Oh how I wish I was in Iceland right now 🤩 honestly, one of my favourite places on earth!!! Which meant I was doubly excited to get an ARC of this tale to read!! And a big thank you to Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Though our story takes place in Iceland, we find ourselves away from the mainland on the much smaller Vestmanneyjar. We meet our characters one by one - a diplomat & his deputy, a local business owner & each of their spouses, as well as a best friend, the major, a chef and an artist.

One evening as a storm rolls in, our characters come together at a local restaurant for a formal evening of dinner, drinks & discussion. But not all is as it seems, and not all of our guests will make it out alive! 🗡️ The storm traps our characters on the island & a young officer is assigned to crack the case!!! Each person seems a potential suspect, and what ensues feels like a mashup of a classic Agatha Christie whodunit with a big game of Clue!!

I was interested in reading this debut novel written by a Canadian who served as First Lady of Iceland for eight years. Unfortunately, I was disappointed because it very much has the hallmarks of a debut.

The novel is set on Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Westman Islands archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. Kavita Banerjee, the deputy ambassador of Canada, is killed at a dinner party. Everyone present becomes a suspect, including Graeme Shearer, the Canadian ambassador. His wife Jane decides to investigate.

This is described as a locked room mystery because everyone is stranded on the island when a storm prevents the ferry from operating. Some suspense is created in Part II which begins with Chapter 15 entitled “Thirty-Seven Hours Before He Dies”; this foreshadows a second death, though the reader knows only that the second victim will be a male.

My problem with the novel is that there are a lot of events that are not credible. First of all, as the author mentions, “Canada’s real embassy in Iceland is so small it doesn’t have a deputy ambassador or someone serving at that level. In fact, Canada has very few embassies with a position of deputy ambassador.” So why give Kavita this position? There’s a refugee subplot and, again, the author acknowledges that this is an “unlikely scenario” which requires the reader to suspend disbelief. So why not devise a more logical subplot?

Also in the Acknowledgments, Ms. Reid mentions that “of course there would be more officers on duty on Vestmannaeyjar than I have allowed the story to have.” The use of the incompetent/inexperienced policeman trope is carried to an extreme. When senior officers return to the island, why is Jónas allowed to remain in charge, especially because he makes such basic errors like allowing suspects to leave the scene so everyone has “’ample time to get stories straight and destroy anything incriminating’”? He doesn’t even question suspects individually, letting other suspects listen!

There are other plot issues. A man would allow virtual strangers to go through the personal papers of his recently deceased husband? A random person knows all the details of the dinner party and has even heard the initial medical findings? Then there are the unbelievable coincidences like Jane impulsively stealing some random papers which prove to be of utmost importance. And, finally, how can someone find a manuscript and know that there are two more books or that a short passage from another manuscript proves that it is “’clearly meant to be the third part of a trilogy’”?!

Because there are so many implausible actions, astute readers will be left less than impressed. In addition, the characters feel flat. They are really only sketched, not fully developed. What differentiates the characters is their occupations or pre-occupations more than their personalities. This is even the case with Jane whose perspective is presented the most.

For me the strongest element is the Icelandic setting. Though I’ve visited Iceland, I’ve not been to the Westman Islands so I enjoyed the descriptions and the historical information.

In an interview, the author mentioned that there will be another book featuring many of the characters from this story. I hope its plot will be less meandering with a faster pace, more tension, and fewer implausibilities.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Really enjoyed the character interactions and setting of this book. The story had great twists and the characters were so hard to figure out, in a good way. Loved the ending!

This nordic thriller had enough mysterious plot points and fun characters to keep me fairly hooked, and it was great for light mystery fare. Having understood that this novel was set on “Vestmannaeyjar,” or the Westman Islands, small islands off the coast of Iceland, I was bemused to see that some of the main characters were Canadian. The Canadian ambassador to Iceland is there, and his wife Jane is arguably the main character. *No spoiler, it’s in the blurb*: The murder victim is the deputy ambassador of Canada. It turns out, this is no coincidence. The author was not only the previous First Lady of Iceland, but she was also born and raised in Canada, so the political bent makes a lot of sense, as does the Canadian content.

That’s also perhaps why the novel feels so genuine, as if from an insider’s point of view, with eyes on the political world and diplomacy but also giving a very authentic sense of Icelandic culture and custom. The mystery at the centre of the novel is quite well done, with a couple of twists and turns that kept me thinking as I went along (though I did have a strong inkling of who the culprit would be before the reveal!). I liked the characters and they were fun to read as they went about their sleuthing and myriad deceptions.

This is Reid’s first novel and apparently it will be one in a series…and it’s been optioned for television, so perhaps there’ll be a screen adaptation to come. It’s not overly complex, but for a good, entertaining read, I’d recommend this one.

The author, Eliza Reid, was born and grew up in Canada and attended University here. She moved to Iceland in 2003 and married a man who became President of Iceland from 2016 until 2024. From living in Iceland and as First Lady, she knows its culture, customs, folklore, and diplomacy. The story is set on a small island off the coast of Iceland, accessible by ferry. Its remote setting, with vivid atmospheric descriptions, gives an eerie and sinister background. This increases during a raging storm, when the island is cut off from the main part of Iceland. The participants are feeling claustrophobic and suspicious of others. The book has been described as Nordic Noir combined with Agatha Christie. It is also a psychological mystery with memorable characters. Initially, I wished I had taken notes on all the diverse characters, but they soon became easy to identify and follow.

Among the characters gathered for a celebratory dinner at an upscale restaurant for a gourmet Icelandic meal is the Canadian ambassador, Graeme. He intends to convince the wealthy CEO, Thor, of a prosperous fish processing company, to move or expand it to Halifax, NS. Graeme is accompanied by his wife Jane. She is bored, resentful, and thinking of leaving their marriage. Thor's wife is Linda, quiet and fading into the background. Piotr, the chef, always makes a showy spectacle with his meals. Kevila is attending as the Canadian deputy ambassador. She is very outspoken and likes to confront others. Her husband is Rahul, a website specialist. Ben, a prize-winning author of a bestselling novel set in Iceland, is stressed as his publisher is demanding a sequel soon, and he is there to do more background research. The dinner is also to honour the exuberant Hanna. She is a former scientist turned artist. The folk museum is to display her paintings, and everyone is invited. People gossip about her affairs and one-night stands. The local mayor, Kristjan, is attending, although overcome by profound grief. He found his beloved partner, Ari, dead. Ari was an investigative journalist who was working on a big story. Medical results determined his death was due to natural causes. Kristjan is convinced he was murdered.

Something is about to go wrong within this group with concealed secrets, resentments, and motivations. Chef Piotr gives a presentation of mixing flaming cocktails and turns the lights off. When the lights go back on after the group has drunk from their glasses, Kevila, the deputy ambassador, lies dead on the floor. Her husband loudly blames Graeme of murder. He observed him in a heated argument with his deceased wife, and wasn't he the one who handed her the drink? Everyone could be a suspect. The Chef is concerned that the reputation of his restaurant will never recover.

Due to the storm, they are all stranded on the tiny island. The only policeman present is the inexperienced Jonas. He is young and looks even younger, and the group has no hope for justice for Kevila's death. It is revealed that her drink contained a poison that was part of the museum exhibit, and many had access to it. The murder is included at the book's beginning. Then each chapter goes back in time with a countdown to Kevila's death. This is a very effective way to enhance the tension and explore the other guests' personalities and possible involvement. This is followed by a countdown to a second future death, but we are kept guessing.

Jane does not believe Graeme was the culprit. She turns amateur detective as she lacks faith in Jonas, the young police officer. She teams up with Ben to investigate what Ari had been working on at the time of his death. His partner, Kristjan, was too distraught to look at the papers stored at his home, but he allowed Jane and Ben to look through them.

There are murders, infidelity, shady diplomacy, and exploitative hiring and work practices. Jonas was a better policeman than expected and was promoted. Piotr's restaurant is doing a booming business as tourists flock to see the scene of a crime. Blame rests on a person with a motive I never would have guessed. A major twist follows this. I found the pacing uneven and the middle of the book slowed down. However, I was highly entertained by the unexpected twists and the storyline.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. It is due to be published on May 13/2025.

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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@tolovetoread #tolovetoread #read #reader #reading #readersofig #readthisbook #book #books #bookish #bookstagram #bookworm #booklife #bookreviewer #bibliophile #booksofig #booksof2025 #bookthoughts #bookaddict #readtheclassics
#bookrecommendations

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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.