic Noir. The book is mesmerizing and heart breaking and the ending will chill you to the bone.

Most highly recommended.

I've liked many Nordic Noir type mysteries but this one wasn't for me. I found the pace way too slow and the narrative felt stilted to me. This could be the translation but I've read other translated books I had no problem with. I was drawn to the idea of an older female detective but I couldn't connect with her. For all her supposed bravado, she seemed pretty submissive to others in her department. I think the way the narrative was structured, in terms of more than one storyline separated by chapters, didn't work for me. It just didn't flow and I really lost interest. By the ending I wasn't invested enough to engage with it or the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Ragnar Jonasson and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir is forced into early retirement, but she tries to fight it and is allowed to pick one cold case to reopen before she leaves officially. She chooses a young Russian woman who was found dead on a remote Icelandic beach; she came for safety and she ended up dead. A poor police investigator closes the case as a suicide, but Hulda doesn’t believe that. She discovers something much bigger and darker than suicide and her own colleagues try to shut down her investigation multiple times. Is she risking her own life looking into this case?

WOW! Guys I think I have found my new favorite author! This book blew my mind and it is so different from the Ari Thor novels that I also really enjoy. I picked up this novel and read it from cover to cover in about three hours; I could not put it down because I needed to know what was going on with this cold case. I really enjoyed that Hulda was an older woman because it gave us a different perspective on being a DI and allowed us to see how we take those who are older for granted and treat them differently. I loved the dark atmosphere of this novel and the descriptive nature of Ragnar. I could really picture some of these places in the novel and I enjoyed that!

I loved that most of the chapters were from Hulda’s point of view, but there are also other chapters with different people’s perspectives, like the missing woman’s. There are a few different shocking twists in the ending and I never saw them coming and I loved them! I was absolutely shocked by the ending and really can’t wait to read the next novel in this series! I definitely recommend picking up any novel by this author! They are totally different in a great way and his writing always impresses me!

This is my 1st book by this author and I found it to be very well written. It was a definite page-turner for me, as I read it in one sitting.

Without giving anything away, the ending got me. I noticed there was a sample of his next book, with the same main character, added after the end. After some research it appears this is part a of a trilogy, that is told in reverse order.

This was definitely good plot with twists. I liked it & will have to read the others. 4.25 stars

The protagonist of THE DARKNESS, a sixty-four-year-old police detective forced into early retirement, makes for the perfect tragic noir character. Hulda’s smarter and a harder worker than many of her younger, male colleagues, but garners little respect in the boy’s club dynamic of the office. She’s a widow, and still grieving the death of her daughter. Her friendships have dried up and she has little in the way of retirement savings. With the exception of a seventy-year-old suitor, her future looks bleak. She puts her heart and soul into one last cold case, while her past creeps in, threatening to ruin what little good remains in her life.

This book is an excellent example of Nordic noir. The subject matter is dark and it’s clear from the get go that Hulda is never destined for rainbows and joy. Her sad life has come down to this final case that most believe is a suicide rather than a murder. Hulda knows what it means to be written off, and she refuses to allow Elena’s case to be closed without a thorough investigation.

Jónasson does a great job of creating a story that unfolds slowly, so that when the twists come, they feel like a natural progression. Hulda is an enigma to the world, and her secrets festering wounds. The book is told in multiple points of view, providing insight into the case as well as things concerning Hulda’s past, of which even she is unaware. Her misconceptions color her world as much as the facts.

I look forward to delving into the other books of the trilogy that focus on the two big cases of Hulda’s career and digging deeper into this fascinating character.

Hidden Iceland #1, The Darkness, is the 2nd series I have started reading by Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson. His other series, Dark Iceland, is also quite enjoyable. Both series take place in the stark, unforgiving environment of Iceland and are very entertaining for those that like dark thrillers.

The Darkness introduces Hulda Hermannsdottir, a Detective Inspector with the Reykjavik police. Hulda is 64 years old and due for retirement that she is not looking forward to this year. Her life is all about work. Her family is gone, but she does have one friend she sees on occasion. Unfortunately, her idiot of a boss, Magnus, decides to tell her to pack it up early with a 2 week notice. Hulda is horrified. Magnus relents and allows her to stay for the 2 weeks and work a cold case. Hulda picks a 1 year old murder case of a young female asylum seeker that was botched by one of her incompetent male colleagues. The case, however, gets her in a lot of trouble from different angles. The ending is very shocking and leaves a lot open concerning Hulda’s past.

The Darkness is a good start to a new series and has all the makings of being as good as Jonasson’s other series. I plan on continuing to read about Hulda’s adventures.

3 stars rounded up to 3.5 out of 5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ragnar Jonasson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads - September 24, 2018
Publication date - October 16, 2018

The story is told though different view points and is a slow paced police procedural story. This is the first I have personal read by this author and I found it interesting but at times hard to wrap my head around the story maybe due to the pacing of the story or other reason.
I found the ending to be emotional and some what disappointing. While the mystery is intriguing I am not sure this authors writing style is for me. I can see others loving this story.

Thank you to Netgelley for the advance copy of Ragnar Jonasson The Darkness.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

struggled a little bit with the names of places and some of the characters...but on the whole a brilliant story based in Reykjavik, very picturesque but a murder mystery at its best with a bit of history thrown in.....

several stories that merge to give you an idea of the life and times that people led back in the day and certain stigmas from those times back then that add to the storyline

the detective inspector is due to retire and is being pushed out for younger though not better people but on the eve eve of her leaving she can have any case and she picks a cold case to review, as she investigates she uncovers how incompetent the previous officer had been...but she isnt part of the boys club and it goes down hill from there...

a clever story that keeps you reading till the end, what a surprising ending though

The book, The Darkness, started out a bit too slow for my taste. There were a couple of different story lines to follow, which the author did a great job of keeping separate. Once the first two story lines merged it became more interesting to me. The lead character, Hulda, a woman who is forced into a slightly earlier retirement than she had planned for, gets to pick any cold case she wants to work on for two weeks. She picks the "suicide" of a young Russian woman who has just been given the approval to stay in Iceland. The rest of the book follows Hulda as she tries to fast track the investigation. The story is pretty dark as we witness Hulda's life told in brief moments. Not a joy filled life by far. It's going to be part of a series and as dark as this was, the writing and how the author makes the characters so believable, will have me reading at least the next one.

DI Hulda Hermannsdotter is a few months away from retirement with the Reykjavik Police. She's not sure how she feels about that. At 64 there is much she still wants to do and is not looking forward to being alone to dwell on the past.

When she is called into her boss's office she is given the news that she will be done in two weeks when a younger detective will be taking her place. She is dumbfounded and hurt and finally makes a deal to pick a cold case to work on.

The one she finds is from a year ago when a young woman seeking asylum from Russia turns up dead on a beach. Not taken seriously the case was closed quickly. But when Hulda starts digging into the case she may be the next to turn up dead on a beach.


This was a short book. There was no depth to this book. I did not care for any of the characters and it was very predictable. It was dragging along and I was not impressed.

Netgalley/Macmillan October 16, 2018  Translated from Icelandic.

This is a noir story from the very beginning. Hulda Hermannsdóttir was working on her last day as a detective being 64 years old. Things didn't seem to go right for her. She was involved in a hit-and-run case which she solved but let the driver go since she hit a pedophile. Only after the fact the woman went to the hospital and smothered the man. Giving herself up to the police. Her biggest misfortune was that she took on a dead file of a Russian woman. She put her all into it and was just solving it when she ran out of time. I'll let you read it and see if you can agree with the word noir.

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, while not exactly likable, is a very compelling character. If you like your Noir VERY dark, this one’s for you. Well-paced and plotted, I found this to be a throughly entertaining mystery.

This mystery is somewhat unusual because the main character is nor very likable, nor is the ending. The setting of Iceland plays an important role in its darkness and cold, reflected by the main character, Hulda, a police detective who is forced to retire before she is ready. Hulda feels she has been mistreated on the police force because she is a woman, and it is hard to tell if her social isolation is self-imposed because of her own defensiveness and acerbic personality. She is given the opportunity to solve one cold case before she retires, and she chooses the death of a Russian woman, whose situation she feels was ignored due to the victim's status as an asylum seeker. Jonasson's writing is masterful and memorable at times (such as comparing time to a concertina), but the pervasive alienation and ending of this book would not encourage me to read more in the series.

Another gritty story by Ragnar Johasson. Always well plotted and satisfying at the end.
If you're in to Scandinavian fiction, this author and his books should be in your top 5.

3.5 stars

If you’ve read this author’s Dark Iceland series, take note. This has a decidedly darker, moodier tone with a completely different MC.

DI Hulda Hermannsdóttir has been dreading retirement but thought she had some time to get used to the idea. That changes when her boss announces he is replacing her with a shiny, young “high achiever”. In 2 weeks. She has a couple of choices. She can leave immediately or use her remaining time to take a fresh look at a cold case. The thought of endless days alone in her tiny flat holds no appeal so Hulda quickly picks up a shelved investigation into the death of a young Russian woman.

In alternate chapters, we follow a young woman who gives birth to a daughter in 1948. Shamed by her family, she has no choice but to temporarily relinquish custody while she struggles to build a life for herself. The story of her relationship with her daughter gradually unfolds to reveal its link to the present.

This is a quick, easy read with an interesting MC. There are not many 65 year old female detectives out there & I enjoyed the perspective her maturity & life experience brought to the story. She also has a potential love interest after being widowed for many years. With retirement looming, Hulda spends time reflecting on her life & we learn about her marriage & early years as a cop. That’s how her secret is revealed. And it’s a whopper.

Make no mistake, Hulda is not the fuzzy grandmotherly type. When she joined the force, women were scarce & despite her high clearance rate, she watched one man after another get the promotions she deserved. It’s left a bitter taste in her mouth & the ageism that’s developed in recent years hasn’t helped.

The cold case heads off in directions no one could have predicted & Hulda meets her fair share of dodgy characters. I was clipping along wondering how it would all play out & thinking this was a solid 3 star read. Then I reached the end. Wait…what? Well, that was not on my radar. So I added half a star for taking the road less travelled. It’s was an unexpected & risky finish for book #1 in a series.

Another great thriller by Jonasson, one of the preeminent Nordic authors. Plot line and characters are engrossing