One of the
Top 100 Crime Fiction
of all time
according to
Blackwell’s Books / Richard Reynolds
"classically crafted whodunit" ... "Jonasson’s true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting, lashed by blinding snowstorms that smother the village in “a thick, white darkness” that is strangely comforting." - THE NEW YORK TIMES
"... a chiller of a thriller ... It’s good enough to share shelf space with the works of Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Arnaldur Indridason, Iceland’s crime novel royalty." - THE WASHINGTON POST
"the best sort of gloomy storytelling" - CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Selected as one of the best crime novels of the year 2015 by THE INDEPENDENT.
"Required reading" - NEW YORK POST
Snowblind is morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ - THE INDEPENDENT
‘... has all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunnit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ - SUNDAY EXPRESS
"A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended." - Lee Child
‘Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty – a must- read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir’ Peter James
"Ragnar Jónasson grants himself a nice place beside Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir thanks to his art of describing the subtlety of psychological conditions." - L’Express
"A more than promising debut novel" - Le Parisien
"A delight" - ELLE
'... he definitely shows a knack for the whodunit business.- STAR TRIBUNE, Minnesota
'The murder-in-a-small-town theme plays out a bit like an Agatha Christie novel ... a satisfying mystery where all the pieces, in the end, fall together.' DALLAS NEWS
"A classic whodunit with a vividly drawn protagonist and an intriguing, claustrophobic setting, Snowblind dazzles like sunlight on snow, chills like ice and confirms the growing influence of Scandinavian crime fiction." - Richmond Times-Dispatch
‘Seductive ... an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves
‘Enjoyed Ragnar Jónasson’s Snowblind – a modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...’ Ian Rankin
‘On the face of it, Snowblind is a gigantic locked-room mystery, an investigation into murder and other crimes within a closed society with a limited number of suspects ... Jónasson plays fair with the reader – his clues are traditional and beautifully finessed – and he keeps you turning the pages. Snowblind is morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons’ - Independent, UK
‘His first novel to be translated into English has all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunnit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone’ - Sunday Express, UK
"Jónasson skillfully alternates points of view and shifts of time...The action builds to a shattering climax."—Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred)
"Snowblind has the classic red herrings, plot twists and surprises that characterize the best of Christie’s work. Jónasson’s latest is nicely done and simply begs for a sequel." - BookPage
"This is almost a classic Scandinavian noir setup, but Ragnar Jónasson is full of surprises ... I loved it." Mystery Scene Magazine
"Jónasson's whodunit puts a lively, sophisticated spin on the Agatha Christie model, taking it down intriguing dark alleys." - Kirkus Reviews
"In this debut novel, Jónasson has taken the locked-room mystery and transformed it into a dark tale of isolation and intrigue that will keep readers guessing until the final page." - Library Journal Xpress
"Jónasson spins an involving tale of small-town police work that vividly captures the snowy setting that so affects the rookie cop. Iceland noir at its moodiest" - Booklist
"A blend of Agatha Christie's classic crime stories and Arnaldur Indridason's Icelandic thrillers, ... Perfectly capturing the pressures of rural life and the freezing, deadly Icelandic winter, Snowblind will keep readers on the edge of their seats--preferably snuggled beneath a warm blanket. - Shelf Awareness
"Snowblind definitely has the classic red herrings, plot twists and surprises that characterize the best of Christie’s work." - Book Page, USA
Selected as one of the debuts of the year (Crime Fiction Lover) and one of the books of the year by Bolo Books, Off the Shelf Books, Reading Room with a View, Crime Thriller Girl, Steph's Book Blog and, Grab This Book, and as one of the series of the year by Bibliophile Book Club.
‘If the rest of the Dark Iceland series is as accomplished as Snowblind, Ragnar Jónasson’s name is poised to become as common place as that of Stieg Larsson’s.’ Bolo Books
‘Snowblind is one of the most beautifully written crime novels I have ever come across …’ ***** Liz Loves Books
'If Arnaldur is the King and Yrsa the Queen of Icelandic crime fiction, then Ragnar is surely the Crown Prince ... more please!’ EuroCrime
‘A chilling, thrilling slice of Icelandic Noir’ Thomas Enger
‘A truly chilling debut, perfect for fans of Karin Fossum and Henning Mankell’ Eva Dolan
‘If a Golden Age crime novel was to emerge from a literary deep freeze then you’d hope it would read like this. Jónasson cleverly squeezes this small, isolated town in northern Iceland until it is hard to breathe, ensuring the setting is as claustrophobic as any locked room. If you call your book “Snowblind” then you better make sure it’s chilling. He does.’ Craig Robertson
‘Destined to be an instant classic’ EuroDrama
‘Snowblind is a beautifully written thriller, as tense as it is terrifying – Jónasson is a writer with a big future’ Luca Veste
‘It is surely only a matter of time before Snowblind and the rest of Ragnar’s Dark Iceland series go on to take the Nordic Noir genre by storm. The rest of the world has been patiently waiting for a new author to emerge from Iceland and join the ranks of Indriðason and Sigurðardóttir and it appears that he is now here’ Grant Nichol
‘Jonasson’s prose throughout this entire novel is captivating, and frequently borders on the poetic, constructing something that is both beautiful and uncomfortable for the reader. ... a simply stunning piece of prose that will certainly put him in the thick of the crime genre in the United Kingdom’ MadHatter Reviews
‘Ragnar Jónasson is an outstanding new voice in Nordic Noir’ Crime Thriller Girl
‘Dark Iceland? This man not only invented it, he rules it.’ The Booktrail
‘Snowblind is a subtle, quiet mystery set in the most exquisite landscape – a slow burner that will suck you in and not let you go until you finish the final page’ Reading Room with a View
‘… it is dark, it is gripping and it is fascinating’ The Welsh Librarian
‘A damn good thriller’ OMG That Book
‘Snowblind – a masterclass in scene setting and subtle tension building ... Where Agatha Christie created a murder mystery with a small suspect pool on a fast moving train or within a large country house, Ragnar Jónasson creates the same feel in a whole town’ Grab This Book
‘Snowblind is as atmospheric a murder mystery that you could find’ For Winter Nights – A Bookish Blog
‘Beautifully written ... Bibliophile Book Club
‘Ragnar Jónasson is a new name in the crime writing genre and I urge anyone who is a fan of Nordic crime noir to rush out and get yourself a copy of Snowblind this you will want to add to your collection. It is really that good ... a tense, gripping novel’ The Last Word
SPIEGEL ONLINE - “The plot is a successful chamber-play plot, transferred to a village. A classic who-dunnit where a whole theatre group is under suspicion. And in the end the culprit is someone you didn’t expect. What can you ask for more.” - Anne Haeming, Spiegel Online, on SNOWBLIND
GALA Magazine‘s best novels of the autumn 2011: 1. Ein altes Haus am Hudson Rlver - Edith Wharton, 2. Alchemie der Nacht - Heike Koschyk, 3. Leichte Turbulenzen - Alexa Hennig von Lange, 4. Schneebraut – Ragnar Jonasson [SNOWBLIND], 5. Die Liebeshandlung - Jeffrey Eugenides, 6. IQ 84 - Haruki Murakami.
"In keeping with this year’s book fair guest country, Iceland, dozens of commisioners are identified from the volcanic island. The most likeable: Policeman Ari, who must solve a series of crimes in Ragnar Jonasson’s crime novel.” – GALA Magazine, Germany, October 2011 - on SNOWBLIND
MEDIA-MANIA.DE / **** “An atmospheric crime novel, which focuses on more than just the crimes which are committed and therefore has a quieter appearance. Recommended for all fans of Iceland and those who like well-grounded crime novels.“ – Dorit Wiebke, media-mania.de on SNOWBLIND
FRÉTTABLAÐIÐ, ICELAND / “A well constructed, well stylized and exciting mystery with good characterization and a solution which is a complete surprise to the reader.” - Friðrika Benónýsdóttir, Fréttablaðið newspaper review on SNOWBLIND
PRESSAN, ICELAND. “Few crime writers have made such a strong entrance into the Icelandic literary market. Ragnar is already making his way abroad. It should be celebrated, that not only the two towers, Yrsa [Sigurdardottir] and Arnaldur [Indridason] know the art of writing a good crime story.” - Kristjón Kormákur, Pressan.is review on SNOWBLIND
BÜCHER MAGAZIN / “He maintains a considerable pace from the first page to the last, the characters are vivid and the dialogue authentic. Schneebraut is not a feel-good crime novel: Siglufjörður is no place for a latte-macchiato investigator. Here you need men with snow shovels. An old school crime novel with a likeable investigator.“ – BÜCHER Magazine, November/December 2011 on SNOWBLIND
WDR 5 - SCALA / „Bloody yet quiet portrait of a snowed-in Icelandic sea village, homely and gloomy at the same time.“ – Ingrid Müller-Münch, WDR 5 Scala, 22.11.2011 on SNOWBLIND
SONNTAGSZEITUNG / “A solid thriller with all the Scandinavian ingredients – from human interaction to evil.“ – SonntagsZeitung on SNOWBLIND
ESCHBORNER STADTMAGAZIN / “A wonderful work to get to know the guest country of the bookfair, Iceland.” – Eschborner Stadtmagazin on SNOWBLIND
BILDERREISEN / **** “Psychologically well structurued, claustrophobic and exciting. A successful crime debut.” on SNOWBLIND
ONLINE-ZEITUNG / “His language is as beautiful as the title. ‘The ground was covered in snow, the snow so white that it had almost conquered the darkness on this winter night.” I find this beautiful, so beautiful, that I could not be torn away from reading in spite of descriptions of ice and snow, even though I am certainly no fan of the winter and its side effects.” – Nicola Wagner, Online-Zeitung, 3.11.2011 on SNOWBLIND
HERSFELDER ZEITUNG / "It is enjoyable that we still have crime novels like this ... Schneebraut is a classic crime novel set in a closed environment, with false clues and real excitement: More of this, please,” - Karl Schönholtz in Hersfelder Zeitung on May 26, 2012 on SNOWBLIND