Helgi Reykdal, a criminology student, is concluding his dissertation focusing on a murder-suicide that took place thirty years ago at a former TB sanatorium in Northern Iceland. Despite the case being deemed 'solved' at the time, Helgi decides to revisit the investigation by interviewing former suspects, most of whom are reluctant to relive the past.
In his personal life, Helgi faces challenges with his girlfriend, who pressures him to take a local police job and move from their rented flat to a more permanent home. Her erratic behavior jeopardizes both their relationship and Helgi's cherished collection of Golden Age mysteries, inherited from his bookseller father. During particularly rough patches with his girlfriend, Helgi finds comfort in his favorite mystery novels. This novel pays homage to the genre and to Agatha Christie, whom the author, an ardent Christie fan has translated 14 of her books into Icelandic.

Although a standalone work, the novel briefly references Reykjavik detective Hulda Hermannsdottir, a character from Jónasson's popular Hidden Iceland series, who was involved in the original case thirty years ago. The atmospheric plot unfolds through short chapters with shifting timelines and various narrators, which can be challenging to follow in the audio version. However, the audio narration does smooth out the pronunciation of Icelandic character and place names. Jónasson’s latest offering is poised to captivate fans eager for more Nordic Noir.

An enthralling read by the Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson, the first of his that this reader has experienced, but certainly not to be the last.

This sequel to “The Darkness” can be read and enjoyed successfully as a standalone novel, (as I did,) with the loss of some backstory in the main characters. However, after reading (and loving) this story, I for one, do intend to go back and read more of this author, including this first prequel.

Helgi Reykdal is a thirty-something former Icelandic cop, now studying for an MA in criminology, who appears to have a somewhat sinister secret personal life. Helgi is writing his academic dissertation on a thirty-year-old unsolved series of murders that took place in a rural Akureyri (Northern Iceland) sanatorium. Once (back in the 60’s and 70’s), this sanatorium was a depressing death-cloaked institution, doing its best to cope with slews of bed-ridden patients, (many of them tragically doomed), suffering from the largely-incurable Tuberculosis (chillingly known as the White Death).

Now an administrative institution housing two doctors, two nurses, and a creepy caretaker, as Helgi delves deeper into the mystery housed at the sanatorium — tracking down the former house staff, interviewing them and attempting to recreate the factors driving the crimes thirty years ago — we, the reader travel along with him, absorbing a winding and weaving story that spans current day (2012 in this book, and the timeline of Helgi’s experiences ) and 1983 (the year of the original crimes and the people involved).

Fascinating and slow-burning, this tale unfolds as a sort of Icelandic “film noir” - deeply atmospheric, insular, and with undercurrents creaking as they run deep. This mystery is also reminiscent, and inspired by (as explained by the author) crime novels of yore featuring detectives in hats, little old ladies, and Belgians with magnificent waxed mustaches. Glorious literary fodder for this reader in youth, as clearly was also the case for this author.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, including its two-part ending (satisfying in part one, and a total cliff-hanger in part two) and am looking forward to reading more of this series and this talented author.

Note: I reviewed the audio version of this story, made magnificent by the velvet tones and immersive performance of the narrator Sam Woolf. Truly a treat to listen to and experience what was already a wonderful story, made even more entertaining in this medium.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Four and a half stars

I am drawn to Icelandic authors. I like their dark take on murders, the atmospheric environment, and the exciting plots. I especially liked Jonasson's last book, "Reykjavik," which he co-authored with Katrin Jakobsdottir. In this, his latest book, Jonasson, is again at the top of his game.

In 1983, at a former tuberculous sanatorium, a nurse was found brutally murdered. Detective Sverrir arrests the groundskeeper, only to release him when the chief physician is found dead. The cause of death is suspected suicide - overcome by his guilt of the murder of his colleague. The case is closed.

Flash forward to 2012. Helgi Reykdal is completing his master's in criminology. His dissertation focuses on the 1983 deaths and the police investigation. As he digs into the past, he begins to doubt the competency of the police investigation, but the lack of cooperation of those involved makes him wonder what they are hiding. Soon, the past and present collide, and what Helgi uncovers threatens to reveal long-held secrets and again endanger lives.

This is an intricately plotted book with interesting characters and excellent pacing. The back-and-forth timelines reveal clues to the murderer and the long-buried secrets that add to the absorbing story. If you enjoy good suspenseful crime fiction, I recommend this book. 4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 10, 2024.

Death at the Sanatorium is as immersive a read as one can expect from a mystery. You’re thrown into the middle of a mystery from the first page. No, it’s not the one at the book’s center, but it’s still a stressful mystery. You could say Jónasson slams his foot on the gas and barely lets up. When he does, it’s enough to let you catch your breath before he slams it down again.

Death at the Sanatorium skillfully weaves three timelines and multiple POVs. Each chapter is titled with the year and the character we are with, making it easy to follow. The timelines, set roughly 30 years apart: 1953, 1983, and 2012, are seamlessly integrated, ensuring you’re never overwhelmed.

From my research on Death at the Sanatorium, it appears to be the end of a series and possibly the beginning of another. But don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the series because Jónasson ensures you won’t feel like you’re missing anything. The book is a standalone masterpiece, welcoming both new and returning readers.

Death at the Sanatorium is the second of Jónasson’s books that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and it certainly won’t be the last. His writing style, often compared to Agatha Christie and other Golden Age mystery writers, is a delight for any mystery lover. If you enjoy Christie’s work, you’ll also appreciate Jónasson’s.

I am a big fan of Jonasson’s books, and this is the 8th book I’ve read by this talented author. This story takes place in Iceland, both in northern Akureyri and Reykjavik. The sanatorium in the title is in Akureyri, where a murder took place in the 1983, in an old, creepy building that was originally used for tuberculosis patients. This is a police procedural, told in different timelines and different points of view, and is easy to follow. This is a really good book, and I recommend reading this book and all of his books!

This is a brilliant, intelligent, compelling book. Jonasson, an Icelandic fan of Agatha Christie from a child, had read all the available books translated by the time he was 17. At that point, craving more, he simply went to the publisher and asked if he could translate more of her work. They agreed, and Jonasson was treated to a master class in plot, structure, character and setting as he did his translation work. The lessons took. Like Christie’s, his books are perfectly structured, have memorable characters that are distinct from one another, and always feature a wonderful setting. Oh, and they are also short, another lesson he gleaned from Agatha.

His latest book is set in a sanitorium that had previously been used for TB patients. By 1983, when much of the story takes place, the building is pretty empty but kept functional as a research facility while the government decides what to do with it. The staff: skeleton. One of the nurses, Tinna, is an early riser and always arrives first (also gaining overtime at the beginning of the day rather than the end of the day). One morning, as she enters the building, something seems off – and indeed, when she goes to check in her supervisor’s office, she finds the woman dead, several of her fingers cut off.

The investigation kicks off, and as readers, we are also reading a part of the story that takes place in 2012, where Helgi, who is working on a master’s in criminology, has decided to investigate the now 30 year old case as his thesis. Helgi also has something going on with his partner, which is another mysterious thread of the story, and the partner is keeping him in Reykjavik where he ultimately plans to join the police instead of returning to the UK as he had wanted to. It’s a contentious point between them and for much of the book, Helgi’s plans, other than investigating this old crime, are up in the air.

He’s a good investigator, however, and he interviews most of the people involved who are still alive. In true golden age fashion, it’s a very tight group of suspects, and there is some ambiguity to how the case was resolved. It’s true the crimes stopped but most concerned aren’t completely sure the outcome was the correct one. Jonasson also takes the reader inside the lives of the sanitorium staff – nurses, doctors, the building caretaker – and illuminates their lives, past and present.

He’s such a good storyteller I was unsure of the culprit until the very end of the novel, though I shouldn’t have been. The atmosphere of both Reykjavik and the old sanitorium, with its ghosts of TB patients, are certainly a major part of the story as well. I know this is a book that’s been translated, obviously, but the crispness and spareness of the prose as well as the tightness of the plot seem to speak to some kind of Icelandic ethos. Jonasson takes the lessons he learned from Christie and make the form his own, as all the best writers are able to do. This is one of the reads of the year.

Can we talk about the ending of this book?!? Ok, we can’t because I refuse to ruin it but WOW!

Ok, I love this author and was so excited for his newest book. This one did not disappoint. I’ll let you read the synopsis on your own, but it’s a fast paced mystery with a wild ending. I really enjoyed how the author tied the past storyline to the present. The reason behind everything that happens is believeable, and makes sense! What a fun ride!

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Jonasson always blows me away with his books, and he does it again with his up-coming twisty Nordic Noir thriller! I absolutely love any books or movies that take place in creepy sanatoriums, so I knew I would enjoy this one. In 1983 A nurse was murdered in a former Tuberculosis sanatorium in Iceland. Who is responsible? There were only 5 people inside at the time of the murder, so who is guilty? The case is closed after a physician at the sanatorium jumps to his death and conclusions are drawn that he was at fault for the nurses murder. After almost 30 years, a criminology student is researching the incident at the former TB sanatorium for a research product. He sets out to investigate and as he interviews the remaining survivors he soon discovers that all is not as it seems and that the killer may still be out there.
As per usual, Jonasson does a superb job at building an intense and creepy atmosphere as he creates such a spooky, eerie, chilling setting which causes me to feel a sense of paranoia and claustrophobia. I loved the three different timelines and the different POVs throughout this book and all the secrets and lies that are slowly revealed throughout. Bravo Jonasson for creating another fantastic book! I am already looking forward to the next🙌🏻

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Nordic Noir
✦Police procedural/Crime mystery
✦Creepy, eerie, and intense atmosphere that makes you feel a sense of paranoia
✦Books set in Iceland
✦Different timelines and POVs
✦Fun twists throughout

Helgi is finishing his criminology degree and needs to write a dissertation. Given his love for detective novels, he decides to research a 30 year old case that never set well with him. Back then at a tb sanatorium, two workers ended up dead. Though the case was closed, a few people didn't agree with the verdict. As Helgi interviews the people who were working there at the time, he grows more suspicious about what really happened. Who really committed those murders all those years ago?
This novel is told in three different timelines with many different points of view. I love flipping between when the crime had just occurred and Helgi’s timeline as he interviewed the workers.
However, I thought this book moved a little slowly for me, so I had a hard time really getting into it. Though there were some interesting parts here and there, I wish there was a little more tension to move me forward.

Why waste such a good setting???

You'd think a mystery or thriller with 'sanatorium' in the title would take advantage of such a naturally spooky setting, wouldn't you? But, no. We spend a very, very small amount of time at the sanatorium in this book.

That was just one of the issues I had with this book. Some others:
*The inclusion of Hulda (the main character in another of Jónasson's series) was pointless. Her being in this book added nothing to the plot. I LOVED how Alex Michaelides included one line at the end linking The Fury to his other books via a common character, but it didn't work in this case.
*The main character's backstory didn't blend well at all with the main plot. I kept waiting for it somehow to connect and make sense, but it never did.
*It could very well be that Icelandic noir is not my jam, though I have enjoyed other books in the genre, but the emotion in all of the characters felt so flat. Even when the murderer was telling their story at the end, it was ho-hum. I couldn't feel any anger, sadness, regret or much of anything from them.

I did like the inclusion of some Golden Age mystery titles, and the reverence Jónasson clearly has for those authors Those little Easter eggs were what kept me going.

It comes out September 10, but unless you're a huge fan of this author, I'd give it a pass.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I struggled to read this book. I was incredibly bored and it took a lot to finish it. I felt it moved very slowly and it couldn't hold my attention. It just wasn't for me. Not to say you won't enjoy it. I know others have loved it and I hope the next reader loves it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

The year is 2012 and Helgi Reykdal is writting a dissertation for his criminology studies on tow murders that happened days apart at a sanatorium that was closed to patients and used for research purposes only in 1983. Helgi pours over the police file from the case file and tries to talk to the surviving employees who worked during the murders. One woman refuses to speak to him. Her husband gets very gruff in advising Helgi to leave his wife alone. And as strange as it seems, the husband is a retired policeman who actually was in charge of the murder case in 1983. A few days after trying to speak to the woman she is found murdered. Helgi, who has just been hired at the police dept. is assigned to assist on the new murder case. In doing so he not only solves the new murder case, but also the double murder from 1983.

1983
At a former sanatorium in the north of Iceland, now a hospital ward, an old nurse, Yrsa, is found murdered. Detective Hulda Hermannsdottir and her boss, Sverrir, are sent to investigate her death. There, they discover five suspects: the chief physician, two junior nurses, a young doctor, and the caretaker, who is arrested following false testimony from one of the nurses, but subsequently released.Less than a week after the murder, the chief physician, is also found dead, having apparently fallen from a balcony. Sverrir, rules his death as suicide and assumes that he was guilty of the murder as well. The case is closed.
2012
Almost thirty years later, Helgi Reykdal, a young police officer, has been studying criminology in the UK, but decides to return to Iceland when he is offered a job at the Reykjavik police department—the job which detective Hulda Hermannsdottir is about to retire from.He is also a collector of golden age detective stories, and is writing his thesis on the 1983 murders in the north. As Helgi delves deeper into the past, and starts his new job, he decides to try to meet with the original suspects. But soon he finds silence and suspicion at every turn, as he tries to finally solve the mystery from years before. If you are a fan of nordic noir you will really enjoy this book. This is a free standing story but has some familiar characters and locales. Highly recommend.

🔎 M Y S T E R I O U S M O N D A Y review 🔍 featuring “Death at the Sanatorium” by Ragnar Jonasson!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

1983: An old tuberculosis Sanatorium in Northern Iceland is now a hospital ward with a skeleton crew of 5 working there. One morning a nurse comes in for her shift to find the head nurse murdered in her office. A week later the chief physician is found dead after falling from a balcony. The police ruled that the physician was guilty for murdering the nurse and therefore committed suicide by jumping off the balcony. The case gets closed but there has always been questions about what really happened at the Sanatorium …

2012: a young police officer who is writing his Criminology dissertation on the deaths at the sanatorium twenty-nine years prior has re-opened the case. The timelines, original people involved and motives just aren’t adding up and he is determined to stir up the past and get to the bottom of the murders!

I am always living in my Nordic noir era and Ragnar Jonasson never lets me down! I love a bone chilling, gritty, grim, mysterious and atmosphere crime thriller and this book checked all those boxes 👏!

Thank you kindly to @ragnarjo @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on September 10, 2024!

I have read quite a dew od this author's translated work. Some of it I have loved and some that I did not. Unfortunately this one was quickly falling into the second category. I feel that the author's strength is describing Iceland and I felt like there wasn't enough of that here. Instead this one felt more narrowly focused and I just didn't find the characters or plot interesting enough to keep going.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one

Ragnar never disappoints. This stand alone (loosely linked with the Hidden Iceland series) is a page turning thriller that will have you guessing, guessing wrong, and re-guessing as you quickly flip through the pages. The plot is tight, the characters believable with back stories, obsessions, and current struggles that give them flesh. I will read anything and everything this man writes. Keep those translations coming!

Helgi Reykdal is starting a new job with the Reykjavik police department. He's also working on his criminology degree, and is writing his thesis on the 1983 investigation of deaths at a sanatorium in northern Iceland, where a nurse was murdered and a week later, the chief doctor's body was found, an apparent suicide. Both cases were conveniently closed, concluding the doctor took his life after committing the murder. Now as Helgi is reexamining the case, the facts aren't adding up and he's got questions. I loved it! Jonasson is great at capturing the reader's attention and never letting go. Lots of suspects, lots of motives, lots of twists. Looking forward to more stories with Helgi!

This was a quick read, and I enjoyed all the references to older detective novels. Jónasson does a wonderful job of threading the various plot points together to a satisfying, but somewhat mysterious, conclusion. I always enjoy the atmosphere he creates in his novels, and he continues to write captivating mysteries.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 10, 2024
“Death at the Sanatorium” is the new novel by Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson, a spinoff from his record-breaking, soon-to-be-TV-series, “The Darkness”. (Before reading on, please note that it is not necessary to have read “The Darkness”, or to even be familiar with it in any way, to enjoy “Sanatorium”.)
In 1983, at a former TB sanatorium in upper Iceland, a nurse is found dead. After being hastily investigated by police detectives Hulda and Sverrir, the caretaker, Broddi, is charged with the crime although he is quickly released when the sanatorium’s doctor is also found dead in an apparent suicide. In 2012, nearly thirty years later, Helgi, a former police officer who is now writing his dissertation on the deaths at the sanatorium all those years ago, thinks that maybe the crimes were solved too easily and the case isn’t really closed after all. His theory looks more plausible when a nurse by the name of Tinna, who also worked at the sanatorium, is found dead in her apartment after receiving multiple threats. Helgi feels that he has stirred up secrets in his recent investigation, and he is desperate to solve it before another body drops.
“Sanatorium” is told in three different time frames, 1983 and 2012, with a few brief segments from 1951 which seem unrelated at first but do play a role in the ending of the novel. There are many narrators, although Helgi remains the protagonist, so readers can experience the entire story from different perspectives. The story is translated from the original Icelandic, but the translation is spot on and the novel is well-written and creative.
“Sanatorium” centres around the TB pandemic, when people were quietly shuffled away to institutions to spend their last days. Now, the TB sanatorium has been turned into a research hospital, but the figurative ghosts of the TB days remain. The quiet, desolate, nearly abandoned sanatorium is spooky and it was the perfect setting for murders to take place.
Helgi is both a student, working on his dissertation, and a new police investigator, and he is also dealing with an extremely toxic relationship in his home life (which is hinted at, but the real truth of this does not come out until the final pages and it’s just as devastating as you’d expect). I thoroughly enjoyed Jonasson’s characters, Helgi included.
The ending was surprising, although not entirely unexpected, and Jonasson wrapped up all of the plot lines in a conclusive way. His personal relationship is left unresolved, however, and that wraps up in a way that precludes another novel in this series is forthcoming. “Sanatorium” was a gripping police procedural, with a twist, and I look forward to seeing more of Helgi in the future.

international-crime-and-mystery, procedural, medical-fiction, crime-thriller, mystery, Nordic Noir, Iceland, suspense, 1983, 2012, tuberculosis-sanitorium, dual-timeframes, law-enforcement, historical-research, stand-alone-novel, relationship-issues, relationships, investigations, consequences, 1950s, gripping*****

Helgi Reykdal is writing his MA thesis in criminology and reopens an old murder case from 1983 at a sanatorium which has been rehabilitated as a general medical ward. He is also the most clear, strongest, and relatable character. There is significant background on the facility and staff during worst years of TB epidemic as well as how he teased more fact from the witnesses of the original events. There is also an underlying thread of his personal issues and how they impacted his thoughts and study of the case.
It is translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected e-book proof from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
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