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An enthralling read by the Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson, the first of his that this reader has experienced, but certainly not to be the last.

This sequel to “The Darkness” can be read and enjoyed successfully as a standalone novel, (as I did,) with the loss of some backstory in the main characters. However, after reading (and loving) this story, I for one, do intend to go back and read more of this author, including this first prequel.

Helgi Reykdal is a thirty-something former Icelandic cop, now studying for an MA in criminology, who appears to have a somewhat sinister secret personal life. Helgi is writing his academic dissertation on a thirty-year-old unsolved series of murders that took place in a rural Akureyri (Northern Iceland) sanatorium. Once (back in the 60’s and 70’s), this sanatorium was a depressing death-cloaked institution, doing its best to cope with slews of bed-ridden patients, (many of them tragically doomed), suffering from the largely-incurable Tuberculosis (chillingly known as the White Death).

Now an administrative institution housing two doctors, two nurses, and a creepy caretaker, as Helgi delves deeper into the mystery housed at the sanatorium — tracking down the former house staff, interviewing them and attempting to recreate the factors driving the crimes thirty years ago — we, the reader travel along with him, absorbing a winding and weaving story that spans current day (2012 in this book, and the timeline of Helgi’s experiences ) and 1983 (the year of the original crimes and the people involved).

Fascinating and slow-burning, this tale unfolds as a sort of Icelandic “film noir” – deeply atmospheric, insular, and with undercurrents creaking as they run deep. This mystery is also reminiscent, and inspired by (as explained by the author) crime novels of yore featuring detectives in hats, little old ladies, and Belgians with magnificent waxed mustaches. Glorious literary fodder for this reader in youth, as clearly was also the case for this author.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, including its two-part ending (satisfying in part one, and a total cliff-hanger in part two) and am looking forward to reading more of this series and this talented author.

Note: I reviewed the audio version of this story, made magnificent by the velvet tones and immersive performance of the narrator Sam Woolf. Truly a treat to listen to and experience what was already a wonderful story, made even more entertaining in this medium.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.