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.

Trapped on a remote island by a howling storm, nine people sit down to dinner. One of them is about to die! Good book! This book had good suspense, intriguing, murder, great mystery, a good who done it and a few twists and turns! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a solid locked room mystery with several compelling characters. The author did a nice job of weaving the story with bits of Icelandic culture, which was pretty cool and didn’t slow the story down at all. The conclusion was a bit clunky and I had a reread it again because I wasn’t 100% sure what happened, but once I got it, it seemed to make sense. Quick, easy read with a good amount of tension.

Dull characters and pacing mar what could have been a great mystery in an exotic setting. I skipped to the end after reading 55 percent abd there was an admirredly good twist.

"Death on the Island" by Eliza Reid is a slow-paced locked-room mystery set in the Westman Islands, Iceland. It is the first in a planned series featuring some of the characters introduced in this book.

Nine people gather at chef Piotr's restaurant for a diplomatic dinner, each with their own reasons for being there. Among them are Kristján, the grieving mayor; Hanna, a former local artist; Graeme, the Canadian ambassador, and his wife Jane; Kavita, the deputy ambassador, and her husband Rahul; Linda and Thor, owners of a fish factory; and Ben, a famous author.

The plot thickens when one of the guests dies after drinking Piotr’s signature cocktail, the Flaming Viking. To make matters worse, a violent storm traps them on the island. When an inexperienced officer is assigned to the case, Jane takes it upon herself to investigate with the help of another guest. The clock is ticking, and no one is safe.

Overall, it was an okay read, but unfortunately, it didn’t fully work for me. The book started out strong - with a suspicious death - but it quickly lost its momentum. I loved the premise, the atmospheric setting, the Christie-esque locked-room setup, and the twists. However, I expected more suspense and tension. The slow pace, combined with extensive backstories, made it less gripping than I had hoped. While the character backstories added depth, they also slowed the narrative down significantly.

The book had all the ingredients for a great mystery - an exotic setting, an intriguing locked-room setup, and a group of strangers trapped with a murderer - but the execution fell short. Too much telling (about the island’s history, the characters' pasts, and the back-stabbing) and not enough showing made the reading experience tedious at times.

I also wasn’t a fan of how justice wasn’t fully served. I’m growing tired of stories where culprits walk free. What is it with this new trend of letting wrongdoers off the hook? In the end, I rated this book 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounding up to three, mainly because, despite its flaws, the book had its moments.

I didn't rate it higher because, at the end of the day, the story didn’t hold my engagement as much as I had hoped. The mystery didn’t have enough suspense to keep me fully invested. It’s a decent start to the series, but with a tighter plot and better pacing, it could be much stronger.

To sum, a promising premise that doesn’t fully reach its potential. A good pick if you enjoy slower, character-driven mysteries, but if you’re looking for a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller, you might want to look elsewhere.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

2 stars.

This book is marketed as a debut but the author has other books listed in the Goodreads database. A group of “international players” (from the book description….these people are NOT really international players, except for one guy) are also n a tiny village on an island offf the coast of Iceland for your standard meet and greet with an unspoken agenda as Graeme, Canada’s ambassador to Iceland is seeking to make a business deal. Jane, his wife, is along for the ride, as she is so often. There’s Hanna, whose art exhibit they are all ostensibly there to view, Kavita, the deputy ambassador, her husband, Rahal, Kristjan, mayor of the town, Ben, Jane’s friend and a Booker Prize winner and Thor and Linda, owners of a major frozen fish company in Iceland. Soon one of them will be dead and it will be up to Jane to solve the crime because they are trapped on the island due to bad weather (of course.)

I was really rooting for this little mystery. I love books set in Iceland, Greenland, etc. I loved locked room mysteries. The description of the dinner was great. I would have loved more I eland specific details like that. Vestmannaeyjar sounds like a great town. But this was dull. Dull, dull, dull. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true. Disappointing.

A diplomatic visit to the Westman Islands in Iceland seems like a way for relations with Canada to be strengthened. A former local artist Hanna is also there to open her art exhibit. It should be a fine meal at Skel, an extremely popular restaurant. Yet after the owner and chef Piotr serves his signature cocktail, someone winds up dead. It also is not the only dead body from what started as a group of nine.
I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that the chapter headings give you an idea what’s coming. Most of the story takes place over several days, but the final reveal doesn’t come until much more time has passed. When the author exposed the guilty party, I thought the twists were done. Silly me, there were so much more to come!
The location and the weather made this an intriguing locked room mystery. Who could’ve done these horrible things except for one of the guests? I’m not usually a fan of reading books set in the season that I’m living through right now,but I just went to take a little peek and read one chapter, and after that I couldn’t put it down. Jane,the wife of the Canadian ambassador was by far my favorite character. No spoilers, but I was hoping the whole time that she wasn’t a victim or a villain.

Who would have thought Agatha Christie retelling a were having a comeback?!? I could see how this was inspired by “And then there were none”. The nods to the original work were subtle but so well placed. I can’t wait to see what else this author comes out with.