Read this over the Christmas holidays in the spirit of the icelandic Jolabokaflod and it’s a new direction for Ragnar. Quite different to his other ones I’ve read so far – well this is a new series – but the writing felt even darker and inward looking than before. There’s a sense of extreme darkness throughout and that’s not even involving the title.

It’s the first book in a trilogy but is in fact the ending of that story – well this is going to mess with my head and no mistake. There are a lot of loose ends, suggestions and things happening off the page which is again different to his other books but I still want to read the rest. I felt unsettled that the mystery level evident in his Dark Iceland wasn’t quite to the same level here and the sense of foreboding is less. More of a straight forward police procedural.

However, there’s lots to like here. The threads are loose in this book but tighten towards the end and I think that is going to be really interesting. The plot moves forward nicely and the choice of setting here – the remote peninsula and the chilly, remoteness is ever present.

A different Ragnar but this is only the first in the series so I was left feeling as if there were many things up in the air – the cold, chilling Icelandic air though – so I will be back for more