Read April 2019. Published 4th April 2019.
This is the second installment in the Hidden Iceland series, about police detective Hulda Hermannsdottir, after book one The Darkness.
The story starts with a romantic break at a remote summerhouse for a young couple, from which only one will return. The girl will be found dead in a pool of blood, but no one will realise that a boyfriend had even been present.
Instead the murder will be blamed upon the girl's father - a secret drinker - and the police will be determined to make sure he is found guilty of the crime. Even if this means bending the truth a little.
The result will be the tragic end of an innocent man.
Ten years later, a group of four young friends visit a remote island that is cut off from the outside world. One of them will not make it off the island alive and it is Hulda's job to find out what happened - especially when she discovers that they are all linked to the murder of the girl ten years ago. What really happened on the island and were the murders committed by the same person?
There are three books in the Hidden Iceland series and the first two have definitely been dark and chilling. Both have played with the idea of the wild, remote, bleak, and lonely places away from the bright lights of Reykjavik - where dark deeds can happen without anyone knowing - the "hidden" side of the country. Ragnar Jonasson really transports you to these locations and makes you feel cold inside as well as out!
Interestingly, the books are written in a time line that goes backwards through Hulda's life, so this book takes place before the events in The Darkness.
This is a really interesting concept and screws with your mind a lot, as Hulda is talking about events in her personal life that your already have knowledge about and know the outcome of. It is a bit like deliberately reading the books in the wrong order - something I would much prefer not to do. Very twisted and almost voyeuristic - definitely creepy.
I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, to see where it all begins.
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