Devi Nair
My brain is still fried from how twisty and unexpected this book was. I picked it up not realizing it’s the third in Ragnar Jónasson’s Helgi Reykdal Mystery series. But because I’d already started, I didn’t have the patience to go back and read the first two. And here’s the good news! This crime thriller works perfectly as a stand-alone. (So if you’re hesitating because you haven’t read the series, you are SO WRONG. You have no excuse. Go pre-order it today!)
The story zips between 2012, where Helgi hunts for missing author Elín, 2005, revealing her dark secrets, and 1976, tying in a bank robbery with Helgi’s predecessor, Hulda. The Nordic chill seeps through every page, and the narrators’ crisp delivery amps up the suspense. The structure is a masterclass in misdirection, blending snippets of police interviews, flashbacks to a decades-old crime, and Helgi's offbeat personal drama. The domestic violence subplot, where Helgi himself is the victim, packs honesty you rarely see in mainstream crime fiction.
Here’s the tea: I thought I had this mystery pegged. First, it felt like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with its layered character reveals. Then, I swore it was channeling Emily Henry’s "The Great Big Beautiful Life". By the end, I was betting on an Agatha Christie Peril at End House twist. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again! Jónasson keeps you guessing with a climax that ties up Elín’s case but leaves a maddening cliffhanger for Helgi’s story. The pacing is snappy, the Icelandic setting is moody perfection, and the audiobook’s multi-narrator magic makes every twist pop. Mark your calendars for this September 9, 2025 release! It’s a must for mystery fans!
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.com.
My brain is still fried from how twisty and unexpected this book was. I picked it up not realizing it’s the third in Ragnar Jónasson’s Helgi Reykdal Mystery series. But because I’d already started, I didn’t have the patience to go back and read the first two. And here’s the good news! This crime thriller works perfectly as a stand-alone. (So if you’re hesitating because you haven’t read the series, you are SO WRONG. You have no excuse. Go pre-order it today!)
The story zips between 2012, where Helgi hunts for missing author Elín, 2005, revealing her dark secrets, and 1976, tying in a bank robbery with Helgi’s predecessor, Hulda. The Nordic chill seeps through every page, and the narrators’ crisp delivery amps up the suspense. The structure is a masterclass in misdirection, blending snippets of police interviews, flashbacks to a decades-old crime, and Helgi's offbeat personal drama. The domestic violence subplot, where Helgi himself is the victim, packs honesty you rarely see in mainstream crime fiction.
Here’s the tea: I thought I had this mystery pegged. First, it felt like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with its layered character reveals. Then, I swore it was channeling Emily Henry’s "The Great Big Beautiful Life". By the end, I was betting on an Agatha Christie Peril at End House twist. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again! Jónasson keeps you guessing with a climax that ties up Elín’s case but leaves a maddening cliffhanger for Helgi’s story. The pacing is snappy, the Icelandic setting is moody perfection, and the audiobook’s multi-narrator magic makes every twist pop. Mark your calendars for this September 9, 2025 release! It’s a must for mystery fans!
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.com.