Ragnar Jonasson has proved lightning can strike twice. Ófærð was the TV series which brought Iceland to the forefront of thrillers. Now, with the "Hidden Iceland" series, Jonasson continues the exhilarating ride. The Darkness connects with the reader on many levels. It is one of the most poignant thrillers I've ever read. #TheDarkness #NetGalley

Another mystery that kept me going.. Always like finding a new writer who can do so. Great for an afternoon at the beach, by the pool, etc.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital ARC of this book.

This was a solid entry in the Nordic Noir genre. There were things that worked really well for me here. First, I liked the bold choice made in how this series will play out. We start this book at the end of the protagonist, Hulda's, career. We follow her through her last week on the job before retirement. This is a series, though, and Jonasson is, interestingly, going to follow Hulda in a non-linear path. The next book in the series apparently will go back 25 years into her past. Interesting process.

Another bold choice that I loved was his decision to make his lead detective a 64-year-old woman. This is not a common choice for a Nordic Noir novel. We have lots of older men in the role and we see women, too--but they typically have to fall between the newbie 20-something woman trying to make her way on the force to the seasoned 40-something year old. But a 64-year-old woman protagonist? Another interesting and unique choice.

And yet one more: the ending. I won't give anything way, but I can say that I honestly didn't expect it, based on prior expectations of reading in this genre. So well-done.

A final point worth making would be that this book moves at a solid pace. It's not a dense, overly complicated novel (like many in this genre) and it's rather shorter than most so it should be easy to pick up the next in the series without feeling utterly lost in the minutiae of the intricate plot from a year or two earlier.

So why did I give it 3 stars? Well, this was a hard one for me to rate and, in fairness, it's probably more like a 3.5 star rating. One thing that detracted a bit for me was what I also made a positive above: while there are benefits to a refreshingly short and straightforward Noir, I like the complicated, twisty narratives so this was a bit too clear-cut for me. I figured out most of the ending early on (though this is never a deal-breaker for me--I just read lots of these books and am overly suspicious of narrators!). But it seemed a little too shallow for my preferences.

Another thing that troubled me a bit throughout was that while I loved the choice of a 64-year old character, I wasn't convinced with her portrayal. For a strong woman who has moved through the ranks during a generation when women were not treated as equals (and still aren't in many cases), her professional positioning was often submissive and almost groveling, which was at odds with her persistence to justice and overall independence. I will say , though, that Jonasson has made a really complicated character here, and even the end--I think--points out that not many people really know her (maybe Hulda doesn't even know herself). So I don't want to be too critical of this--maybe it will be part of the overall construction of her character arc in the series. I guess I just sometimes felt like the author didn't totally nail what it's like to be a woman.

Another minor thing: sometimes I found the dialogue to be a little stilted and clumsy, but that might be due to the translation process.

Overall, this was a very unique novel and I did enjoy it. I will also continue to read the series and, maybe, some of the character development issues I mentioned above will explain themselves as the series continues. I recommend this novel.

I am speechless...I read this book in one evening. Binge worthy? I can't give a fair review at the moment, so until then, I am going to give it three stars based totally on my love for "Icelandic Noir" and Ragnar Jonasson. Thank you for the opportunity to read for a fair review.

Hulda is an interesting character, a detective about the age of retirement who wants to stay a little longer and finish off some cold cases that seem to have a connection with new murders. Suspenseful and interesting to see how Hulda will try and solve the case and her interactions with other detectives and her friend Peter. The ending leaves you wanting to read more about Hulda.

I wanted to read The Darkness because I was intrigued by what the premise of the book was as well as the cover of the book looked interesting. As I started reading this novel, it was very slow to get to the point and help the reader understand what was about to happen. Once I got passed the middle of the book, it seemed to get better. I so wanted to love this book but I will have to settle for like. It is a good read just harder to get to the good stuff.

Thank you netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 ⭐️ out of 5

I am not sure what I expected with this book. I was hoping for something along the lines of Larsson in modern writing or maybe a book with literary value in line with Hamsun. Although I did appreciate the "It's a man's world" and a retiring female cop who was unable to get promoted, the story seemed flat to me. I usually don't read crime books, but I expected something better.

Thank you to St Martins Press for the arc of this book.
I enjoyed this book, I didn’t find it gripping and unputdownable though, but a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for for letting me review this book.
I love Nordic mysteries and this one set in Iceland doesn’t disappoint.
It is fast paced and good to end .
This author doesn’t disappoint.

DI Hulda Hermannsdottir is being forced to retire at age 64, but it’s the last thing she wants. She’s given a choice for her last case - the cold case of her choice. For Hulda, there’s no choice, she wants to know who’s responsible for the death of a Russian woman, found washed up on a beach a year before. Another young woman disappeared at the same time and it would appear that no one cares what happened to either woman, including Hulda’s colleagues. Nordic noir at it’s best

Another wonderful entry into Icelandic noir from an author I enjoy very much.

Faced with early retirement, Huldar Hermanndotiir dosen't want to ride off into the sunset without one last case to solve so she takes on a cold care that was written off as a suicide. You know the old saying, be careful what you wish for? Well Huldar will wish she had just turned in her papers without a backward glance when this turns into an on the edge of your seat thriller from the get go. I hope this character will have more up her sleeve despite the ending.

Highly recommended!