ICELAND NOIR 2021 FESTIVAL JOURNAL
As I write this, I’m sitting at Keflavik airport heading home from an amazing two weeks in Scandinavia which all revolved around the truly special crime fiction festival Iceland Noir. Iceland Noir 2021 took place from Wednesday, November 17 through Saturday, November 20 in downtown Reykjavik. This year’s festival marked my third time attending Iceland Noir, and I have to say, this was my favorite festival experience yet (and that’s really saying something—I’ve loved every Iceland Noir festival I’ve attended in the past!). In today’s blog post, I wanted to recap my experience at the festival, as well as share information and answer some frequently-asked questions for readers who might be curious about attending the festival in the future! Read on for an overview of my Iceland Noir 2021 experience, including a day-by-day recap of the festival, lots of photos, links to a bunch of book recommendations, frequently asked questions about the festival, and more information on Iceland Noir 2022!
Before we dig into this blog post, I also just wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to the incredible Iceland Noir team, who welcomed me to Reykjavik so warmly, allowed me to participate in the festival by moderating two dream-come-true panels, and worked so very hard to put on such a fantastic event for all of the festival attendees. Thank you all so much for your hard work—you are amazing!!!
Iceland Noir 2021 Festival Journal
THE VENUES: Kjarval & IÐNÓ
One of the biggest changes at this year’s Iceland Noir festival (compared to the last one in 2018!) was its expansion into not one but two venues. I have to say, I think this was such a terrific idea on the part of the Iceland Noir team! The festival was split between Kjarval, a members-only club in the heart of Reykjavik, and Idno, a cultural center just a few blocks away. Because of the way the Iceland Noir program is structured, you never have to choose between events – there’s only one event per hour, which means that you never feel like you’re missing out on anything! There’s a 10-minute break between panels, which is plenty of time to walk between Kjarval and Idno, too.
Kjarval was a new addition to the Iceland Noir setup, and it brought so much to the festival! Kjarval had a cozy living room-style space for festival events, and it also had a lovely bar/seating area where you could order food, and/or get a coffee or drinks. Kjarval felt like a “home away from home” for festival attendees—I personally loved it because no matter the time of day, you could go to Kjarval and you were basically guaranteed to run into festival attendees and authors there! It provided such a fun, relaxed setting to hang out—and it had some absolutely gorgeous views of downtown Reykjavik, too.
Idno is a more formal event venue, and the festival’s evening panels often took place here! This is where some of the big, headliner events took place—and I was super honored because the two panels I moderated took place here, too! (More on those panels later on in this blog post!) Idno has a bar and seating area, as well as the event space itself. I love this location because it looks out on the pond in the middle of the city, which is just the most beautiful view.
Thursday, November 18
I arrived in Iceland very early on Thursday morning, the first full day of Iceland Noir panels! The flight from New York to Reykjavik is nice and easy—I slept most of the way, and woke up in beautiful (and, yes, very cold and very dark) Iceland. I collected my luggage and went straight to my hotel to get settled in and get ready for the afternoon’s events! I took a walk around Reykjavik to soak in the atmosphere (and find a cup of coffee—very necessary). It was still pretty dark out when I was walking around, but I got to watch the sun begin to rise over the city and it was just so completely wonderful.
After walking around for a bit and then going back to my hotel to get ready for the day, it was time to head to the festival’s kick-off event: a “meet and greet” get-together at one of the festival’s venues, Kjarval! At the meet-and-greet, I got to chat with authors including Sara Blaedel, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Will Dean, Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves, and many, many more—a conversation which resulted in what is probably my new favorite selfie ever:
Back row: Ann Cleeves, Will Dean, Ian Rankin, Sara Blaedel. Front row: Ewa Sherman and me!
Sara and I then went out to lunch together to catch up! After lunch with Sara, I headed back to Kjarval to watch the F*cked Up Families panel, featuring authors Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Kristín Eiríksdóttir, and Karin Salvalaggio, moderated by David Headley. In this panel, the authors explored why messed-up family dynamics make such great fodder for crime novels. I was particularly excited to hear Eva discuss the latest book she’s working on: a locked room-style mystery inspired by AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and Lucy Foley’s THE GUEST LIST, which involves dark family secrets and dynamics coming to a head at a remote hotel on Iceland’s Snaefellsnes peninsula!
After spending the afternoon watching panels and hanging out with authors, I went to dinner with a wonderful group of crime fiction friends, and then went back to Kjarval for a post-dinner drink. We ended up staying at Kjarval way too late hanging out and catching up—definitely wasn’t the best decision with my jet lag, but it was so worth it!! Truly my favorite part of these festivals is just having the opportunity to hang out with writers in a relaxed setting, and that’s exactly what I did on Thursday night. (I was up until about 1 AM with authors including A.J. Finn, Kevin Wignall, Simone Kernick, Sara Blaedel, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, and many more… it was so. Much. Fun.) And that was a wrap on Day 1 of Iceland Noir!
Friday, November 19
Friday was the day of the first panel I moderated at Iceland Noir, which was so exciting!! I spent my morning going over my questions for my panel, which took place on Friday evening. Then, after I felt prepared and ready to go, I went over to Kjarval to check out the day’s events! I sat in on two fantastic panels at Kjarval: Murder in Scandinavia featuring authors Will Dean and Sólveig Pálsdóttir, as well as Screen vs. Book featuring authors Ann Cleeves, Kevin Wignall, S.J. Watson, and actor Íris Tanja Flygenring from Netflix’s Katla! I loved both of these panels—I was particularly interested to hear from Will Dean about how and why he’s chosen to set his books in fictional small communities in Sweden on the Murder in Scandinavia panel, and to hear from all the authors on the Screen vs. Book panel about how they approach handing their work over for film adaptation!
After these two panels wrapped up, I went to Idno to watch author Anthony Horowitz be interviewed by Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland!! This was such a cool event—not least of which because Iceland’s First Lady was moderating it! Anthony and Eliza discussed Anthony’s many ongoing projects, how he’s written himself into some of his books, and much more. And possibly my favorite part of the panel came when author Ragnar Jonasson, who was in the audience for the panel, asked Anthony: “If there were to be a murder here at Iceland Noir, who would be killed, and who would be the killer?!”
Then it was time for a quick dinner, followed by my turn moderating a panel!!!
The Viking Panel
I was so honored to be asked to moderate not one but two panels at Iceland Noir, and my first panel took place at Idno on Friday evening. This panel, The Viking Panel, featured a lineup of four outstanding Icelandic crime writers: Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, and Óskar Guðmundsson! I said this at the start of this event, but when I was first asked to moderate this panel, I truly couldn’t believe my good luck—it was such a privilege to be able to speak with these incredible Icelandic crime writers about their work! The Iceland Noir team kindly allowed me to livestream the panel over my Instagram account, and a recording of the panel is now available on my IGTV—simply follow the link below if you’re interested in watching the recording! (Skip ahead about 4 minutes on the recording to get to the actual panel’s start!)
Left to Right: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Óskar Guðmundsson, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson, and me!
Click here to watch The Viking Panel!
Want to read books by The Viking Panel authors? Here’s where to start with their work!
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir:
THE LEGACY – this one is a great choice if you love dark, gritty mysteries. It explores challenging themes (including abuse of children), and exemplifies Yrsa’s unflinching writing style. This is the first book in Yrsa’s Children’s House series.
I REMEMBER YOU – if you prefer something stand-alone, Yrsa has a couple of amazing (and very creepy!) supernatural-ish thrillers that I absolutely love! My personal favorite of hers is I REMEMBER YOU. This stand-alone mystery-meets-haunted house story is a perfect one for winter thrills and chills.
Ragnar Jónasson:
SNOWBLIND – Ragnar broke onto the crime writing scene with his atmospheric mystery SNOWBLIND, a story inspired by Golden Age detective fiction. If you love slow-burning and atmospheric mysteries with locked room-inspired plots, check this one out.
THE DARKNESS – My personal favorite series of Ragnar’s is his Hulda series, which begins with THE DARKNESS. These books are still highly atmospheric, but they’ve also got one of the most inventive and creative series structures ever. These books are best read in order due to their unique chronology.
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir:
THE CREAK ON THE STAIRS – Eva’s procedural series featuring police officer Elma is currently being rolled out in English, and it’s best to start with the first book in the series, THE CREAK ON THE STAIRS! Readers who love traditional procedurals with compelling female leads will love this series.
Óskar Guðmundsson:
THE COMMANDMENTS – just launched in English at Iceland Noir, Oskar’s first book to be translated into English, THE COMMANDMENTS, is a dark and unflinching story exploring the fallout of abuse, set in a small Icelandic community.
Getting to speak with these amazing Icelandic crime writers was an absolute dream come true—I was so honored to be able to moderate The Viking Panel!!
Saturday, November 20
Another day full of festival events and panels!! My big event on Saturday was my second panel, in which I interviewed bestselling thriller writer Shari Lapena. On Saturday morning, I (predictably!) spent the early part of the morning going over my questions for Shari and making sure I felt ready for our panel! After that, I decided to spend a little bit of time wandering around Reykjavik on my own. I truly find Reykjavik to be such a special city—I have loved every moment I’ve spent exploring it, and I’m so glad I took some time to walk around by myself and soak it all up! I visited a couple bookstores, got a coffee, and then once I felt recharged, went on to the festival.
At Kjarval on Saturday afternoon, I watched a terrific panel called What Does it Take to Catch a Killer? featuring authors C.L. Taylor and Cara Hunter. This was such a great conversation—I loved hearing their thoughts on writing villains, crafting believable red herrings (including a debate over how many red herrings is to many!), and lots more.
Speaking of Kjarval, Saturday afternoon was a perfect example of just how much this venue contributed to the welcoming atmosphere of Iceland Noir. I ended up running into a group of authors and friends at the festival that afternoon, and we sat around having some drinks and catching up! These casual interactions with writers and fellow crime readers are always some of the most memorable parts of any crime festival for me, and the same was absolutely true at Iceland Noir.
Then it was time to head to Idno to get ready for my panel with Shari Lapena!
Spotlight Interview with Shari Lapena
It was truly such a delight to moderate a spotlight interview with Shari Lapena on the festival’s last afternoon. Shari really needs no introduction—she is a bestselling thriller writer who has written numerous New York Times bestsellers including THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR and her latest release, NOT A HAPPY FAMILY. I actually got to know Shari a little bit at Iceland Noir in 2018, and I was so excited to be able to interview her on stage at Idno at Iceland Noir this year! During our interview, Shari and I had so much fun discussing her path to becoming a crime writer, why she loves exploring the dark side of her characters in her fiction, and lots more.
Click here to watch my interview with Shari!
If you’re new to Shari’s work and not quite sure where to start, the answer is easy: you can start anywhere! All of Shari’s books are standalones (something we discussed in our interview, too—including the question of whether she would ever write a sequel to any of her books!). In case you’re looking for a little bit of direction with her bibliography, check out:
THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR - Shari’s breakout debut thriller centers around a young couple and their seemingly friendly neighbors.
AN UNWANTED GUEST - a chilling mystery written in the “locked room” tradition, centering around a weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge that takes a dangerous turn.
NOT A HAPPY FAMILY - a page-turning suspense story about a highly dysfunctional family and the dark secrets they are keeping.
After my panel concluded, I watched the last panel of the festival, which was a truly great conversation between crime writers Liz Nugent and A.J. Finn. I have long been a huge fan of Liz’s, and of course, everyone in the crime writing community has heard of (if not read!) A.J. Finn’s runaway bestseller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. This conversation between Liz and A.J. was truly insightful and engaging—it was possibly my favorite conversation I listened to all weekend. It felt like getting to sit in on a chat between two friends!
Left to right: Liz Nugent and A.J. Finn.
After this panel concluded, the festival was done!! I went out to dinner with some crime fiction friends, and then it was time to head back to Kjarval for a little farewell party! We ended up (once again!) staying up way too late, but we had so much fun and it was 100% worth it.
Sunday, November 21 – Tuesday, November 23
After the Iceland Noir festival wrapped up, I was so lucky to get to go on an adventure with a bunch of crime writers to explore part of Iceland! We were invited to a lunch hosted by Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland, and the Icelandic President’s house (!!! It was extremely cool). The house was absolutely incredible, and it was so special to be able to visit. It was so generous of the First Lady to host us—it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
With Ian Rankin, Sara Blaedel, and Emelie Schepp at a lunch hosted by the First Lady of Iceland!
After lunch, we got into our caravan of cars and headed out to Hotel Ranga, a beautiful and rustic hotel in South Iceland. We spent the next two nights at the hotel, and from that home base went out to explore everything from beautiful waterfalls to geysers and more. It was such a memorable couple of days—I loved every moment spent on this adventure!
After a couple days spent on the road exploring beautiful Iceland, it was time to head back to Reykjavik. For our very last night in Reykjavik, I went out to dinner with a bunch of folks from the trip. Afterwards, we ended the time in Reykjavik the same way we did in 2018: wandering around the city very late at night and soaking up the beautiful sights!
I am so, so grateful to the Iceland Noir team for inviting me to participate in this very special festival, and for facilitating what truly was a dream come true experience! From moderating panels to listening to author interviews and spending quality time with crime fiction friends from all around the world, this was a trip that I will truly remember forever. Thank you, thank you to Yrsa, Ragnar, Oskar, Eva, and the entire Iceland Noir team for inviting me, and to all the wonderful crime writers and friends who made my experience so special. You all are the best, and I’m already looking forward to the next time we’re together!
ICELANDIC CRIME BOOKS I TOOK HOME FROM ICELAND NOIR 2021
WHITESANDS by Johann Thorsson
Detective John Dark’s daughter has been missing for two years. In his frantic and unfruitful search for her two years ago, J Dark overreached and was reprimanded and demoted.
Now suddenly back into the homicide department, Dark is put on a chilling case – a man who killed his wife in their locked house and then dressed the body up to resemble a deer, but claims to remember none of it. A few days later an impossibly similar case crops up connecting the suspects to a prep school and a thirty year old missing persons’ case.
Just as Dark is getting back into his old groove, a new lead in his daughter’s disappearance pops up and threatens to derail his career again.
Time is running out and John Dark needs to solve the case before more people are killed, and while there is still hope to find his daughter.
In the style of True Detective and Silence of the Lambs, WHITESANDS is a thrilling supernatural crime novel.
THE FOX by Sólveig Pálsdóttir
Hoping to put behind him tragedy in his professional life and to resolve the turmoil in his personal life, Reykjavík police officer Guðgeir Fransson has moved as far away from home as he can, marking time in a dead-end job in a small town in eastern Iceland.
His detective’s instincts are triggered when he hears about a foreign woman who arrived in this tight-knit community – and then disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. The trail of the missing woman takes him back to Reykjavík, and then to a remote farmhouse beneath dark mountains where an elderly woman and her son live with their sinister past.
SILENCED by Sólveig Pálsdóttir
As a police team is called in to investigate a woman’s suicide at the Hólmsheiði prison outside Reykjavík, to detective Guðgeir Fransson it looks like a tragic but straightforward case.
It’s only afterwards that the pieces begin to fall into place and he takes a deeper interest in Kristín Kjarr’s troubled background, and why she had found herself in prison.
His search leads him to a series of brutal crimes committed twenty years before and the unexplained disappearance of the prime suspect, whose wealthy family closed ranks as every effort was made to keep skeletons securely hidden in closets – while the Reykjavík police struggle to deal with a spate of fresh attacks that bear all the hallmarks of a copycat.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who can attend Iceland Noir?
Anyone! You don’t need to have any sort of special connection to the festival or book-related platform (e.g. bookstagram account or blog) to attend. The festival is attended by a mix of readers, bloggers, publishing professionals, and authors, and all are welcome to join. You do need to purchase a ticket to the festival to attend, but once you’ve got your ticket, you are able to attend all of the festival events!
What does a typical day at the festival look like?
A typical day at the festival tends to begin with the first panel of the day at about 10:00 AM. Panels last 50 minutes each, followed by a 10-minute break in between each panel. There is typically a break in festival events for lunch, and then panels resume in the afternoon and continue into the evening. One of my favorite things about the festival is that there’s only one event per hour—at some other crime fiction festivals, there are multiple events happening simultaneously, which means you have to choose between them (and sometimes you end up missing out on something you would’ve liked to see!). At Iceland Noir, there’s only one event per hour, which means you never have to feel like you’re missing out on anything.
What if I don’t know anyone there? Will I feel welcome?
The first time I attended Iceland Noir, I didn’t know anyone there either! My first Iceland Noir was in 2016, when Crime by the Book was brand-new. I went on a total whim, and it was the best decision ever. Not only did I feel welcome from day one, but I ended up making dear friends there whom I’ve kept in touch with in the years since! One of my favorite qualities of Iceland Noir is what a warm, welcoming festival it is—because it’s on the smaller side, it feels very intimate and not at all intimidating. If you’re interested in trying out a crime fiction festival but not sure where to start, I think Iceland Noir would make a perfect “starter” festival because of how friendly it is.
I don’t speak Icelandic—will that be a problem?
Not at all!! All of the Iceland Noir panels are conducted in English. Reykjavik is also a very friendly city for us English speakers. Just about everyone there speaks English, restaurants have English menus available, etc.—it’s extremely impressive, and makes for a very easy travel experience for those of us who don’t speak Icelandic!
What is Reykjavik like? Will I be able to get around easily?
Reykjavik is such a beautiful and charming city! The weather is (obviously) very cold, so dress accordingly! It’s also very expensive, so do keep that in mind when planning your budget for the trip. In terms of ease of getting around, Reykjavik is small, which makes it easy to navigate and very walkable. The Iceland Noir team does a great job providing maps to the various venues in their welcome information for festival attendees, which I really appreciated! This year’s venues were about a 5-minute walk from one another, so it was nice and easy to go back and forth between the two. One thing that you will want to keep in mind: the airport you’ll fly into, Keflavik, is about a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik. But never fear, there is a very handy bus service that goes from Keflavik to the city center. Booking a ticket for the bus is easy and inexpensive in comparison to taking a taxi!
Where should I stay during Iceland Noir?
There are a number of very convenient hotel and Airbnb options in downtown Reykjavik! I would definitely suggest finding a hotel or Airbnb close to the festival venues so you can easily pop back to your room during the day if needed. I stayed at the City Center Hotel this year which was truly a perfect location (it’s literally on the same street as Kjarval!), and at Iceland Noir 2018 I stayed at the Hotel Reykjavik Centrum, which was also quite convenient! There are a bunch of options in the center of the city (including Airbnb options if that’s more your style!).
Anything you wish you knew before your first Iceland Noir?
Bring a reusable water bottle—Reykjavik has super clean tap water, and you’ll be glad to have a water bottle with you!
If you’re someone who likes to take photos/videos, bring an external battery for your phone—there is so much you’ll want to document, and the last thing you want is your phone dying on you 😉
Warm socks. Hiking shoes if you plan to go exploring outside the city. It’s cold there. Just trust me.
Reykjavik is beautiful, and there’s so much to experience in the city center itself, but if you’re able to, it’s worth considering extending your stay a bit so you can explore some of the country outside of the city! The landscape and natural beauty of Iceland is truly stunning, and if it’s something that is within your budget and time constraints, it’s well worth considering setting aside a couple days after the festival to explore.
PLUS: SAVE THE DATES FOR ICELAND NOIR 2022!
NOVEMBER 16 - 19, 2022
Iceland Noir normally takes place every other year, but since 2021 was a make-up festival to make up for the event cancelled in 2020, that means we get another Iceland Noir to look forward to next fall!!! Iceland Noir 2022 will take place November 16 - 19, and tickets for the festival are already available! The Iceland Noir team has announced their first two guests of honor for the festival—Richard Osman and Mark Billingham!—and it’s sure to be a fantastic event. Visit the Iceland Noir website to learn more and get your tickets! And in the meantime, be sure to keep up with Iceland Noir across their social media platforms to stay up-to-date on their latest announcements and guest reveals for 2022.
Iceland Noir Links: 2022 tickets | Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
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