Blog Tour: Whiteout

Book Title: Whiteout
Author: Ragnar Jonasson
REVIEWED BY: CHELSEA
Series: Dark Iceland #5
Genres: Nordic Noir, Crime Fiction, Mystery
Goodreads
Pub Date: 11/01/17
4.5 STARS

Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kálfshamarvík. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thór Arason discovers that the victim’s mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place.

As per my usual with these books, I would like to start off by giving you what I feel is the best reading order for chronological consumption of this series. It gets a little tricky as we are at the mercy of the order of translation, but for those who have been holding off on reading the Dark Iceland series, you now have enough buffer material to avoid major spoilers being revealed before their time. Below is my current (as of November 2017) recommended reading order:

Snowblind
Blackout
Rupture
Whiteout
Nightblind

Now, as for Whiteout in particular… Wow! Another fantastic entry in the series. I found this one to have a slightly different format than the previous books I have read featuring Ari Thor; Whiteout actually features the characters pertaining to the individual case for quite some time before jumping in with our reoccurring cast, a switch-up that I quite enjoyed. I also found that, even though I knew some of the outcomes because I have already read Nightblind (such as (view spoiler) ) it still didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story.

I don’t like to discuss specific plot details when it comes to sequels, but I will say that if you’ve enjoyed the previous novels in the series you will very likely enjoy this one as well. There was an intriguing balance of the heavy, dark atmosphere weighing against the light, hopeful anticipation of Christmas, among other things (see spoiler above). One of my favorite things about this book was how we get to learn more about Kristin and who she is. Previously, I felt that she was a little cold and judgmental, but after reading this installment I’ve come to really appreciate her character in an entirely new light. If you enjoy nordic crime fiction with slow building suspense, mystery, and characters who are easy to grow fond of, please give this series a try! Highly recommended!

I received a copy from the publisher for review purposes.