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BOOK REVIEW: The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson

(Hidden Iceland 3)

This is the 3rd book in the Hidden Iceland series and returns us back to the life of Detective Hulda prior to the death of her husband and daughter.

This case starts in 1987 on an isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.  A severe ice storm at the start of the Christmas celebrations should have prevented anyone from getting to them however, it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did.  Their unexpected guest is telling them a story that doesn't ring true, why is he there and is he the cause of their death.

So far I have found this series fast paced and beautifully written.  Starting with The Darkness we are introduced to the characteristic but far from effervescent Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir, she is a Detective Inspector forced into early retirement at 64 but who fights her cause and manages to convince her boss to review an old case on the murder of a russian women that washed up on the shore,  The amazing and unexpected ending meant I was intrigued to follow her back in time to The Island where she investigates a group of friends who go on an unexpected trip together to an isolated island where the death of one of them will open up an unexpected connection to both a past and future case. 

Again I was pleased to see the curse of a 2nd book was not experienced and I relished reading this so was  over the moon when NetGalley and Michael Joseph gave me the opportunity to get an arc copy of The Mist prior to release.  

It was interesting to get an insight into Hulda's home and family dynamic, I instantly disliked Jon (her husband) and it was clear early on that there was an element of abuse taking place between he and her daughter Dimma.  Hulda clearly has some instinct on her daughters behaviour but despite in her police career, seems unable to face it and push the threat and thought of Jon's actions away.  This lack of instinct could well have been as she is younger in these books and that her skills have not yet been honed to such things but to ignore her gut instinct felt somewhat out of character for her.

The home of Erla and Einar isolated in the east of Iceland is not only lonely but feels haunted throughout the course of the story, the arrival of the man at their door has clearly thrown Erla off track and it appears that she is struggling with the feelings of darkness and isolation being on the farm has and craves to return to a more populated environment.  Erla is ill at ease with the stranger and throughout the course of this book the tension steadily builds to its climactic conclusion.

I am uncertain if this is the last we will hear of Detective Hulda but I am certain that Ragnar Johannson has now become an author I will seek to read his full back catalogue of work and all future releases.

I will say that of the 3 stories of Hulda to date though the first one keeps pulling me back the masterfull ending has made her now a character I will always enjoy reading.
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