Creepy and intriguing. The location of the smallll town leant a real feeling of isolation and loneliness. A ghost story entwined into the classic story of a town and their unwillingness to trust newcomers and the inherent need to stick together no matter what. The Girl Who Died was a slow burn of a novel but I think that's what it needed to build up the emotions until you truly felt haunted. Awesome.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
I am a fan of Ragnar Jonasson, having read all his previous books.
I thought this book was not up to his usual excellent writing. One always wonders with translations if something got lost in translation but I suspect not.
The story revolves around a young woman of 30 years who moves to the tip of a far-away peninsula of Iceland to teach two students. As usually happens in any small community, she is not accepted and that only adds to her unease. There might be a ghost or ghosts. There might be more scary events of the past that are haunting the community.
My problem with the book is one I have often when men are writing from a woman's point of view and include a lot of what is going on inside the woman's head. This book in no way rang true for me. A young woman with this bad self-esteem would probably not have moved so far away. Fear would have prevented her. From the moment she decided to move, her reasoning for making decisions just made me want to kick the author and tell him this thinking and the following actions just don't connect.
Some of the reviews talk about the land/Iceland as a character. I did agree with that. The moody, bare, and generally uninviting atmosphere, added to the strangeness and spookiness of the book's evolving mystery.

I hope his next book goes back to his excellent story-telling.
I would certainly give him another and probably two more chances. Mr. Jonasson is an excellent writer

Thank-you to NetGalley, publisher and Ragnar Jonasson for the advanced copy of "The Girl Who Died" in exchange for my honest review. I have read Jonasson's Dark Icelandic series and was very excited to read this stand-alone. I was not disappointed. Although not a fan of the supernatural genre, it was a small part of the story and intricately woven into the plot. Una, a young teacher living in Reykjavik is down on her luck. Alone and bored she decides to accept a teaching position in the remote village of Skallar in Langanes peninsula. Una's attempts to make positive connections with the villagers is met with responses as cold and remote as the freezing weather and winter darkness of coastal Iceland. .Is she having nightmares, seeing ghosts or drinking too much wine? What are the secrets of the past and present that keep her alone and fearful? What will it take for her to be accepted into the small community?  As the story unfolds, the suspense increases .Once again, Ragnar Jonasson expresses the feel of Iceland. the geography, climate and culture, but also the people by telling a really good story. The character development includes Iceland itself, and that is "Iceland" on the cake. This is an easy 5 stars for me and for those readers who enjoy international books, give this and other Ragnar Jonasson books a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Girl Who Died.

I enjoy supernatural elements in thrillers so I was excited when my request was approved.

Una has reached an impasse in her life. She is struggling personally and professionally. Her father is dead. Her mother is remarried. When her only friend suggests a teaching position in an out of the way village, Una takes a leap of faith and accepts the job when it is offered.

The town is inhabited by only 10 people, not including Una. It is both beautiful and isolated. And creepy.

The home she is staying in has a haunted past. The locals are not exactly unfriendly, not friendly either.

Una begins to feel the locals are closing ranks and hiding something from her. And, to make matters worse, she's having nightmares about the girl who died.

I didn't dislike Una, but I didn't like her. Her character wasn't interesting, kind of dull.

I sympathized with her, especially after the tragedy of losing her father, hoping to find solace at the end of the world, far away from the madness of the city.

As some readers have noted, this is a slow burning thriller as the author describes the village and the locals, the desolate beauty of nature, the sea and the frigid cold mirror Una's sense of sadness and depression as she burrows her sorrows in wine bottles.

There are some revelations and Una comes to realize how a small community works, that small places like these close ranks and protect their own.

Once Una is accepted into the village, she is both pleased about finally belonging somewhere, by the locals and by the ghosts.

Fans of Icelandic fiction would enjoy this, especially if they enjoy supernatural elements.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
5 Stars!
My first thriller by Ragnar Jonasson and plan to read more by Ragnar.
I loved this creepy, supernatural thriller that kept my guessing. Fast paced suspense and and quality writing. Did I say I loved this book?!

Ragnar Jónasson has cemented his place among the greatest thriller writers of this century with his "Dark Iceland" and "Hidden Iceland" books. With the ominous 'The Girl Who Died' standalone novel we get a haunted Iceland added to his accomplishments. This is an effective ghost story paired with a crime mystery. Jónasson excels at his portrayal of someone trapped at the edge of the (Icelandic) world. The claustrophobic atmosphere which envelopes the protagonist is skillfully utilized in the pages of this gripping thriller. It keeps you engrossed as you race towards the last pages. There are some things one must be afraid of. Being disappointed by a Jónasson book isn't one of them. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

In The Girl Who Died, Una answers a Teacher-Wanted ad and moves to an isolated village in Iceland with only ten inhabitants. She is to be the teacher of two little girls.

To add to the challenge of living out where God lost His shoe, very few of those inhabitants are welcoming to Una. Each has a story, and each has secrets.

As the story unfolds, those secrets are exposed which makes for interesting reading. The understated nudge toward paranormal was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Girl Who Died. I enjoyed it.

Really creates an amazing setting. It is a cliche but the town of 10 people here really is almost the main character. I read in one night. I will be on the lookout to read anything this author writes!

Una moves to the end if Northern Iceland to become the teacher of two young girls. The town is so small there are only ten inhabitants. From there, things start to get weird. Ghostly apparitions in the house, a very protective and tight lipped community. A young girl dies and Una is pulled I to an investigation. A very interesting premise for a book.

More creepy than truly scary, this novel is set at the edge of the world, in a tiny Iceland village. Running away from her life, Una takes a position as a teacher in Skálar. Despite there only being 10 people, she finds it hard to get to know them. The tension builds little by little until the feeling of claustrophobia is almost unbearable. Una may be seeing a ghost, but she’s not the most stable person so it may not be real. A big tragedy, a stranger, a whole town full of secrets, secret meetings and the winter darkness covering everything shortly follow. Most of the characters are unlikable as seen by Una, but I couldn’t warm up to her either. I didn’t like a single character and yet, I was invested in their stories and even felt conflicted when their interests clashed. I liked the mystery and found the ending satisfying.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books!

As much as I love the creepy atmosphere and feeling of isolation on every page, I could not get into the story. The story fell flat. The main character was weak and unlikeable. I never could find myself believing that she is a teacher. I have heard from others that Ragnar Jonassson has written other more thrilling Icelandic noir which I will give a try.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Una lived in Reykjavik, Iceland but struggled with life and was not happy. When her friend told her that a very small community in the out lands was looking for a teacher (for only two children) she decided to apply. When she got to there, she wasn’t so sure she had made the right decision. As she settled in, she did not feel very welcome and was very lonely, turning to drinking wine to cope. On top of that there was a story that the house where she lived was haunted by a young girl, who had lived in the room she was now using. She had several ‘experiences’ that left her feeling anxious and could not get any answers from the woman she lived with.

After a Christmas Eve tragedy, the secrets of the town finally became overwhelming, and Una had to confront the community to get answers.

I have enjoyed the books by Ragnar Jonasson in the past, and liked this book, as well.

The Girl Who Died, a standalone thriller, follows Una as she moves to a small town of ten, hired as a teacher of two students. What she finds is a tight knit community that isn’t ready to welcome a stranger to town, a town that wants to protects its secrets.

When I heard Ragnar Jonasson had a standalone book coming out, I knew I needed it, so I’m very thankful to have gotten a chance to read an eARC of it. Jonasson quickly became one of my favourite Nordic Noir authors a few years back when I read him, and it’s safe to say his standalone holds up to his series from what I’ve read.

This was a slow burn story, a very atmospheric read. Having the setting be such a small town, a small community of ten, made it feel almost claustrophobic as Una gets settled in town. Growing up in a large-ish city, I can’t imagine the feeling of such a small town, and from the books I’ve read, I just can’t imagine willingly moving to one. We all know that small town secrets aren’t something for outsiders to get involved in, which we learn through The Girl Who Died.

There is a subtle paranormal aspect to the story too, along with real people problems and conflicts. I did enjoy the balance between the two, especially as it became harder to know what was what, and as the tensions built it’s easy to see the lines blurred between the different aspects of the story.

My one issue with the book was the ending unfortunately. While I enjoyed the big reveal and everything that happened, it felt like it was rushed after such a slow burn of a story. I would have liked it if it were expanded just a little bit, a bit more depth to how the different characters handle everything.

If you’re looking for a quick standalone thriller, this is definitely worth checking out. I’m a strong believer that you can’t go wrong with Nordic Noir, and so if you’re looking for a standalone to introduce yourself to the genre, this is a good one to start with.

well written haunting tale about a young woman coming to an isolated tiny community and the power of secrets and what it takes to be included. There is an overlapping story about another young woman who was manipulated by the police to confess to a murder she didn't commit. How do the both live with the prisons they are in and who they are.

Ragnar Jonasson's The Girl Who Died has a startling title, perhaps a little too direct for me. However, I found the storyline to be compelling, beginning with the main character, Una, who chooses to leave Reykjavik to take a teaching position in a small village far away on the northern tip of the Langanes peninsula, called Skalar. (Jonasson's novel is translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.) The village has ten adults and two children to be taught. That's all. In winter. In the middle of nowhere, and Una knows no one when she arrives. We learn a a lot about Una through her viewpoint; she expects to soon make friends with the people there and is glad to be away from the dull life as a part-time Reykjavik teacher.

But her life is more isolated than she expected, and I couldn't help feeling how daunting that move had been. I would never have even remotely considered putting myself in a new place with limited resources, few people, and no one I knew, spending my days mostly with myself, taking solitary walks in the snow. And I, of course, wouldn't have known that there would be a reputed haunted house, sightings of a ghost girl in an attic, and an aloof, curt population there. Had I any hint of that, I would be cowering under the covers of my bed! As you might expect, there is much of the “Don't go in there! Leave, leave!” suspense-movie thrill filling this novel.

It is a suspenseful, mysterious narrative with some characters who seem to be friendly, but possibly have dubious hidden motives. Whew! I was very glad when I arrived at the satisfying close of this hypnotic novel.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Nordic thrillers. From the remote setting to the small-town secrets, there's really nothing like a good, snowy mystery. I was thrilled to be approved for this title and quickly dove in.

Unsure of what she wants the next step in her future to be, Una decides to leave Reykjavik and take a teaching position in the remote village of Skalar. With a population of only ten people and two students, she's wary about the isolation but determined to make the most out of her appointment. But from the moment she enters Skalar, things feel off. The house might be haunted, Skalar has a complicated history, and it seems everybody has a secret.

I really enjoyed this book.

To start, The Girl Who Died is incredibly readable. The story is engrossing and the pacing is well-executed. Translations can be tricky because the language can be too jilted or formal, but for the most part, I had no issues with the phrasing or format.

Una was a solid protagonist with an authentic voice and endearing characteristics. I enjoyed that she didn't have her entire future plotted, that she was thirty and unsure of her footing, both afraid and excited for a fresh start. It gave her a unique perspective entering Skalar, and I found her investigation into the established dynamics to be my favorite parts.

I also liked the supernatural subplot. I wanted a little more from this aspect, actually; I thought there could have been a few more scares to emphasize the isolation, the trauma, and the dread.

Overall, The Girl Who Died is a fast, claustrophobic, chilling read with strong characters, enjoyable subplots, and a healthy dose of terror.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

This is my first time reading Ragnar Jonasson book. Most of the reviews I read before requesting this were favorable and gushing with praise but my experience was different. Yes, the main character's only goal is to teach and she takes a job in a remote village in a small town in Iceland. The people are not friendly or welcoming and it is obvious an outsider is disliked. Why does she continue to teach when no one wants her there? Plus the town is creepy.

I gave this a star for creepiness and another for a good cover but overall, this book was a miss for me. It was lacking the usual suspense factor for me and the plot became predictable which in not good for any book. Disappointed and underwhelmed but can still recommend for other readers who like books set in Iceland.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ragnar Jonasson and St Martins Press Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/4/21

The advertisement reads “Teacher Wanted at the Edge of the World’
Una is very curious with this ad and since she is looking for a change; she applies. so takes this one-year each job in a small coastal fishing town in Iceland. The one-year teaching assignment is in a small coastal fishing town in Iceland, it also included room and board. The room is a small attic room in a house of one of her two students and the house is believed to have the ghost of a little girl who once lived there.

Story is a big slow moving but it kept me interested. I liked the ending. It was ⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars for me ~ not quite enough for me to round up.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 4, 2021

Review of eBook

Disappointed by her inability to secure a steady teaching position in Reykjavik, Una decides to apply for the teaching position advertised in the newspaper as “Teacher Wanted at the Edge of the World.” Unsurprisingly, there is not a flood of applicants for the job and, after a telephone interview and a short wait, Una accepts the teaching position.

And she’s off to Skálar, an isolated fishing village at the end of the Langanes Peninsula with a population of ten, two of whom are to be Una’s pupils. The girls, Kolbrún, nine, and Edda, seven, are opposites; Kolbrún is quiet and reserved while Edda is outgoing and friendly.

But the adults living in the village are not particularly friendly . . . and not at all welcoming to the new teacher.

Although rebuffed, Una tries to fit in among the townspeople as she moves between the homes of the two girls for school each day. Plagued by nightmares of a lullaby-singing little girl in a white dress, Una struggles to understand the cool demeanor of the people.

The disappearance of a visitor and a sudden tragedy with a remarkable resemblance to a long-past event cause Una to investigate . . . and uncover . . . a stupefying, long-held secret.

Set in 1985, an aura of desolation permeates the telling of this powerful . . . and eerie . . . tale. Skálar’s remoteness combines with the impenetrable fog, the harsh wind, and the bitter cold to create a forceful setting that takes on the role of a major character. Surrounding the reader with Una’s isolation, the unfolding narrative exudes a bleak unsettledness, keeping the reader on edge and off-balance. And there’s a bit of the paranormal with a ghost or two floating around the turn-of-the-century house where Una is staying.

The darkness in the portentous story mimics the darkness of the Icelandic winter; coupled with the occasional ghostly appearances, the reader is certain to feel a spine-tingling chill or two as plot twists take the story in unexpected directions and reveal surprising secrets.

It’s a compelling tale, well-told and slow to reveal its secrets. Readers are sure to find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheGirlWhoDied #NetGalley

Despite the weak title and uninspired cover art, this is atmospheric and just dark enough to remain interesting without being heavy-handed.