Brynja, a lead forensic geneticist who works closely with the Police department in ongoing investigations, is plagued by her past. While visiting a village fair in her youth she loses sight of her twin brother Lukas who vanishes without a trace, never to be seen again.

Fast forward 20 years later Brynja holds a coveted job (that she earned) only to be scorned by her male inferiors who do not like answering to a woman. She keeps it together with the support of her fiancé Ari (also the Prime Minister of Iceland!) her best friend Stina and her “you only live once attitude”, and her eager assistant Elly.
When she receives a mysterious poem eluding to the fact that her little brother is alive and well she can’t help but believe it. As she dives deeper into the mystery her Alice in Wonderland syndrome auras start up and she begins to unravel. When The poems keep coming, bringing with them murders and other threats, fingers begin pointing Brynjas way. Someone is setting her up and using her brothers disappearance as a lure, but who? When Brynja is asked to step down from her post and Ari puts their relationship on hold she knows she has to solve this mystery before everything she has worked for disappears.

Every character is a suspect and while the read feels a bit slow, there is a lot going on. Rich with Icelandic history from Vikings to Denmark’s rule over Iceland and the remaining bitterness between the two countries, there are a lot of interesting events going on and a lot to learn. My only criticism would be that the emotional pull was lost in translation. It reads more like an action novel, rather than pulling heartstrings - which it should be able to pull off easily given the content.

A geneticist finds disturbing evidence connecting to crimes. Her twin was lost nearly 20 years ago and her father is falling into dementia.

I was super intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately the writing style and overall plot were quite disappointing. I felt like I was reading one of my textbooks instead of a beautifully crafted story. The info dump is heavy albeit simple to understand, but it's just too much too often. So many times, the writing portrays the MC as a know-it-all and often condescending. Like we get it! You are a geneticist, but you don't have to explain everything you do aaaaall the time. There were mistakes here and there, and sometimes, we even got the same sentences multiple times!!! It was a very boring read, and all the characters were poorly developed and really annoying to me. I'm not sure if the MC is supposed to be unlikeable but she was. She made unethical choices for petty reasons. Also, for one case she was solving, she was unsure what to do and all of the sudden, she got an eureka moment and realized that RNA could be useful....... as the head of forensic genetics, I'd expect that she would think of it immediately AND that it would be part of the procedure in the first place when suspicion of foul play. The dialogues between the MC and her assistant felt like they were going on and on and on. The plot is a bit too ridiculous to be believable in my opinion, and I guessed it early on, so much for a mystery.

I really thought I'd like this book. Unfortunately I found it quite slow and difficult. I persevered as i did want to find out what happened to lucas, who disappeared at a carnival with his twin sister. I'm glad I finished it. It was a good story. Just wasn't the right book for me.. Brinja works is forensics, Iceland have a DNA database. She still hopes to find her missing twin brother. She receives a cryptic clue, some people around her are poisoned. Quite a few shocks in store for her as she uncovers the truth about who she really is and what happened all those tears ago at the carnival where her twin disappeared. Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW
Double Blind - Sarah Winokur
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This was a really complex and involved story and not for the faint of heart. There was so much going on all the time that created a really fast paced and exciting atmosphere and I didn’t want to put it down! If you love ‘Scandi Noir’ genre then you’re bound to love Double Blind.

DOUBLE BLIND is a winning blend of mystery, genetic puzzles, science, forensics, megalomania, Icelandic and Danish culture and history, with wonderfully realized characters and an exceptionally twisty plot.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Interesting DNA based mystery using the idea of the Icelandic genetics data base.I liked the idea, the story line was a little convoluted. Hope there will be more. .

I was thoroughly impressed with how the author described Iceland's breathtaking landscapes, amazing cuisines, culture, and history. It was refreshing to have a murder mystery set in a place with ice capped mountains and geysers, and where the sun does not set. The amount of details that went into explaining genetic research and toxicology of plants were impressive, but were at times, dreary. I enjoyed most of the novel, but found myself skipping a lot of the scientific details to get to the big reveal. Maybe this novel will be more interesting for those who are into genetic research and Icelandic poems.