I love a good icelandic noir novel! I enjoyed the timeline of the story and getting to see how everything was interconnected by the end. Overall a good story with some twists and turns. Make sure to check trigger warnings.

I had very high expectations for this pairing but I ultimatelly found the book to be wordy and the mystery bland.

I thank the Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book! The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Unfortunately, this book didn't quite work for me. I believe other Nordic Noir books may have spoiled me. The story itself was great, but the writing and how drawn out some scenes didn't keep me drawn in the entire time.

In "Reykjavík: A Crime Story," authors Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir delve into the enthralling world of Nordic noir literature, delivering a riveting tale set against the backdrop of Iceland's capital. The narrative follows a gripping murder investigation undertaken by Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir, whose tenacious pursuit of the truth uncovers a web of secrets and lies lurking beneath Reykjavík's serene façade. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into a realm of chilling suspense, stunning landscapes, and complex characters, creating an immersive reading experience that captivates from start to finish.

This has got to be my favorite Ragnar Jonasson book to date!
While I enjoyed the four books from the Dark Iceland series I read, Outside let me down. But I'm very glad his latest release was a hit for me. And the fact that he co-wrote it with Katrin Jakobsdottir, Iceland's Prime Minister, made it so much more appealing to me! I mean, how cool is that!
I liked the way the story was structured, and the character development was well done in my opinion.
Written with the same Nordic Noir voice, Reykjavik is a good place to start if you're new to the genre. Although the story took place decades ago, I still appreciate the references the authors made to the way things used to be back then.
The way the author tackled this cold case is different from his typical style, but I enjoyed it very much.
It will work for someone who is new to Nordic Noir. The book will ease you into the genre, all while keeping the real dark and gory details to a minimum.

I've read a few other books from Ragnar Jonasson and I always forget how much I enjoy his writing . This was an enjoyable thriller and makes me want to read the other books he's written that I haven't read

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book

After a slight introduction the main story takes place thirty years after Lara Marteinsdottir went missing on the small Icelandic island of Videy, never to be seen or heard from again. There are few crimes in Iceland and one that has remained a cold case for so long has haunted many. The story takes place in the 1980’s and with their painstaking research Jakobsdottir and Jonasson have remained true to the Icelandic history and culture of the times. An intriguing mystery that had me hooked from start to finish and left me wanting to see more of Sunna in the future! Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

3.5/5!

I absolutely love Ragnar Jónasson’s writing and was thrilled to see that he was co-authoring a new book. I’m consistently blown away by people who can write books together and Reykjavík proved to live up to that expectation.

Reykjavík takes a unique approach to the timeline progress, by allowing readers to experience glimpses into the past 30 years, including part of the original investigation in 1956. The majority of the book takes place in 1986, but these past chapters helped to create a solid timeline of events in my mind that then allowed me to feel like an active participant in trying to solve the case in the book’s present day.

If you’re familiar with Jónasson’s writing from his previous work, you will be excited to find out that Reykjavík follows the same atmospheric and immersive story style as his other books. The pacing of the story is a bit slower, but there are some twists and turns that help to keep the reader’s attention captivated. There were a few parts of Reykjavík that left me with questions, particularly the motivation behind the disappearance.

I really enjoyed the way this one was written. The atmosphere was on point for the crime story! It was a fun ride as we try to figure out where this miss young girl went! There were a lot of people involved but it was easy to keep track. The twisits made the book for me! How things kept happening and didn’t stop till the very end.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and netgalley for my gifted copy.

While I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold, this felt a little more clunky compared to Jónasson's previous releases. I'm not sure if that's because of the second author (which what a cool second author) or because it needed a little tighter of an edit. I felt like there were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of them.

I'll still recommend this one, but it's not my favorite by the author.

Unfortunately I had to dnf this. I couldn't stay interested. It was fine at the start, but then started to drag.

This wasn't the most gripping Icelandic noir mystery. I enjoyed the characters and the ending was fairly satisfying, but it wasn't anything special.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slower paced novel than I am used to from this author, but it was very enjoyable. I really enjoyed the throwback to the 80’s and to see what was happening in different countries. I also loved the main character so much. Love that she was solving a cold case essentially.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review Reykjavik.

Narrators: Bert Seymour; Tamaryn Payne

I was sold on Bert Seymour. Just as I was settled in and ready for an all nighter, the female narrator took over. At this point, the story lost momentum for me and I actually put the book down for a couple days.

The synopsis summarized the book. There is no need to read repeat it. The story went downhill once the second mystery began. At this point, the story was too long and repetitive.

The author/authors have the potential to write a good book, this unfortunately wasn't it.

A thrilling book about a 30 year old cold case. The author thoughtfully included a cast of characters and a pronunciation guide for the Icelandic names. The author opens the book the weekend the girl is missing and then updates every 10 years until 30 years later. I really enjoyed that approach because it showed how the case developed over time. I loved this book because of the unique setting and the detective work.

In this terrific cold case mystery, Jonsson has teamed up with the Prime Minister of Iceland to provide readers with a good thriller. Teenage Lára disappears from an island in 1056. Police are unable to find any trace of her. Thirty years later, a journalist begins to write a series of articles on the missing girl with serious repercussions.

2 stars

I typically enjoy books about cold cases and was looking forward to reading this because I have liked other Northern European set mysteries. Unfoertunately it felt very slow paced and just kind of blah and bland. There werent a lot of surprises though the mystery was an interesting one. I didn't find that there was a lot of charracter development probably cause there were too many characters to do any in depth development. The only exciting part was the reveal and even then it wasnt super exciting.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing about this book worked for me.

Initially I was intrigued by the setting and the cold case. Sadly, I quickly grew bored, and it went downhill from there.

We have a lot of characters, none well developed. They felt wooden, one-dimensional, and dull.

Pacing was incredibly slow. I fell asleep a couple of times with my Kindle in my hands.

The case itself wasn’t all that complex, and the investigation was drawn out. No surprises, especially for avid readers of this genre.

*Thanks to Minotaur books and NetGalley for the eARC.*

Dark and atmospheric involving a cold case about a missing fourteen-year-old girl. Moves slow but well-written.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I have always loved this author's books and this one is no exception. It's a fast paced reading that takes an unexpected turn, one I did not expect and I was way off with the ending and who the culprit was. Great job spanning the book over the 30 years and not forgetting any details, also allowing the same detective to be included throughout his investigation and how it is moving along.
This book gripped me and I wanted to keep on reading as I needed and wanted to know what was happening next.
Great job and it's most definitely a 5 🌟 read!
Please also read the afterword as it gives some more details.