Tag: mystery

Blog Tour/Review: Whiteout (Dark Iceland #5) by Ragnar Jónasson

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I’m thrilled to be one of the hosts of today’s stop on the blog tour for Whiteout, the latest in Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series. Translated by Quentin Bates, Whiteout is another great crime mystery published by Orenda Books. You can read my review below.  (Be sure to check out the review by today’s co-host, Sharon at Shaz’s Book Blog.)

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Whiteout_New_CoverAbout the Book

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 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 the 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.  Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.

Format: Paperback (276 pp.)         Publisher: Orenda Books
Published: 1st November 2017      Genre: Crime, Mystery

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Whiteout (Dark Iceland #5) on Goodreads

My Review

I’ve not read any of the previous books in the Dark Iceland series and, although there are references to events in earlier books (and some suggestions of possible future storylines), I didn’t consider it affected my enjoyment of Whiteout at all.  I felt the translator, Quentin Bates, managed the difficult task of delivering the author’s intention of keeping the reader guessing at certain points: glances toward unidentified persons or possibly significant reactions to conversations. The downside of this, of course, is to remind us that we’re not an actual witness to the scene, only readers of a book with a deliberately obscured view of what is taking place.  However, these little ‘tricks’ certainly keep the reader guessing when it comes to working out what might be the solution to the mystery.

There’s nothing revolutionary about the plot of Whiteout or the motives of those involved when finally revealed but it’s certainly a very accomplished mystery with a limited number of suspects. Like this reader, you’ll probably suspect just about each of them at some point and, like detectives Ari Thór Arason and his boss, Tomas, also wonder if perhaps the death of the victim isn’t suicide rather than murder after all. I’m certainly not going to spoil it by telling you anything more…

The author has created an interesting character in Ari Thór Arason and I liked learning about his personal back story and the intriguing hints about events in previous books. Whiteout is set shortly before Christmas and I particularly enjoyed learning about Icelandic traditions and customs such as broadcasting seasonal messages of goodwill to friends and family on the radio and – proving they are indeed a most civilized nation – the exchanging of books on Christmas Eve which, for Icelanders, is the important day of the Christmas period.

Another element I really enjoyed was the authentic sense of place created by the author. The reader really gets a feeling of the cold, the harsh snow-covered landscape and the remoteness of a small community. The perfect location, in fact, for secrets and events from the past to come to light…with devastating consequences.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers Orenda Books, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

In three words: Atmospheric, mystery, crime

Try something similar…Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl (click here to read my review)

Ragnar JonassonAbout the Author

Ragnar Jónasson is author of the international bestselling Dark Iceland series. His debut Snowblind went to number one in the kindle charts shortly after publication, and Nightblind, Blackout and Rupture soon followed suit, hitting the number one spot in five countries, and the series being sold in 18 countries and for TV.

Ragnar was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he continues to work as a lawyer. From the age of 17, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic. He has appeared on festival panels worldwide, and lives in Reykjavik with his wife and young daughters.

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Blog Tour/Review: Illusion by Stephanie Elmas

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I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Illusion by Stephanie Elmas. I really enjoyed this accomplished historical mystery and you can read my review of Illusion below.

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Illusion 2About the Book

London, 1873. Returning home from his travels with a stowaway named Kayan, Walter Balanchine is noted for the charms, potions and locket hanging from his neck. Finding his friend Tom Winter’s mother unwell, he gives her a potion he learned to brew in the Far East. Lucid and free from pain, the old woman remembers something about Walter’s mother. Walter is intrigued, for he has never known his family or even his own name – he christened himself upon leaving the workhouse.

Word soon spreads of his healing and magical abilities and he becomes a sought after party performer. During one of Walter’s parties, Tom is approached by Tamara Huntington, who reveals she is being forced to marry a man she does not love. Will he and Walter come to her rescue? With secrets beginning to emerge, Walter finds his mother may be a lot closer to home than he realised…

Format: ebook (285 pp.)                     Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 21st May 2017                   Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Illusion on Goodreads

 

My Review

‘Walter Balanchine was still the most unusual looking individual that most people had ever seen.’

The author has created a wonderful character in Walter Balanchine. He’s like a young Sherlock Holmes with his acute powers of observation, mastery of disguise and gift for turning up at exactly the right moment – but with a touch of the exotic East thrown in.  He’s a magician as well but is it ‘real’ magic or merely clever illusion? As he says himself: “Magic? There’s no such thing. Not in the literal sense anyway. Only illusion, my friend.”  Walter certainly knows how to stage tricks that we know are just sleight of hand or intricately worked out illusions. But some of the other things he’s able to do? Well, the novel cleverly leaves it to the reader to decide if his powers extend to the supernatural.

I also loved the other main characters – Tom, Tamara and the saintly Sally – and the author has created a formidable “boo hiss” villain in Cecil Hearst. The novel’s plot and style expertly capture the spirit of a Victorian mystery making this reader think of Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White with a touch of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight. As well as the central plot concerning Tom and Walter’s attempts to rescue Tamara, there are other mysteries to be unravelled, including the truth about Walter’s parentage.

The author certainly captures the atmosphere of Victorian London.

‘They made their way to Limehouse, a quarter with streets so narrow that the houses seemed almost to touch in the middle. It was snowing now. A confetti of snowflakes filtered through between the narrow gaps in the gables above and floated, innocent and feathery, into the grime beneath their feet….Soon they fell upon Narrow Street, where chandlers sold their wares and the smell of spices and chops and old barnacled ropes filled the air.’  

And there’s a suitably Gothic feel when the action moves to Cecil’s country seat. Definitely a touch of The Fall of the House of Usher there!

I really enjoyed Illusion with its engaging mix of atmospheric period setting, intricate mystery and sprinkling of magic.  I would love to read more from this author in the future.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Endeavour Press, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

In three words: Atmospheric, mystery, lively

Try something similar…The Thirteenth Gate by Kat Ross (click here to read my review)

Stephanie Elmas 2About the Author

Stephanie Elmas was born in Hong Kong to an English father and Czech mother but spent most of her childhood in Bristol. She studied English at university in London. Having worked as a head hunter, she taught English in Japan before returning to university to complete an MA in Victorian fiction. It was here that she developed her interest in the dark dangerous world of Victorian sensation writing. After the success of her first novel, The Room Beyond, Elmas has returned to write the tale of the early life of East End mystic and illusionist Walter Balanchine. When she is not writing, Elmas teaches secondary school English and juggles a chaotic household in Surrey.

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