Ragnar Jonasson writes traditional murder mysteries set in Iceland. In this outing, Helgi Reykdal is working to finish his graduate degree in criminology. He's writing his thesis on a cold case that happened some 30 years earlier in a sanatorium that once housed patients with Tuberculosis. When Helgi starts asking questions about the deaths that occurred back in the 1980s, the surviving staff members and original police officers on the case start to crack under his scrutiny.
The novel unfolds in two timelines, one current and the other from 1983 when one of the nursing aids discovers the body of a co-worker.
The character Helgi inherited his father's love of mysteries and there are references to Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie novels throughout. He's no Hercule Poirot, but his love for the genre gives him a leg up as a police officer. Now if only he were as insightful in dealing with his girlfriend....
I look forward to reading more books by this author.
My thanks to him, his publisher, the producers, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. The book will be available Sept. 10, 2024.

When Ragnar Jónassen wrote his Hidden Iceland/Hulda series (3 books) about 64 year old Reykjavik detective Hulda Hermannsdottir, he wrote the series in reverse — starting with her final case and then going backwards in time while the audience already knows her. In “Death at the Sanatorium,” Hulda appears only briefly; she’s already been forced into retirement.

Her office will be occupied now by up and coming Helgi Reykdal, a young officer who has been studying in the UK and is also finishing his criminology dissertation. Helgi is writing about a murder-suicide (or maybe a double murder) that occurred 30+ years ago at an isolated sanatorium in northern Iceland and is trying to apply modern investigation techniques to the incident by interviewing surviving witnesses. Coincidentally, Hulda was the junior investigator on the case and she was dissatisfied with the official conclusion.

Helgi is unassuming, non-assertive, but delightful in his own way. Like the author, he’s a major fan of Nordic Noir and has a large collection of golden age mysteries translated into Icelandic, as well as local ones. He’s tried his hand at translating an Agatha Christie tale (author Jónasson actually translated 14 Christie mysteries before getting into writing). He retreats into his Golden Age mysteries to cool off after his toxic girlfriend, Bergthóra, goes into alcoholic rages. He can’t wait to bring his paperbacks to Hulda’s office once she has vacated her things.

Helgi’s investigation does stir up things and the book is a patient procedural with a jaw-dropping ending. That’s Jónasson’s intention since he studied the genius and structure of Agatha Christie’s stories. He even keeps the mystery to a fairly shorter length as the Queen of Crime did.

The narrator, actor Sam Woolf (of “The Crown” and “The Witcher”) brings a sympathetic Helgi to life, and we wish Helgi will return as Hulda’s successor.
5 stars!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy!

I've recently become interested in exploring Nordic Noir, so I was excited to receive the audiobook of Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson (thank you to NetGalley and to MacMillan Audio).

This book bounces back and forth between 1983, where a young nurse finds the mutilated body of her coworker at the former TB asylum in northern Iceland, and 2012, where a young police officer, Helgi Reykdal, is finishing his thesis in criminology by writing about the potentially unsolved 1983 asylum murder. As Helgi reconnects with the remaining employees of the asylum to ask about their memories of the event, he unintentionally reopens the case, and the remaining secrets the staff from 1983 have been hiding.

Sam Woolf does a fine job with the narration, and I found the book to be a very smooth listening experience.

Jónasson does a great job of creating characters you kind of just want to hate, but then, you also might know these exact types of people -- it's an odd distinction, because you want to believe people will act honestly when a murder has occurred, but instead bits of selfishness color the case in an entirely different light, and in ways that distract from the actual crime. This is true of the people from 1983, and in 2012. There are scenes of the way Hulda will be pushed out of her job for Helgi, and ways that his superiors act, and ways that Helgi acts, that make you kind of want to throw the book against the wall and demand none of them be those employed to seek justice. It's like Jónasson is able to pinpoint the worst parts of humanity, but also the simple ways we fall for falsehoods, white lies, or we fill in the blanks when assuming information. It feels like parts of the book are an exploration of this crime, and the other is an exploration of your own feelings toward law enforcement and humanity.

The only other Nordic Noir I have read would be the Millennium Trilogy, if that counts, and between these two authors it does seem like Nordic Noir takes a much darker turn than is seen with American crime novels. It feels almost like reading to be like "Can this get worse? Does justice exist? Is everyone bad at heart?" as opposed to reading something like Michael Connelly and thinking "Well, we're going to just barely toe across the moral line, but justice will be served". It's not bad - it's just different - and I think it requires a different mindset to get through comfortably (or, at the very least, some comfort in knowing the book will be uncomfortable).

Ragnar Jonasson has written another winner! An old fashioned murder mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie, with Jonasson’s signature Icelandic Noir touch. I will be recommending this audiobook to everyone! Clocking in at just over 6.5 hours it packs quite a punch in a very short time.

The narrator, Sam Woolf, performed this book wonderfully! I might be interested in hearing him read pretty much anything.

I’m hoping this is the beginning of a new series and look forward to reading more about the lives of some these interesting characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and author Ragnar Jonasson for this excellent ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

A wonderfully paced detective novel , this book had a slow burn reveal. Although the ending could be seen as “predictable”, it was still quite suspenseful and shocking. Overall, the book was very engaging and I will be putting more of Ragnar Jónasson’s books on my TBR. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy!

This Nordic noir audiobook is a must-listen for crime fiction fans. The narrator’s voice perfectly captures the dark, brooding atmosphere of the Scandinavian setting, pulling you into a world filled with suspense and intrigue. The story centers around a veteran detective working to solve a murder that slowly reveals layers of buried secrets from the past.

This was truly the heart of an Agatha Christie novel. It was fun. It was rich. It was a brilliant mystery to solve. This was my first from the author, and it won’t be the last. It’s a super easy book to inhale in one or two sittings.

The best part about this cold case mystery is that Helgi, the young police officer looking into the case, has no real expectations of cracking the case. Told in alternating timelines, we get to see the original investigation in parallel to Helgi's search for the truth.
Helgi is a sympathetic and believable character. He's young and curious and motivated by his love of old mysteries.
I found myself surprisingly sad watching what happens to the characters and learning about why events unfolded as they did. I really cared about them.
The narrator has a British accent, and does a great job portraying the emotions. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook