It has been a couple of years since the last Ari Tor episode in the Dark Island series. Although the narrative takes place during the Easter weekend the days are still short, snow is falling and an icy gale is blowing.
A young woman is found dead in the streets by a nocturnal walker, obviously fallen to her death from a balcony. Is it suicide or has she been pushed.
While Ari is hoping to spend a weekend with his ex wive and his son, his hopes of a quiet weekend go up in dust, or rather powder snow when more and more doubt arises concerning the circumstances of the young woman's death.
Like all the episodes in this series the atmosphere is haunting and chilling, aggravated by the power failures, the remote location and the claustrophobic atmosphere which even the increased tourism can not mitigate.

I really liked this series and though this 6th episode is supposed to be the last, I cannot but hope that maybe in the future the author will decide to write another one.
Definitely 4 stars

I want to thank Ragnar Jonasson, Orenda Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orenda books for an early digital copy of Winterkill in exchange for an honest review!
Really enjoyed this latest and final installment in the Dark Iceland series!
Following Ari Thor on his journey as a police officer through this series has been a ride, and is always a go-to comfort read for me.
As always, the plot was engaging and twisty and the characters were well written. As this is the last book in the series, it is recommended that you read the previous books before this one.
This author will always be a go-to buy/read for me and I can't wait to see what else he writes!

Well constructed story, good development, good characters.... just not my favorite RJ book.

One of the things I enjoy most about RJ novels is the extreme and often unbearable environment. His books typically give you such a beautiful understanding of how unique and amazing Iceland is without discounting the intensity of the climate and the grit and resilience it takes to live there. I have on multiple occasions read his novels in the heat of Texas summer and found myself feeling like I should have a jacket because the picture of Iceland's winters are painted so beautifully. While this one did touch upon the weather and the black outs, it fell short of the chill-inducing prior stories.

I also felt like the whole plot with his ex and their son was largely unnecessary. While I suppose it provided Ari Thor with some perspective about his current relationship, it felt more like a chore that the author had to constantly acknowledge what the ex and the kid were doing and it never really furthered the plot.

While this one a little disappointing, I am still really really excited about the next one!

A short and sweet story for the fans of the series starting with a suicide and progressing through the blizzard, bringing all the threads together in the conclusion. The inspector Ari is practical in his approach and neatly slots the puzzle pieces with patience. Being a fan of Scandinavian thrillers, I just devoured it.

Siglufjörður, Iceland, Police Inspector Ari Thór is called out in the middle of the night after the body of a young girl is found dead in the street. She appears to have fallen from the roof-top balcony of the adjacent building, but nothing about her life suggests she was suicidal, so did she jump, or fall, or was she pushed? The case gets even more confusing after an old man with dementia writes ‘She was Murdered’ over and over on the wall of his room. Ari Thór juggles the investigation while trying to spend time with his ex and their 3 year old son, who are visiting from Sweden for the Easter weekend. Easy to like characters, the plot moves smoothly and offers up some good surprises. Enjoyable and quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Orenda Books for the ARC.

A worthy conclusion to Jonassons Dark Iceland series this book follows police officer Ari Thor while investigating the death of a young girl in a small town in Iceland during a winter storm.
The setting is great, the characters interesting and it's nice to see Ari deal with his insecurities and navigate his love life and child while trying to balance being a cop in a small town where you are always on call. What sets Winterkill apart from most of these type of thrillers is that the protganist is not a cynical, hardened and aloof character yet you see his human side, doubts, insecurities when it comes to parenting, being a partner and even if he does his job well. That's a nice change and makes it a more realistic character to whom you can connect more easily. If you haven't read the previous books I would recommend starting at the beginning even though it can be read as a stand alone, but to get the full experience and the closure this book is probably meant to be for Ari Thor it's better to pick up his first book.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

Thank you to NetGalley, Ragnar Jonasson and Orenda books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to another Ari Thor novel, but I was also a bit nervous that maybe one more would be too many and I wouldn't enjoy it as much as the last few. But I was wrong, this one jumps right into the thick of things like we never left. The crime and the investigation was different this time around with Ari running things on his own. I really enjoyed the novel and as always the small snowy town. I am so glad that Jonasson decided to write another Thor novel. Definitely recommend.

Another satisfying mystery/thriller by Ragnar Jonasson. Hard to put down. So I didn't!
Highly recommend.

The wonderful Winterkill is a reminder why Ragnar Jonasson is an Icelandic treasure. His Ari Thór Arason series grabbed the attention of readers worldwide for good reason. It was the perfect companion to the renowned television series Ófærð ("Trapped"). So, it was nice to see Ari Thor's Siglufjörður had more secrets to reveal. One mystery leads to another in Winterkill. Jonasson deftly delivers satisfying conclusions to both in this riveting read. It proves to be a most welcomed addition to Jonasson's impressive body of work. #Winterkill #NetGalley

Ragnar Jónasson seemed to end his story with a light hint of happiness. His next book can make this seem like a brief bit of noir. Ari Thór Arason is now the head police inspector in Siglufjörđur and he seems to have planned a family reunion with his girlfriend and little 3 year old son who now lives in Sweden. However a teenager girl, Unnur, has committed suicide and her mother called Ari. In trying to understand this his girlfriend, Ugla, who dropped him when Kristin got pregnant. Mentioned that she was scared of what a patient wrote on the wall and showed him. Ragnar sure turns the story around and around with red herrings. He leaves us with a brief get together with his girlfriend Ugla. After a grueling episode with the doctor and then with the teacher, Bjarki. I'll let you figure the rest out. Ragnar is really good with hints that explain quite a bit. I liked this story a lot.

Ragnar Jonasson gives us one final outing for Ari Thor Arason in the 6th of his Dark Iceland series set in the remote north Icelandic town of Siglufjordur, now a more accessible place with a huge growth in tourism. At long last Ari is beginning to be regarded as more of a local, he is now an Inspector, and has recruited Ogmundur in the nostalgic hope that he could replicate his valuable mentor relationship with Tomas, now in Reykjavik. However, while Ogmundur is more sociable than him, he is not as diligent a police officer, nor as hardworking, nor as respectful of Ari's skills and experience, meaning he is not someone Ari can rely on. With a heavy snowstorm on the horizon, it is approaching Easter and Ari is hoping to spend time with his 3 year old son, Stefnir, as he hardly ever sees him, Kristin, his ex-girlfriend is now living in Sweden, and they have come for a visit.

Ari moves to the hotel for the duration of their visit, whilst Kristin and Stefnir take over his apartment, he is hoping to spend as much time as possible with Stefnir, but he has an investigation on his hands that he unfortunately is unable to delegate. A young 19 year old girl, Unnur, looks to have committed suicide by jumping off a building where the resident is attending a conference in Reykjavik. It's a terrible tragedy but initially it looks to be a straight forward inquiry, but the distraught mother insists Unnur would never have committed suicide, not to mention the father arrives from abroad to ensure the police discover the truth. However, an old friend with whom he had serious chemistry but who has avoided him for some time, Ulga, is now a care worker. She calls him to relate an incident of an elderly dementia suffering man, who has painted his room with the words she was murdered.

It takes some time, but the darkest of deeds are eventually uncovered, culminating in a showdown in the midst of a blackout in a snowstorm, a snowstorm that led to Kristin and Stefnir leaving early to return to Sweden. This is a slow burn character driven read, part of a popular crime series, with a fantastic atmospheric sense of location, which has Ari wondering about his future, worrying that Tomas has forgotten to find him an opening in Reykjavik, wondering if his future is to be a local cop in this small town. While his relationship with Karin has been difficult at times, she never adjusted to the demands of his job, he thinks that it might be a good idea for them to once again become a family for Stefnir's sake, but Karin is not giving him the vibes that this is something she would consider. This is a terrific ending to the crime series that fans will enjoy, along with other crime fiction readers too. Many thanks to Orenda Books for an ARC.