I really enjoyed Death on the Island, a closed room debut mystery set on a remote island off the coast of Iceland. The author, Eliza Reid, has created an atmospheric story that kept me guessing throughout and ultimately surprised me! I recommend this book for Nordic noir and Christie fans alike. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

When I saw that this book was blurbed by Louise Penny herself I knew I had to pick it up. This was my first book I've read set in Iceland and it was so atmospheric. The setting was almost a character in itself. I absolutely loves this book and will be on the lookout for more of this authors work!

I received this as an ARC.
I picked it up and put it down over and over. The description of the setting was beautiful.

I really wanted to like it, but sadly, it was not my cup of tea.

Not to bad of a book but not the greatest either, it’s worth a shot. I didn’t like it but you might!

This debut mystery book, the author's first foray into fiction, follows a delegation to the Westman Islands: the Canadian ambassador, his wife, his deputy and her husband, an artist with an upcoming show, and a famous author, friend of the ambassador's wife, intending to discuss with a local fishing company possible expansion into Canada. In the Westman Islands are the mayor, recently widowed, and Thor, the fishing company CEO & his wife, and Piotr, chef at the restaurant they're eating at, who previously had an affair with the artist.

At the climax of the evening a showy, flaming cocktail is made, with fatal consequences. The book then goes back in time to describe the hours before the fatality, giving an assortment of reasons for several people to wish the victim harm, before coming back to the present for part 2, which starts a countdown for another, as yet unknown, death...

Part 3 takes place 6 months after the second death, when the art exhibition finally takes place, and Part 4 follows a week after that.

The action moves around between the characters, who are well fleshed out and credible, and you are certainly invested in the situation. The plot is carried forward at a good pace with nicely timed chapter lengths, until perhaps at the end when several were shorter, tying up some loose ends, and if anything felt a little rushed. The book ends with book club questions, and an interview with the author, all of which provide fascinating insight into the background and process of writing her first mystery.

This is a very enjoyable debut, with likeable characters and an imaginative plot, and having got to know the cast I will be glad to renew their acquaintance in book two - to say nothing of the TV series!

2.5/5 (Round up to 3)

Locked-room mystery in Iceland? Sold.

I love how it started out, but it quickly fell short for me. The suspense and thrill fell flat for me. I don't mind slow pace, however, adding extensive backstories really take me out of the story.

However, just because it didn't work for me (I expected an edge of your seat thriller), doesn't mean others won't enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book was enjoyable but not my favorite.
I feel like it jumped around slightly with the characters and there was a lot to keep up with.
The dialect was back and forth, and I feel could have been simplified and still received the same results.

The story line was great and the personal agendas of each character I enjoyed.
It did leave you wondering who did it and what happened along the way.

Someone who generally reads these novels and dialect will enjoy this book greatly.
For me it wasn't a favorite.

I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The title, cover and the description is really what grabbed me.
I hate anything that has to do with politics. It was really hard to keep up with everyone and their careers and what importance it was to the situation.
I really didn’t enjoy the layout of the book. To present then back to the hours leading up to the murder then for it to start all over again.
I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t.

3.5 rounded up to 4. I love a good snowy setting and there's no better place than Iceland for that. A locked room mystery...also one of my favorite genres. However, unfortunately beyond that this book fell a little short. It lacked thrill and suspense with build up. The characters weren't overly interesting and there could have been more character development. While this didn't work for me, I'm sure others will highly enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the egalley of this book.

Trapped on a remote island by a howling storm, nine people sit down to dinner.

One of them is about to die.

A group of international players has gathered in a tiny village off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner. There's Kristján, the mayor reeling from a personal tragedy. Graeme, the ambassador with an agenda to push. Jane, his wife, along for the ride on another one of her husband's many business trips. And several others, from Iceland and from abroad, each with their own reason for being there, their own loyalties and grievances. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead. And it will be up to the ambassador's wife, Jane, to figure out how—and why.

What Jane soon comes to realize is that small communities can be the most dangerous of them all… and no one in their group is safe. With secrets around every corner and violent weather trapping the finite list of suspects together on the island, this locked-room mystery by internationally bestselling author Eliza Reid brings Agatha Christie and Nordic noir together in a brand-new twist.

I love a locked room mystery. An island in Iceland, trapped by a storm. Lots of potential there. However, this book fell flat for me. I would have liked to see more character development, more description. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

Enjoyable read with the right amount of armchair detective so readers can play along. Would definitely read more by the author.

A locked-room mystery steeped in Nordic noir, where the relentless forces of nature are no match for the secrets lurking beneath the surface.

Jane, the wife of the Candadian ambassador, is no stranger to the quiet maneuverings of diplomacy, but this trip is supposed to be straightforward—an official visit to a remote Icelandic island, where a carefully curated group of diplomats, investors, and local leaders will gather for a formal dinner. The occasion? The opening of an art exhibition meant to bring prestige—and much-needed attention—to the tiny fishing village.

Among the esteemed guests: the Canadian ambassador and his deputy, a powerful local fish baron, a reclusive scientist-turned-artist, a well-known writer, and Kristján, the island’s mayor, still reeling from the suspicious death of his husband. Tensions simmer beneath the polished diplomacy, old rivalries and unspoken resentments slipping through the cracks.

Then, just as the night’s festivities begin, Kavita, the Canadian deputy ambassador, dies. Was it an accident? Or something far more calculated?

Before anyone can flee, an unforgiving storm slams into the island, sealing them in. No one is getting out. And the longer they remain trapped, the more apparent it becomes—Kavita may not be the only one in danger.

Young, ambitious investigator Jónas is tasked with solving the crime, but Jane—intelligent, observant, and determined to protect her husband’s name—has her own instincts about the tangled web of motives. As the storm rages and alliances shift, Jane is drawn into a world of local folklore, deep-seated grudges, and the stark reality of survival in a place where every decision affects the island’s fragile prosperity.

Secrets run deep. Power is always at play. And beneath the icy calm of diplomacy, emotions threaten to crack the surface.
For fans of slow-burning, atmospheric mysteries!

#DeathOnTheIsland #PoisonedPenPress #ElizaReid #NordicNoir #LockedRoomMystery #IcelandicThriller #SecretsAndStorms

I’m not going to post a review for this title - I couldn’t give it more than a three.
For a while I wondered if it was an awkward translation - there are multiple instance of verb mis-matches, and incorrect phrasing. The dialogue is often artificial, and there are too many forays into repetitive and pedantic explanations of facts the reader already knows. There is a (potentially good) story here, but it isn’t well told: the narrative is a bit of a slog. It didn’t hold my interest, and I wouldn’t have finished the book if I hadn’t agreed to do so. And calling this a ‘locked-room’ murder is deceiving - all the suspects LEAVE the island three days after the murder… before any strenuous investigation is undertaken, or concluded, and LONG before the mystery is ‘solved.’

I could not get into this book. The pace was slow, the characters felt flat, and the dialogue felt almost stilted.

this is a good book! It was a bit hard to follow with having so many characters, with little details on each one to help differentiate. It was still well written other than that. I think the pacing picks up at the end, and the end was good!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Really enjoyed the premise, characters, and setting of this novel. The book started with a bang but petered out a bit toward the end of the book and seemed to drag a bit. Overall, well written and an enjoyable read!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Eliza Reid, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A group of esteemed guests – among them the Canadian ambassador and his deputy, the local fish baron, a scientist-turned-artist, a writer, the local mayor, plus some of their spouses – are celebrating the official opening of an art exhibition with a formal dinner.
But during the cocktail hour something goes very wrong... Kavita, the deputy ambassador, is dead. But why? Was someone afraid of her and her possible knowledge? Was it hate or spite? Maybe something else entirely? The guest are trapped on this tiny Icelandic island because of a potent storm amd who knows, maybe someone else is in danger too.

A very young, but clearly capable and quite ambitious investigator named Jonas is working the case, but Jane, the ambassador's wife, is keen to help him and clear her husband's name, though she has some suspicions on her own...

This is a solid, clearly well researched locked-room type of story with very interesting glimpses of local folklore, social problems and history. The Icelandic setting is probably the best element in it. I loved how the local interactions and loyalties are portrayed, how sometimes difficult decisions must be made or crucial actions delayed because of a greater good, namely the island's (and thus its inhabitants) prosperity. There are also deeply rooted, but usually well hidden – sometimes as an element of the diplomatic dance, sometimes not – personal emotions brewing constantly under the surface and threatening to explode.

Jane is an interesting, well versed and mature character, immersed in a sometimes difficult but also admirable fight to stay true to herself. I also loved Jonas, he was depicted in carefully toned shades of grey – he is neither a naive rookie nor a genius prodigy, but a talented officer aware he has ropes to learn. Is he going to be the protagonist of a series, I wonder?
The book dragged a bit in the middle, but promptly regained its tempo towards the end. I am a satisfied reader and I think we have lots of potential here.


#DeathOnTheIsland #NetGalley

Death on the Island by Eliza Reid is a brilliantly crafted locked-room mystery that had me hooked from the first page. Set on a remote Icelandic island during a brutal storm, it’s a story that’s as chilling as it is intriguing. A group of international diplomats is stuck together, each with their own secrets and motives, and by the end of the night, one of them is dead.

What I loved about this book was the atmosphere. Reid really nails the isolation of the island—the storm trapping everyone inside only adds to the tension. It’s not just the weather that’s a threat, but the growing sense of danger between the characters. Each person has something to hide, and the suspense builds in a way that kept me second-guessing everyone’s intentions.

Jane, the ambassador’s wife, is thrust into the role of detective, and she’s such a compelling character to follow. You can feel her frustration as she digs through the layers of lies and mistrust. The slow unraveling of each character’s secrets was so satisfying, and I honestly didn’t know who to trust until the very end.

If you’re a fan of mysteries with plenty of twists and a strong sense of place, Death on the Island is definitely a must-read! It’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Nordic noir alike.

Atmospheric Whodunit.,
A remote island, an impending storm and a diplomatic dinner about to turn fatal in this Christiesque whodunit laced with a dash of Nordic noir. As nine people sit down to dinner, hosted on a small hamlet off the coast of Iceland, each of them has their own personal agenda - by the end of the evening one of them will be dead. A steady pace and a nicely woven plot populated with a credible and well drawn cast of characters and a well imagined setting make for an immersive and atmospheric whodunit.