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The heart-pounding new mystery soon to be a major motion picture
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3.3 • 10 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
The gripping new stand-alone mystery from 'world-class crime writer' Ragnar Jónasson, soon to be a major motion picture
'Is this the best crime writer in the world today' THE TIMES
'So atmospheric, I was immediately transported to the Icelandic moors . . . I read with bated breath, my heart pounding' Sara Blædel
'So intense you can't help gripping the book as tightly as possible' THE TIMES
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They are isolated - but they are not alone . . .
When a deadly snowstorm strikes the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in a tiny, abandoned hunting lodge.
A terrifying discovery . . .
Far from offering relief, however, they find something truly shocking. Yet they dare not leave.
A haunting darkness . . .
As the night lengthens, their fears intensify. Old secrets and past tragedies spill into the light. And, slowly, these four friends begin to turn on one another.
Outside, a murderous storm rages.
But is inside even deadlier?
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Praise for Ragnar Jónasson
'An intensely gripping mystery, Ragnar Jonasson is a poet of the "dark, wet and cold", of the "gloom, cold and rain". The climactic revelations are credible and moving' The Times
'Invigorating Iceland-set slice of Nordic Noir' Daily Mail
'A mist-shrouded blend of horror and psychological thriller . . . works in every way' Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this disappointing standalone from Jónasson (The Girl Who Died), Daníel, a struggling actor living in London, travels to Reykjavík to join three friends for a reunion: Helena, an engineer; Ármann, an entrepreneurial tour guide; and Gunnlaugur, a lawyer. Ármann has organized a hunting weekend, but things go massively wrong on the moors. A blizzard forces the group, with minimal gear, to shelter in a disused hunting hut, where they encounter something genuinely shocking (Daníel "had never been so afraid in his life"). The payoff for this early fright is a long time coming as the novel focuses on the foursome's backstories, which illuminate the motive for the expedition. It's a dandy premise, and Jónasson does a good job of connecting the dots, but the plot is built on a rickety foundation. Would an experienced and successful guide like Ármann be so ill prepared? He creates a decent amount of suspense and horror and is great at conveying the menace of an Icelandic winter, but some readers will find what happens too hard to swallow. Hopefully, Jónasson will return to form next time.
