1987. An isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.
The snowstorm should have shut everybody out. But it didn’t.
The couple should never have let him in. But they did.
An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda will be haunted forever.
Last month I spent my first few days self isolating with the published three books of the Hidden Iceland series, including a proof of the third book The Mist that was so kindly gifted to me around Christmas time by Michael J Books! Today I finally get to share my thoughts and scream HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY to Ragnar on the birth of his stunningly twisted new novel. If you too fancy taking a dip in the world of tragic heroine Hulda Hermannsdottir, you can grab yourself a copy in a range of formats here!
Can we have a loud standing applause for Ragnar please, he’s absolutely hit the ball out of the park with The Mist, another instalment of the Hidden Iceland series which entwines an unravelling crime case, with our protagonist Hulda’s personal story. While reading this series, I have come to adore Hulda and somewhat further understand her via her included personal timeline. The setting of The Mist is 1987, where a couple are getting ready to begin their Christmas celebrations when a stranger turns up at their door, requiring their hospitality. I have the shivery chills just thinking about it! Would you really let a stranger in during a snowy lockdown? Well don’t! It is at this point the alluring mystery and shock begins to wind an uneasy atmospheric storyline. The parallel narratives include that focusing on the unsuspected couple and Hulda during Christmas 1987, both storylines grab you so tightly that you can’t get away – fully packed with that subtle unsettling suspense that has you reading the next chapter, until you realise that you’ve completely devoured the book, leaving you wanting more. I found that the females within the plotline – the woman of the couple and Hulda have some identifying comparatives, you could see a lot of shared characteristics. This has to be my favourite instalment of the series so far – Ragnar has created something that is stunningly twisted, deliciously dark and will sweep you off your reading feet! Grab your woolliest jumper, snuggle up with a hot chocolate and a blanket because this read is going to give you all the chills – take a step into this Icelandic crime fiction novel, translated superbly by Victoria Cribb, it will take your breath away! The perfect conclusion of such a great series, go back to where it all begun and prepared to be awed!
Thank you again to Michael J Books for a copy of this moreish novel, it blew me away!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 