Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2023
384 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
With over four million copies sold worldwide, Ragnar Jónasson, along with Katrín Jakobsdóttir, brings us a gripping and chilling new thriller, Reykjavík.
What happened to Lára?
Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland's most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?
Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, and with the eyes of Reykjavík upon him, it soon becomes clear that Lára's disappearance is a mystery that someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved...
"A slow-burning, spellbinding whodunit. Agatha Christie, to whom it's dedicated, would be proud." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Jónasson has clearly learned a thing or two from Christie's trademark tight plotting and penetrating characterizations, and Jakobsdóttir's insider knowledge of Iceland's halls of power lend the proceedings an air of authenticity. Fans of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series will be rapt." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A beautifully constructed mystery by two super smart partners in crime." ―Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Magpie Murders
"A classic mystery... Reykjavik provides tremendous insight into Iceland at a time of change, expansion, and corruption. Sure to appeal to a broad swath of crime-fiction readers." ―First Clue
"This is Nordic noir at its most authoritative." ―Financial Times (UK)
This information about Reykjavík was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ragnar Jónasson is an international number one bestselling author who has sold over three million books in thirty-six countries worldwide. His books include the Dark Iceland series and the Hulda series. Jónasson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he also works as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and, since the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie's novels. Jónasson is the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a major TV series, and Outside is soon to be a feature film. Jónasson lives in Reykjavik with his wife and two daughters.
Katrín Jakobsdóttir is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Reykjavik is her first novel. Katrin holds a Masters' Degree in Icelandic literature, and has been a member of parliament since 2007. Previously she held the position of Minister of Education. Katrin wrote her masters' thesis on Icelandic crime fiction author Arnaldur Indridason.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
