Nordic Noir is a genre that is growing on me. Death at the Sanitorium is an interesting story, part cold case, part present day murder. In 1983 at a former sanatorium in the north of Iceland, an old nurse, Yrsa, is found tortured and murdered. Detective Hulda Hermannsdottir and her boss, Sverrir, are sent to investigate her death. They find 5 employees/suspects, the chief physician, two junior nurses, a young doctor, and the caretaker. The caretaker is arrested after one of the nurses lies about him, and he is eventually released. Shortly after the murder, the chief physician if found dead, apparently falling from a balcony. Sverrir rules it a suicide from guilt after murdering the nurse and the case is closed. In 2012, Helgi Reykdal, a young police officer is studying criminology in the UK. He decides to return to Iceland and is offered a job at the Reykjavik police department. Hulda Hermannsdottir is about to retire , and Helgi will take her position. He is still working on his education and is writing his thesis on the 1983 deaths/murders. For his research, he meets with the original suspects and as he digs into the case, he comes up against brick walls of silence and secrets. When one of the witnesses ends up dead, he knows he is on the right track.

This was a dual timeline story, with a couple of short dips into a third timeline in 1950. Helgi is an old school detective. He uses questioning and reexamining evidence to pick out clues to follow. I don't know how he was able to figure out next steps as everyone was a bit hostile and had no desire to open up about the old case. There were a lot of secrets that weren't uncovered in the original investigation as Sverrir just wanted to close the case. The setting was very creepy and atmospheric, an old TB Sanitorium. This was an interesting whodunit, with short chapters that made the story move quickly. My big complaint is that the story ending rather abruptly, and I was disappointed in that. Sam Woolf narrated the audiobook and does a good job with the voices, tone and pacing. I enjoyed listening to this one.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

I love Nordic Noir and am a fan of Ragnar Jónasson, so I was glad to read this one and listened via audio. This is apparently a spinoff of The Darkness, but it read just fine to me as is (however I have added The Darkness to my list). The audio was ok, and I did not have a physical copy to follow along with and wished I did. The ending was super abrupt, so much so that I thought something was wrong with my audio and listened a few times to make sure, but I think that was how it was supposed to go, so just know that. Overall I thought this was really good, I just think physical copy is the way to go here. The story was engaging, I enjoyed the dual timelines and the eerie atmosphere was fantastic.

I found this mystery interesting. I was expecting more of a thriller when I chose it, but I enjoyed the slower paced aspects of this one. Even though there were multiple timelines I wasn’t confused when they jumped around.

Sam Woolf did a great job narrating this one. I enjoyed listening to him. I would have struggled with all the names if I had read this instead of listening to it, and Sam made it easy to understand them all.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this book.

Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson is an intriguing book that explores an unsolved crime (murder) that took place at a sanatorium. The book jumped back and forth in time to show how a new look at an old crime produced answers.

This was my second book by Jonasson, and he's definitely become a favorite author. I loved how this story was told and it was easy to follow the jumps in time. I didn't want to stop listening to this book, it was so good. I really liked the narrator as well.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This was another great read by Ragnar Jónasson! It was a bit of a wild ride and I couldn't put it down. Ragnar is on my always-read list and I can't wait to see what he puts out next! I really enjoy learning about other cultures via my fiction reading and this did not disappoint.

This was the first book by Ragnar Jónasson that I read and I really enjoyed it! I will definitely read more of his books. I usually enjoy longer books, but the author explained at the end that he was inspired early in his life by the works of Agatha Christie. So it makes sense as to why his books are on a shorter side. This is a great atmospheric thriller. It's a pretty incapsulated story with a satisfying ending. I highly recommend! The narration by Sam Woolfe is fantastic as well (as expected).

Almost 30 years after an old nurse was murdered and the chief physician of a the former sanitarium was found dead, a young police officer finds himself in the position to dig deep into the 1983 murders he is writing his thesis on. A new job gives him opportunity and access to investigate and try to meet with all the original suspects. A great who dun it with a very likeable protagonist.

Although I felt this started off a bit on the slow side I found myself quickly wanting to learn more about each suspect while I tried to piece clues together on my own. The narrator added a level atmosphere helping to take us back 3o years during flashback. A definite recommend.

This is not my first book from this author and I love his writing style. Deeply atmospheric, meticulously plotted, clever and chilling. This story will keep you at the edge of your seat. If you enjoy Nordic Noir this book is for you.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this complimentary audiobook.

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 by Ragnar Jonasson released September 10, 2024.

Just in time for Jolabokaflod!

Really enjoyed this Icelandic mystery written with homage to classic mystery writers like Agatha Christie and P.D. James. The “gentleman detective” in this story is Helgi Reykdal, a former police officer writing a criminology thesis on a hastily closed 1983 case. Helgi’s academic interest in the case turns into actual investigation, resolving with a satisfying (except for one plot line with a weirdly abrupt conclusion) ending I didn’t guess.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio #MacAudio2024 for the advance copy of this audiobook.

A wonderful whodunnit with a strong detective and a series of compelling twists. The story jumped around from the 1980’s to current times but never became confusing. The narrator did an excellent job of voicing each character and never pulled me out of the story. I am looking forward to the next installment and can’t wait to read more books from this author.

One mysterious death leads to another or so it seems in this exciting crime thriller. Almost thirty years after the case is closed, a young police officer and criminology student begins investigating a series of unusual murders presumed solved for his thesis.

Death at the Sanatorium is a stand-alone mystery. I opted for the audio version. Sam Woolf does an excellent job with the narration. His performance really brings out the depth of the drama without over-acting.

This book is highly detailed. Everything from the way a character looks to the scenery is cataloged in such a way that each moment of the storyline is easy to picture. There is some bouncing between timelines (3). Having the story told from so many points of few helped get a fuller picture of what was happening but there were a few confusing spots that I had to double back on.

This is the first book that I have read from author Ragnar Jonasson but I look forward to checking out more of his work in the future.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson delivers a fast-paced, twisty mystery packed with red herrings that kept me guessing. The story has all the signature Jonasson suspense, but the constant time shifts were sometimes distracting, making it a little tough to stay grounded in the narrative. Helgi, our main investigator, didn’t immediately win me over—honestly, I missed Hulda, who only makes brief appearances here. By the end, though, I was intrigued enough by Helgi to be curious to see where his story might lead. While this was a solid read and had its share of satisfying turns, it didn’t satisfy me as much as other novels by Jonasson I have read.

Death in a Sanitarium was a decent crime read. It had a few parts I felt moved a bit slower than I like.

A murder mystery set at a sanatorium? I'm in. This was a good book. There was time jumping from the murder that happened in the 1980s to the 2010s. Sometimes that got a little confusing, but overall, I enjoyed this book. I did not have it figured out, though I thought I did. It will definitely keep you on your toes.

Wonderful read for fans of Nordic thrillers! This read is a great read with lots of plot twists that keep the reader engaged. Highly recommend!

Very solid -- sometimes these northern European works are a bit too dark for me, but this was very enjoyable.



Review copy provided by publisher.

I enjoyed this Nordic noir style mystery! It was fun trying to figure out who did it, and I really enjoyed the multiple timelines. I wasn't expecting the endings! I thought the narrator did a good job as well

This was such a meticulously plotted crime fiction! I don't typically read Nordic Noir, but Jonasson definitely proves himself as a master of the genre!

This is a richly atmospheric whodunit, unfolding across multiple timelines and narrated from various perspectives.

I appreciate how this was a modern tribute to the finest Golden Age whodunit mysteries, with strong echoes of Agatha Christie. Be sure to check out the author's notes for further insight into Jonasson’s inspiration.

Sam Woolf delivered an outstanding performance in narrating the audiobook!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

This was a new author for me. A story about Ragnar Jonasson - about a sanatorium in the 1980s in northern Iceland. A nurse is found murdered then the chief physician is found dead. The case is closed, and 30 years later the case comes back up when a young police officer decides to write his thesis on the murders. As he starts to look more into the past, he begins to unravel this mystery. This book was just okay for me. The set up had the perfect vibes and I was generally interested but I didn’t find myself captivated. It was a slow burn police procedural and overall the general mysteries fell flat. This would still be a solid book for many readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.