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!