Very few recent crime fiction series have hooked me the way Ragnar Jonasson’s Hidden Iceland Trilogy has. This impeccably-crafted Icelandic crime series is an astonishing accomplishment: a trilogy plotted as beautifully as it is written, brimming with the humanity of its characters and immersing readers in the stunning landscape of Iceland.. In the Hidden Iceland books, author Ragnar Jonasson wraps readers up in the chilling atmosphere of his trilogy’s setting, and draws readers into the inner life of its endearing and compelling protagonist. The Hidden Iceland trilogy has captivated me with its stylish prose, clever plotting, and unputdownable suspense, and with THE MIST, Jonasson delivers a conclusion worthy of its exceptional predecessors. In THE MIST, readers follow series protagonist Hulda Hermansdottir as she returns to work following a personal leave necessitated by an undefined tragedy. Hulda will soon face a disturbing - and puzzling - case: a mysterious death at a remote farmhouse in the Icelandic countryside, where two bodies have been found. Weaving together Hulda’s personal life with an extended flashback at the farm in the lead-up to our victims’ deaths, THE MIST is a complex and heartbreaking mystery, a feather in the cap of an already-exceptional crime fiction series. If you’re in the market for elegant suspense that relies more on atmosphere and character development than blood and gore, Ragnar Jonasson’s superb Hidden Iceland trilogy might just be your perfect match. I will sincerely miss this series and its standout protagonist, but I am already looking forward to seeing what Ragnar will write next.
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Book Review: I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW by Heine Bakkeid
You know those books that come seemingly out of nowhere and knock you sideways with how very much you love them? That was Heine Bakkeid’s extraordinary crime fiction debut I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW for me. This Norwegian crime novel blends the atmosphere and grit of the Nordic Noir tradition with the spine-tingling chills found in the work of authors like Yrsa Sigurdardottir and C.J. Tudor. I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is an outstanding crime novel about grief, loss, and the ghosts that haunt us. Set against the backdrop of remote northern Norway, I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW follows a disgraced former police officer who is given a chance at redemption in the form of an off-the-books missing persons investigation. Hired as a private investigator by the parents of a young man who has gone missing at a lighthouse off the coast of northern Norway, Thorkild Aske sets out on what he assumes will be a fruitless mission—a journey that becomes as much about tracking down this missing man as it is about Thorkild confronting his personal demons. With immersive atmosphere and propulsive plotting, I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW wraps readers up in a chilling suspense novel worthy of every bit of praise it has earned. This promising series launch is a must-read for fans of melancholy, atmospheric Nordic suspense.
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Book Review: WATCHING YOU by Lisa Jewell
There are few things better than finding a book that you can completely lose yourself in—and that’s exactly what I found in Lisa Jewell’s utterly irresistible psychological suspense novel WATCHING YOU. I’m a relatively recent convert to Lisa Jewell’s work, which, on the one hand, I now find utterly shocking (how on earth did I wait so long to start reading her?!), but on the other hand means that I’ve still got plenty of older titles from this incredibly talented author to catch up on. That’s what I call a silver lining. WATCHING YOU originally released in the US in late 2018, but if you, like yours truly, missed it when it first released, consider this your friendly nudge to check this book out. WATCHING YOU is an irresistibly sinister and dramatic story of relationships, voyeurism, and the dark secrets that lurk in a posh English neighborhood. Following a robust cast of characters whose lives intersect with deadly consequence, WATCHING YOU is the rare psychological thriller that manages to be both smart and delightfully juicy at the same time. This book’s intricate plot demands the reader’s attention from page one, and its binge-worthy entertainment value guarantees that your attention will never waver, not until the story’s final shocking page has been turned. (And even then, you might want to grab your friends and have your own book club to discuss it.) WATCHING YOU swept me up in its deliciously dark suspense tale, and proved the perfect piece of “popcorn reading” for a weekend at home.
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Book Review: LITTLE SECRETS by Jennifer Hillier
I’m not much of a crier—especially not when I’m reading crime fiction—so imagine my surprise when, as I turned the last few pages of Jennifer Hillier’s newest release, I found myself (no exaggeration!) wiping tears off my cheeks. That’s the beauty of this book. LITTLE SECRETS, Hillier’s outstanding new suspense novel, isn’t just a suspense novel—it’s also a heartfelt story that delves deep into the lives of its characters, thoughtfully crafting these fictional women and men so they begin to feel more real than not. LITTLE SECRETS is a story that begins with any parent’s worst nightmare: the disappearance of a child, kidnapped from under his mother’s nose on a busy day at a market. What follows is a twisty, heartbreaking story of grief, loss, and the ties that bind a family together—and the secrets that might tear them apart. Following a grieving mother on a desperate mission for revenge, LITTLE SECRETS delivers a fresh take on the domestic thriller, one that will captivate readers of Sandie Jones, B.A. Paris, and Paula Hawkins. Readers looking for an outstanding work of psychological suspense with a knockout ending will find LITTLE SECRETS right up their alley. This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier, and it absolutely won’t be my last.
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Book Review: THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley
In a world obsessed with finding the next cutting-edge thing, sometimes the smartest way to stand out is to get back to basics. British author Lucy Foley has made a name for herself with two suspense novels that do exactly that, the newest of which will release in the US this summer. THE GUEST LIST is a delectable blend of Agatha Christie inspiration and modern-day psychological suspense. This is a “locked room mystery” built for the readers of 2020: a story concerned with secrets—among spouses, partners, and siblings—and their deadly collision. Set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, THE GUEST LIST gives readers an exclusive invitation to one of the most buzzed-about parties of the year: the wedding of a powerhouse digital magazine editor and a TV golden boy. The wedding has been planned to perfection; the only wild card here is the wedding’s guest list. Will this reunion of old friends, classmates, and family go as smoothly as our bride and groom hope? Or will old secrets and resentments rear their ugly heads? When a storm traps the wedding party on the island, tensions ratchet up until someone winds up dead. With as much of an eye for high fashion and high-stakes secrets as it has for traditional crime novel structure and inspiration, THE GUEST LIST is a perfect reminder of why the classics never go out of style.
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