A interesting story that had a little suspense going on though not as much as I thought it would
A ok read but not a memorial read in any way.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reykjavik: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson & Iceland’s PM, Katrin Jakobsdottir is an excellent Nordic Noir thriller that should go on every crime lover’s TBR list!

I loved this story of Lara, a teenager who goes missing from the tiny island of Videy. The story spans three decades as the investigation goes from a police investigation to a cold case being investigated by a journalist. The book highlights important moments in Iceland history, as well as the issue of government corruption.

Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

I had previously never read a book by either of these authors. I love books set in other countries, especially Iceland, Norway, Sweden, etc. This one is set in Iceland. It is the story of a young girl missing for 30 years. When a newspaper journalist and his sister decide to investigate and write a series of articles for a local newspaper, things start to heat up. Someone doesn't want these articles published and is willing to do anything to stop them. The first one-third of the book was a little slow for me. However, the rest of the book kept my interest. I thought I had the killer figured out, but I was wrong. It was a complete surprise to me when the killer was revealed! I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries or Nordic noir (which I love). I will be reading more books by these talented authors.

I heard about this book from a member of a book group I am in and was instantly intrigued! So I requested it from @netgalley and was approved! I enjoyed learning a little about Iceland, a country on my bucket list, and the suspense of the story. It is a classic crime and mystery at its finest. I will be looking into more fiction from Icelandic authors.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

Recently, I read a story about the PM of Iceland who had found time to co-author a novel with one of her country’s best known writers. Here is that book and it is one that is easy to recommend.

The story opens in the 1950s with the disappearance of teen, Lara, from her summer position as a maid on an island off the coast of Reyjavik. An inexperienced police officer goes out to investigate but is stonewalled. The couple who live on the island for the summer includes a barrister who calls a higher ranking officer. That one tells the rookie not to press this couple.

Flash forward to the year of the capital’s birthday celebrations, 1986. The case has never been solved. A journalist chooses to re-investigate. What happens to him as a result? What will happen from this point? What will be discovered and by whom? Will it be the truth? What really did happen to Lara? Who does not want the facts to come out? For certain, there are secrets! Read this one to suss out some answers.

The book opens with a very helpful list of the story’s many characters. It may take those unaccustomed to the country’s language a little time to get comfortable with these but it is worth the time. It was also fun to look up some of the places that are used as settings, especially the small island of Videy.

The authors have dedicated this title to Agatha Christie. It is, I think, a book that she would have liked. That said, Reykjavik is not a story told in a hurry. If you require fast paced, this title might not be for you. I enjoyed it though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book was okay but I was a bit disappointed. I've read several of Jonasson's books before and consider myself a fan of his and tend to enjoy dark Icelandic mysteries. I liked the two timelines and the solving of the cold case. However, I didn't feel like I was able to connect with the characters in the way I was with Jonasson's other novels. All in all, a quick read that mostly kept my attention.

1980s, celebration, cold-case, crime-fiction, cultural-differences, entitled-attitude, false-information, historical-fiction, historical-research, Iceland, journalist, law-enforcement, lawyers, missing-persons, mystery, news-media, newspapers, Nordic Noir, politics, suspense, thriller*****

Set in Reykjavik at the time of the 200th anniversary of the city and loosely based on a real cold case but with fictional characters and their actions, this is a very interesting story. A young girl disappears from a sparsely populated island when she leaves her job and heads for home to her parents. She never gets there, the police do their best but are haunted by their failure, and it's been thirty years. A journalist for the newspaper takes up the investigation and has his own life turned upside down. Excellent read! It is translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cobb.
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

United States Publication: September 5, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

In 1956 fifteen-year-old Lára Marteinsdóttir disappeared. She was working as a maid for a couple on the small, inhabited island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík, Iceland. According to the couple she announced she was leaving and they never saw her again. Except no boat transported her back to Reykjavík and no evidence was found of her on the island. She became Iceland's biggest mystery. Thirty years later journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's disappearance. Receiving some new clues the police never uncovered, Valur feels he is close to finally discovering Lára, and whether she is dead or alive. But someone is feeling threatened like they didn't for the past 30 years, and now Valur is being watched. But this is Iceland, crime is almost non-existent. Surely he's got nothing to worry about. Right?

I enjoyed this title, the translation was amazing - not a hiccup. I forgot, except for the names of people and things, that it wasn't written in English. I'm always curious about why any author, or in this case authors, choose the timelines they do. It seems, in this case, the authors were reminiscing about the 200-year anniversary of Reykjavík that happened in 1986 and it spiraled into this story. Given that crime is extremely rare, especially violent crime, in Iceland the resolution to the disappearance and the whodunit was a tad anti-climatic. Of course, I'm not sure what that says about me and my propensity for crime novels/stories! All in all, I enjoyed the story and I'm curious to see if Jónasson's other works have been translated into English. If so, I may end up giving one or two a try.

in the 50's a 14 year old girl disappears from the island of Videy where she has a summer job. 30 years later Valur Robertsson begins to investigate the case. But is someone preventing him from solving it. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and the book is rather slow. i enjoyed the mystery and learning about Reykjavik as I plan to visit my niece there as soon as I can.

A well thought out and fun whodunit mystery imbedded with Icelandic history and culture. I enjoyed the brother & sister main characters and their resolve to solve the mystery as well as some of the books broader themes. This translation was well done, bringing clarity to the story while still providing a feeling of cultural immersion. If you like Agatha Christie style murder-mysteries, I’d recommend giving this one a try.

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you like travelling through books
🔹 you like whodunits that have the the general public more involved in crime solving than the police
🔹 you like characters who become obsessed with searching for the truth

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really struggled with this book. I was initially really excited to read it because it sounds really interesting, it’s by an author that I’ve been recommended (and the Prime Minister of Iceland!), and I went to Iceland this year so was super excited to read a book set there. Unfortunately, the writing felt super choppy and everything about the book was flat. There are a few narrators/main characters throughout the book and it gets just a little confusing in the beginning. There are only a couple scenes in the book where there’s really any action so I wouldn’t really classify this as a thriller.

Would not recommend but would pick up one more of the author’s books to see if I like his writing.

1956, Iceland. A 15 year old girl, Lara, goes missing from the island of Videy, just off the coast. The case becomes Iceland’s most famous unsolved case. 30 years later, a young journalist, Valur, revisits the investigation, determined to find out what happened to Lara. With his sister and the original detective, they finally are on the right trail to uncover what happened, but it’s dangerous to uncover these long held secrets.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I've read a few of Mr. Jonasson's books before, so I would consider myself a fan of his. His books are generally pretty dark (literally), but this one was just a little too dark for me. It was well written, but I don't like reading thrillers/mysteries with children as the victim. I'd recommend this for fans of Nordic mysteries, Iceland, Reykjavik (learn how to pronounce it--it's such a fun word!) and these super small towns way up north with no sun!

I loved that this book was set in Iceland and had a fun time looking up pictures of Videy Island, but there honestly wasn't a whole lot of mystery happening - it seemed pretty clear from the get-go what happened to Lára, so watching everyone slowly sort it out was not very exciting. I'd read another book by Jónasson, but would like something with a faster pace.

“No chain is stronger than its weakest link.”

In 1956 Iceland, fourteen year old Lara decides to work for a wealthy couple on the small island of Videy for the summer. When she tries to head home early, she disappears without a trace. 30 years later, this mystery remains Iceland’s most famous unsolved case. Journalist, Valur, decides to open the case and conduct his own investigation as a few new clues are brought to the surface. As he gets closer to discovering what really happened that day in 1956, he gains enemies that will stop at nothing to ensure the case remains unsolved.

I really enjoyed this book! It very much reminded me of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series with the way it was written, the plot, the pacing, some of the characters, etc. The resemblance definitely stuck out to me - but this one was a tad quicker pacing and significantly shorter in length.

Although I enjoyed it and read it quickly, I will admit the pacing was relatively slow at times, and there was a chunk in the middle in particular that felt a bit redundant to the reader. However, it was necessary to the plot, so I tried to keep that in mind. There were a few things that were predictable, but it definitely had some gasp-out-loud, jaw dropping moments too. It also provided a realistic example of corruption in business and government and how honestly disgusting it can be - but I don’t want to delve too much into it and give anything away. It just was so disappointing to realize that things like this absolutely can (and do) happen in real life.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend to someone who enjoys a crime mystery who doesn’t mind a slower buildup!

Fans of Steig Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Millenium series will fall in love with Ragnar Jonasson’s Icelandic crime novel, “Reykjavik”. Jonasson is no stranger to Icelandic fiction, as his “Dark Iceland” series reached the top of the Kindle charts in many countries. The rights for “Dark Iceland” have been purchased in many countries, and I can see his new novel making waves on the small screen as well.
In 1956, a teenage girl vanished from Videy, a small island off the coast of Reykjavik. The girl, Lana, had been working as a live in domestic for an older, but esteemed couple, who claim Lana quit her job suddenly and left the island, and no one has heard from her since. Thirty years later, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation of the case, hoping to uncover a new clue in the disappearance. But the secrets Valur uncovers are secrets that very important people don’t want to be told, and Valur’s life is put at risk as he grows more determined to investigate what happened to the young girl all those years ago.
“Reykjavik”, told in its original Icelandic and translated to English, is a tense and taut journalistic thriller. The novel is told from the perspective of Valur and later, his sister Sunna, in 1986, thirty years after Lana goes missing. The beginning of the novel has a significant section from 1956 as well, narrated by the lead detective, Kristjan, as all of his investigative routes run cold. Each section and all chapters are clearly marked with dates, which creates a seamless flow for the reader. Jonasson’s character development is stellar as well, which is a challenge for a novel that essentially has three different protagonists. I found myself engaged in the outcomes for all of the narrators, and all were likable and genuine.
The atmosphere was transforming and completely immersive, with the isolated, yet intriguing country of Iceland as a unique setting. The attitudes of journalists in the Icelandic capital, and of its politics, are discussed briefly, for information purposes only, but Jonasson does not delve into intense detail, focusing solely on the suspenseful plot.
Jonasson creates a slow-building tension as, one-by-one, characters are introduced as suspects, leading up to the final reveal, which packs an unexpected punch. “Reykjavik” had an ending I did not see coming! Jonasson ensures that readers are engaged, with several twists and turns along the way, bringing “Reykjavik” to a powerful and satisfying conclusion. “Reykjavik” will appeal to readers across the globe and Jonasson has marked a solid path into the Nordic fiction market with his newest release.

Excellent mystery. I truly had no idea where the story would go and enjoyed the POV of the two main characters. The only downside is, like so many books about missing/exploited/dead girls is that we learn so little of them. They become a victim twice and I hope that authors start to move away from that. I can't fault that here, essentially bc it was also a cold case and relevant players wouldn't talk to the journalist but still. It wàs def well done overall

I enjoyed the place and setting for this, it was my first Icelandic mystery and that was very enjoyable. The twist at the end surprised me, and I thought it was well done.

🔍 An UNSOLVED mystery gets begrudgingly revisited in “Reykjavik” by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir 🔎

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

In 1956, fourteen year old Lara ventured to the island of Videy, off the coast of Reykjavik, to work as a maid for the summer. This was supposed to be opportunity to branch out and gain some independence … until she mysteriously disappears without a trace and becomes one of Iceland’s infamous unsolved cases. Police never found out if she ever made it off the island or if foul play was involved. This case has haunted the police officer in charge for 30 years … what REALLY happened to Lara??

Flash forward thirty years later, and journalist Valur Robertsson is determined to dig up the past and attempt to crack the case! Certain aspects of Lara’s disappearance must have been overlooked throughout the years, so Valur begins to investigate on his own! However, those involved seem to be very tight lipped about the past and it becomes obvious that someone wants this case to remain UNSOLVED 👀. Will the truth finally surface?? Or has Valur become a target for being silenced??

I am a huge fan of Ragnar Jonasson and all books that are Nordic / Icelandic / Scandi Noir 🖤!! This genre is dark, gritty and insanely atmospheric and I find myself always completely immersed in these kinds of books!

Thank you kindly to @ragnarjo @katrinjakobsd @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This crime story releases on September 5, 2023 and is perfect for crime junkies and fans of gritty police procedurals!

Excellent book. Learned a lot about Iceland. Interesting characters. Reykjavik came to life. Recommend for everyone.