I’ve never read a book with Iceland as the setting so I was really excited to read this one. Death on the Island is a compelling murder mystery set in Westman Islands (located just off the south coast of Iceland) and is sort of a locked room mystery. The guests seemed to be hiding some secrets and thus were all suspects. There were a couple of unexpected twists but I was happy to have guessed 1 theory correct 🤭 My only peeve was that the characters were hell-bent on treating the newly minted young policeman as incompetent hence they kept on trying to give only “relevant” info so as to “not muddy the waters” of investigation. What?!?! And it was repeated a lot of times so…eek!🫣 But other than that, this was a nice destination murder mystery ala Agatha Christie that I had fun reading. Thanks @simonandschuster for my digital ARC.

This was a fun, twisty read with changing points of view by chapter. I enjoyed watching it all unfold and the description of the island created an excellent atmosphere and setting for a mystery

This book appealed to me because I had read and enjoyed Eliza Reid's previous book Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women on gender equality in Iceland. Death on the Island is the Canadian-born former first lady of Iceland's fiction debut.

The novel opens with a group which includes the Canadian Ambassador Graeme Shearer and his wife, Jane, the Deputy Ambassador, Kavita Banerjee, and her husband, an artist and a Booker Prize-winning Canadian author arriving by ferry on the remote windswept Westman Islands off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner prior to the opening of an art exhibit at a small museum. Following a tour of the museum, the diplomatic group convenes at a local restaurant where they will be joined by the mayor as well as the owner of a fishery and his wife for a meal cooked by a celebrated Icelandic chef. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead and a violent storm will prevent anyone from leaving the island to return to Reykjavik. A young police officer is called in to investigate but Jane, who is accustomed to cleaning up her husband's messes, can't help but follow up on a few leads herself.

Death on the Island is a quick read - a slow-paced closed room mystery of sorts with all of the suspects trapped on a remote island due to the stormy weather. I loved the atmospheric Iceland setting - and it made me want to visit all the more! The plot is fairly tame as far as crime novels go - more cozy than noir - but that suited me fine as I don't enjoy anything too violent or graphic. Some of the plot points are a bit of a stretch but it's a debut novel and I expect the writing and plotting will get tighter in future books. According to the Author's Note, she is already working on a second book featuring Graeme, Jane and the young police officer, Jonas, which will be set in Reykjavik and I enjoyed this one enough that I will definitely read the second as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I started this book while on a beach in Jamaica and just finished it this week. It’s out May 13th, but I received an early copy. Is this on your list? 📖

Death on the Island is set on a remote Icelandic island, the story kicks off when the Deputy Ambassador of Canada dies at a dinner party. As a storm strands everyone on the island, suspicion spreads among the guests, and Ambassador’s wife starts digging for the truth. 🕵🏻

This books had elements that I love - a locked-room mystery and stunning backdrop in one of my favourite countries, but the pacing felt slow and it didn’t quite hook me. I didn’t guess the killer, which I always appreciate, but it just didnt work for me. That said, you may enjoy it more, especially if you love atmospheric mysteries. ⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @simonschusterca for the advance copy.

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this book had the potential to revamp a locked room mystery a la Agatha Christie with some elements of Nordic noir style, however it's overall reading experience fell a bit flat for me.

told in different time sequences, you read storylines of before characters die and afterwards, from multiple POVs. for me, the book got a little bit lost in the details, as there were many characters to follow and many emphases made that were red herrings to the final ending scenes that had nothing to do with the storyline at all.

I was surprised by the ending, however moreso because of the lack of detail how those conclusions were reached, rather than weaving together the different bits and pieces from throughout the story.

I would also warn that it is advertised as Jane being the primary investigator however she really blended in with the rest of the cast. it felt more like gossip between characters than actual investigation.

thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eArc!

Diplomats from around the world meet for a dinner party on a remote island. What they don't know is that they have a murderer in their midst waiting for the right time to strike, When the Canadian ambassador dies suddenly at a dinner party, everyone is under suspicion! I was intrigued with the premise of this book and the comparison to Agatha Christie novels.

Unfortunately, I found the plot quite hard to follow and stagnant at some points. Some areas of critique to mention are:
- Lack of story building. We were introduced to the characters but didn't gain much context to how they all arrived on the island
- Found the start of the novel to be choppy and hard to follow
- The writing wad very stagnant and simplistic
- There is a lack of character building, all the characters are one dimensional
- There are too many characters to keep track of realisticly
- The reveal at the end was confusing and lacked closure

Review: Death on the Island by Eliza Reid

Eliza Reid’s Death on the Island has a compelling premise that immediately drew me in—a remote island, a mysterious death, and a community full of secrets. The setting is atmospheric and moody, which perfectly suits the genre and adds a great layer of tension to the story.

That said, the pacing was much slower than I expected. While I appreciated the introspective tone and character development, it often felt like the plot was dragging, especially in the middle. I found myself wishing for more momentum or twists to keep the suspense alive.

Despite the slow pace, the core mystery was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the idea behind the story. The themes of isolation, grief, and hidden truths were well-executed, and the setting almost felt like a character of its own.

Overall, Death on the Island didn’t quite hit the mark for me in terms of pacing, but I still appreciated the writing style and the premise enough to finish it. It’s worth a read if you enjoy slower, character-driven mysteries with a strong sense of place.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy to review

DNF. I started reading this one and couldn't get into the story or the book. This book started with a lot of promise, but the characters fell flat for me. I was waiting for something to happen, and I couldn't get into the story line at all.

Death on the Island by Eliza Reid is a high stakes mystery involving the murder of multiple people with those left alive each with their own possible reasons for why they could be the guilty party.

This book was particularly interesting as it not only has a murder take place shortly after it begins, but the death doesn’t stop there and includes a countdown. I really liked this as it doesn’t reveal who is murdered with each countdown, but it amps up the readers tension as you see the hours disappearing and are left wondering who will be the victim. As the characters left alive seek answers to who the murderer could be, and what their motive is, you as the reader can’t help but looking for cues as to who the next victim might be referred to at the start of each chapter with the countdown, which generates worry for the characters who manage to be likeable. And of course there is the mystery of who the actual killer is and what they might be trying to hide by picking off the party members one at a time.

The atmosphere of this novel was fantastic. It takes place on an Icelandic island that is cut off from most other places barring the ferry that takes people back and forth. As a result, the people who are a part of the party when the murder occurs end up isolated on the island because everything is shut down due to the weather. It adds an air of fright and paranoia, particularly not knowing who the culprit is and is very well done.

It manages to be twisty and turny, and just when you think you have all the answers, it throws a curveball and turns things around all over again. I was initially uncertain how I was going to end up feeling about Death on the Island because I was not immediately sucked into the story, but once it got going, it really got going and I found myself not wanting to stop. Definitely give this book a few chapters to pick the pace up because it ends up turning into a really intriguing thriller and I really enjoyed it in the end.

A locked-room Agatha Christie-esque mystery, set on a tiny Icelandic island. While there are many players in this book, I never felt overwhelmed and I could always remember who was who. Multiple POVs have you wondering "Who is the unreliable narrator?". It started strong, but the pacing and momentum stepped down a bit and then held steady to the end. There's no unnecessary drama but there's also no jaw-dropping plot twists. It has you guessing and trying to solve the mystery throughout, but nothing has you gasping. While I'm not entirely sure you'd be able to predict the ending, I did have fun running through the possible scenarios.

A few times, I felt like character choices didn't make sense. Why would the mayor have two people that he met less than 48 hours ago go through his deceased partner's precious belongings? I understand that during the grieving process, going through those yourself is too painful to imagine. But I also think that you'd also value them highly enough not just to let two relative strangers go through them. I got stuck on this, and since those belongings were revisited multiple times, my disbelief was very hard to suspend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one fell flat for me. I liked that the setting was in Iceland but otherwise the story itself was just boring. The lead up to the end was very slow and I didn't like any of the characters which made it difficult to continue reading. I figured it out early on but decided to read on, in case there was a plot twist. There wasn't and after I finished reading, I was incredibly disappointed and felt my time was wasted

I had expectations for this book that unfortunately were not realized. I was excited to read the first novel by Eliza Reid as she has a fascinating career and obviously a keen eye for interesting people and spaces. Honestly, I'm surprised I stuck with the book until the end. I suspected the murderer early on and I guess just wanted to confirm that I was correct. The plot kinda meandered along, I didn't love any of the characters and ultimately finished the book feeling a little disatisfied and "meh"... I hope Eliza Reid writes a 2nd book as I think there's potential - her eye for detail and ability to paint a setting is strong. Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for my arc.

🍀 ST PATRICK’S DAY mini review 🍀 featuring “Death on the Island” by Eliza Reid!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤/5

In a small fishing village off the coast of Iceland, 9 people get together for a diplomatic dinner party. As a sinister storm blows in trapping them on the island, all they have is one another.

When one person ends up dead, everyone at the table becomes a suspect! Could this be a business deal gone wrong or something much more menacing?? After all … everyone attending had their own hidden agenda for the dinner. Is anyone truly safe?? And who is next??

Thank you kindly to @elizajeanreid @simonschusterca @netgalley for my #gifted advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on April 29, 2025!

First, thank you for sharing this ARC.

Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. While the pacing was quick and I found it a quick read, I found there were too many circumstances in which I was asked to suspend my disbelief for unbelievable circumstances. I found these plot points really took away from the integrity of the book. For example, when Jonas is left alone to investigate the murder even after more senior members of the police force return, when Ben & Jane (who I believed to be new acquaintances of Kristjan) are granted access to search (unsupervised) Ari's study, or when Jonas calls everyone back for a reenactment. If felt like this book was a cozy-mystery trying to disguise itself as a serious take on a mystery classic.

A good whodunit from beginning to end. What an ending. Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for my arc.

With thanks to NetGalley for the preview of this spring 2025 novel.

I anticipated it would be accomplished because [book:Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World|228781013], the author's book on gender equality and Iceland, is terrific.

And the testimonials from a host of well-regarded crime writers prefacing the novel's opening promise that an important new crime writing voice is joining their number.

The novel's opening was promising: Reid uses the engaging setting of a volcanic Icelandic island for a potentially intriguing locked-room mystery. Several of the characters, including Hannah, the scientist-turned-artist whose debut exhibit has brought Canadian diplomats and local bigwigs together, are portrayed effectively. When a storm strands the whole group overnight, the ghost of Agatha Christie appears to be hovering over the plot nicely.

The most effective set piece is the impressive dinner in the celebrated local restaurant where the chef, Piotr, excels at both foraging and cooking. His justly famous signature cocktail appears to be the cause of death of one of the visiting diplomats, an ambitious and well-meaning second-in-command to the ambassador who seems far more competent than her adulterous boss.

But long passages of lengthy dialogue and a substantial amount of repetition drag down the novel's pacing. Information is conveyed and then repeated.

The book would benefit from a more interesting protagonist than Jane, the ambassador's wife, whose chief characteristic is that she's unhappy in her marriage. This is particularly the case during the novel's second half, where a young police investigator appears to have no reinforcements due to the storm, and Jane takes matters into her own hands. The number of improbable events piles up alarmingly.

In the last quarter of the book, this is especially pronounced, and the novel's apparent climactic revelations ultimately peter out without a satisfying sense of justice.

I really enjoyed Death on the Island. I thought it was well written and I felt like I was on the island with them. Debut mystery author…looking forward to more Iceland!