I love reading Icelandic crime fiction. I feel they are much better at showing a place than Instagram influencers. You have a mix of a genuine love for their home as seen through the eyes of the author in his characters plus the not so pretty side via the crimes committed and grittier locations. Indridason is one of the best and This Darkness Knows did not disappoint. I recommend his other titles as well.

I read Icelandic thrillers occasionally to have something "different". Indridason"s Detective Konrad books are sokid thrillers that keep reading long after "one more chapter" because I just know I'm going to figure out the killer in the next few pages.....but I never do. When retired Detective Konrad is called back to duty to investigate a "cold" case that has suddenly seen new clues, the story jumps quickly back and forth between the two investigations and I didn't manage to figure it out again.

This was a pretty good thriller. I really like Nordic noir and I definitely want to read more from Indridason now. I liked the cold case reopened aspect of the story and I was on the edge of my seat a lot.

The Darkness Knows is a prime example of how to write Icelandic Noir.
An unsolved case that has long troubled Inspector Konrad is reopened when the body of a missing man is discovered in the melting ice of a glacier. The death was not accidental. Thirty years have passed since the disappearance, and Konrad has never completely stepped away from the case. Now retired, Konrad begins an unofficial investigation. Former friends and associates of the deceased are interviewed. Old memories come to the surface. Forgotten conversations are recalled.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. The resolution was not expected, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Indridason's Icelandic crime thrillers are understated and The Darkness Knows is no exception. His recurring character, retired detective Konrad, is a quiet, determined man who cannot let the past go easily. When the resolution to a 30-year-old murder is within grasp, he does everything in his power to solve the crime, even though he is retired from the police force.

It took about half the book before I could keep it straight. First time I’ve read an Icelandic author and the writing a bit different but I eventually got the hang of it. Liked it overall. Will read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

This is my first time reading author Arnaldur Indridason and thoroughly enjoyed it. There's something about Icelandic thrillers that is just different (in a good way) - the atmosphere, dread, and intrigue all seem to have your attention from the get-go. I will be seeking out other similar authors because of this and look forward to reading more by Indridason. 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, Minotaur publishing and Arnaldur Indridason for this ARC. There is something about Icelandic noir thrillers that I love.. the descriptions of Iceland, its towns , and barren landscapes and glaciers always can be pictured in my mind in this writing. I have been to Iceland, and so I can see these scenes so well from the authors descriptions. This is a first of the Konrad series, I am continuing to read the others ..and therefore as a first in a series I give it 4 stars, but I’m sure the rest will be as well written for me to give that 5 star review.

This was my first book by well known Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason. It has many of the elements one expects in a Nordic mystery: moody settings, grumpy people, slow burn. This was a classic police procedural although the Policeman, Konrad, was retired. He is haunted by a case that remained unsolved for many years. A man disappeared, never to be seen again. Suspicion fell on one of his business associates, and this suspicion hounded the man all his life.

Over twenty years later a group of tourists come across a perfectly preserved man in a melting glacier. It is the missing man, Sigurvin, and the associate who had been suspected is rearrested. He still protests his innocence and he begs Konrad to clear his name. This is his dying wish, as his body is riddled with cancer, and he dies soon afterwards. Konrad is haunted that they could have made a mistake all those years ago, and starts a new investigation on his own. A woman comes forward with a new clue, which is the first step in the eventual unraveling of the mystery.

I had a hard time with this book. I listened to an audiobook, and I think I would have done better reading it, as I kept getting confused by the unfamiliar names. I think it would have been easier to see them in print. Also, as many have stated, this is a very slow story. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that, but in this instance I got bored waiting for something exciting to happen. I guess it is realistic, in that police work does involve picking away at lies until the truth is uncovered, and this isn't always wildly dramatic with car chases and numerous extra murders!

I will definitley read more of this author's work, but next time I think I'll skip the audio versions and just read.

I ended up not finishing the book. It was just hard for me to follow. And maybe part of that has to do with not every book is for me. I try to not DNF but sometimes its unavoidable

Thanks to Net Galley, I received this book a while back. I have read other books by this author and enjoy reading about Icelandic thrillers.

I am not sure if its the cold, the darkness or the over all weight the people seem to carry within them, but this genre is different.
This series is yet another detective who I am not sure how I feel about. The detective is all shades of grey. He is solving a 30 year old cold case and left me with more questions about the procedures being followed. Won't give away the plot, but it was a good read for sure. The translation seemed smooth and effortless. I am looking forward to reading other books in this series.

I normally love this author; I had yet to read one of his books that I didn’t like. Until now. I don’t like the retired detective, I could care less about the dead man, and I feel more sympathy for the main suspect than anyone else. There’s nothing in the first third to make me care about anyone in this book. No real information is given about the murdered man except that he disappeared years earlier. I will read a lot of books that I don’t start out loving and often end up liking them quite a bit. This one, not so much. I gave the book two stars for the writing, not the plot.

My copy was provided by NetGalley, and I am giving my honest opinion.

To begin with, it is difficult for me to ever dislike a book that has a character like Detective Konrad. I love the plot of a retired guy resurfacing to solve a cold case. It’s sort of a good versus bad story to me long before we find the outcome.
The Icelandic setting is somewhat new for me so it was something I could not have pictured without Arnaldur Indridason’s writing. This book still has the flavor of something all we mystery lovers recognize...a black noir sort of feeling.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. There’s no question it could be read as a stand-alone but I hope Book 2 is on its way.

I love Icelandic noir thrillers. The chilly setting brings an element of danger and the sharpness of the writing from multiple authors of this genre always cut to the quick for dark, edgy mysteries. This one is no exception.

A man is found in a glacier. He went missing years ago but his case was never solved. Konrad was the policeman who handled the original investigation is brought in from retirement to assist. In true noir fashion, Konrad is a mangled character. Hardened from a rough life. Deformed even. Broken. That is what we love about this genre and finding his soft center while staying safe in that hard shell is exactly the draw to the story. This author is a master at creating these characters I can't shake but might be too intimidated to have a conversation with in a room alone.

The investigation unfolds like a typical detective tale with twists and interesting character interviews that always hint at half-truths and secrets but I was fully engaged and trying to solve the mystery along with him. I love that I don't fully know Konrad by the end and there's more mystery to him that I want to know. That openness is a hallmark that I loved. The crime itself is solved but nothing is tied in a neat bow at the end of a noir and I loved every minute!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for sending me an ARC copy of this chilling book!

It easy to see why Arnaldur Indridason is developing such a following. Intricately layered characters, puzzling plot lines, and an atmospheric setting all combine for a spell-binding tale.

I can't say that I was familiar with the genre of "Nordic noir" but I am hooked if this book is a good representation of it.

When a body is found preserved in a glacier it sparks a retired investigator to reopen a case he was previously unable to solve. There are lots of good twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

Looked forward to a new Indridason and this did not disappoint. Familiar landscape combine with intriguing plot .

Over the years I have read all of Indridason's novels and have loved each one. This one is no different. Again the landscape of Iceland is one of the main characters. Karl, a retired detective, from another of Indridason's novels, The Shadow District is called in to investigate the discovery of a body of a person who had disappeared some 30 years ago. Karl was the detective on the original disappearance, and the case has troubled him all these years. New evidence has come about and Karl must try again to find out what happened and who is responsible.
Again, Arnaldur Indridason gas proven to be a great story teller.

In a true cold case (sorry about that...but not really) Arnaldur Indridason returns with a novel featuring Konrad, a retired police detective, who is drawn back to an old inquiry when a guided glacier tour comes upon a body. Climate change has released a body missing for thirty years! Because of his involvement in the original case, Konrad was advised of the new development. And from there new investigations, official and unofficial, commence. He is advised to stay out of the way of the official, police investigation.

Konrad’s story divides between his personal and professional lives, both of which have had ups and downs over recent years. The descriptions of his life with his wife are often almost poetic. When he he is dealing with or even thinking about the past crime and his work life, the prose is quite different and more simple. Konrad is a complicated, conflicted man who appears to have some background to be explored further. I would read that book or books. Iceland itself is a character in the book and its geography, weather, seasons all are features in the story, as they seem to be in other novels set in that country.

Rating 3.5 rounded down to 3. Recommended to those who enjoy Scandinavian noir mysteries.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A tour guide wasleading a group on a glacier tour gets a shocking surprise while taking a break during her tour of the Langjokull ?? glacier German tourists when she got the shock of her life. The head of a : a human head is emerging through the ice. The almost perfectly preserved corpse was eroding frombody is identified as Sigurvin, a young man who’s been missing for thirty years. global warming
Former homicide detective Konrad is now retired, but his failure to solve the case still haunts him. There was a person of interest, Hjaltalin, but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. Nevertheless, he is still at the top of the suspect list and he’s arrested again. Konrad has no interest in consulting on the case, and he tells Marta, the chief inspector of the Reykjavik CID, just that. When she tells him that Hjaltalin refuses to talk to anyone but him, he reluctantly agrees.
Hjaltalin continues to claim he’s innocent, almost literally with his dying breath. Instead of confessing, he blames Konrad for not finding the real killer, and taunts Konrad about his father’s unsolved murder.
The publicity about finding Sigurvin’s body stirs up new theories and lots of new information, including one very solid lead. A woman who holds a vital clue asks Konrad to investigate the death of her brother, believing it is connected to Sigurvin’s murder. The pieces start to fall in place quickly after that through the joint efforts of Konrad and the CID, and the case ends on the banks of a cold and dangerous river.
The author is one of the best in Icelandic Noir. The beautiful but harsh Icelandic setting mirrors the dark, twisted mystery. The characters are fully fleshed out. Highly recommended. The body is that of Sigurvin ?? , missing for thirty years.