Crime fiction set across ICELAND (and London)

9th January 2026

Fadeout/Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson, Reykjavík and London (Fadeout) and Siglufjördur, northern Iceland (Snowblind)

TRs: Larissa Kyzer & Quentin Bates, respectively

Fadeout by Ragnar Jonassón is being published by Orenda Books as a prequel to the Dark Iceland series alongside a tenth-anniversary edition of Snowblind, the first of that series. This is a double dose of Icelandic crime fiction bliss! The two stories are bound in a single volume and form a coming-of-age novel (Fadeout) with a mystery to be solved, and an Icelandic noir crime novel (Snowblind). Although Fadeout was published to great acclaim in Iceland before Snowblind was written, this is the first time it has been translated into English. Reading the two together gives a greater insight into the protagonist’s background and motivation – an elegant way to introduce readers to the series.

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Fadeout is set in Reykjavík in the early 2000s, where we see a young student, Ari Thor Arason struggling to reconcile himself with his tragic past. He is horrified to receive a letter notifying him of a huge credit card bill – money that he knows he hasn’t spent. Someone has run up the bill in London, but Ari Thor hasn’t been there. Just one thing might explain the mystery, as although the name on the bill is his, it’s also his father’s name. But there’s an issue there too, because his father disappeared ten years earlier and is presumed dead. Ari Thor knows he will have to go to London to discover the truth.

Snowblind follows the fortunes of Ari Thor two years later. He moves on from Reykjavík, reluctantly leaving his girlfriend Kristín, and taking a job as a trainee police officer. His first post is in the remote northern town of Siglufjördur. The small community was once a boom town for herring fishing but now a quiet and isolated backwater with only a single tunnel through the towering mountains providing a connection with the rest of the country. It’s the sort of place where crime almost never happens, so it’s a shock to everyone when a woman is found bleeding to death in the snow. Just as the investigation is swinging into action, a distinguished local author and playwright dies from a fall in the local theatre. While one might be an accident, the other is definitely a crime and all police resources are called on. As an outsider, Ari Thor has to use his police training and his instincts to work out who he can trust – and who might be lying. Meanwhile, Ari Thor is about to experience snowfall the like of which he has never seen before.

TripFiction, as you will be aware by now, is all about the setting. Even the most widely read lover of Icelandic Noir will enjoy the freshness of Jonasson’s accounts of the landscape and characters in his work. These are books where the weather, the geology and the heritage of the people are critical to the plot and to the atmosphere the author creates. I’ve explored some of the more remote areas of the country but the endless winter snowfall, teamed with the geography of the fishing town, create a devastating sense of isolation and claustrophobia that permeates Snowblind, in particular and is on a different level from anything the casual tourist might experience. Cut off from the rest of the country, the police must rely on their own resources and hope to outwit potential (or actual) criminals. I loved certain of Jonassón’s expressions, such as “window weather”, which is beautiful to look at but not something you want to experience by going outside. The clever contrast of concepts too: such as the darkness brought about by (white) snowstorms.

Ragnar Jonassón’s excellent reputation goes before him, and he certainly doesn’t need our endorsement to prove that his books are well worth reading. But if you haven’t come across his work before, I can assure you that this double volume is a great place to start. Jonassón began his writing career by translating Agatha Christie into Icelandic and there are echoes of her style in the claustrophobic setting of Snowblind, the way he gradually reveals the clues and his characterisation. The two novels have a slightly different feel about them, though both revolve around investigations and criminal activity. Both stories examine the conflicting emotions that Ari Thor experiences – loneliness, being an outsider versus belonging, and the complex feelings that go with being in love. The translations are great, particularly the skills of Quentin Bates, who really does leave you feeling that you aren’t reading a book in translation at all! (I do have a slight preference for UK English and Fadeout uses US English, at least in the copy I received.) Fadeout and Snowblind? Two for joy!

Sue for the TripFiction team

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