Tomas with a Yorkshire accent ???

Loved the story as always with Ragnar Jonasson and the performance narration was good. However I really much preferred the narrator of snow blind who was a native Icelander. It somewhat added to the atmosphere. Hearing Tomas portrayed with a Yorkshire accent did nothing to take me up to the coast of siglifurdur.

8 people found this helpful

Why change the narrator?

Any additional comments?

As the follow up to snowblind I was looking forward to this greatly. I was really disappointed however to find the narrator had changed. Going from an Icelandic narrator to an English one completely changed the tone of the book. He also seemed to pronounce all the names differently, surely it would have been easy to do some homework and keep some continuity?

8 people found this helpful

A sensational return to the heart of Dark Iceland!

What made the experience of listening to Nightblind the most enjoyable?

Nightblind offered a truly memorable glimpse into the heart of Dark Iceland and a triumphant return to the tiny fishing village of Siglufjördur where Ari Thór finds himself stationed. In this follow up to the success of a dazzling debut in Snowblind the author once again presents a superbly drawn cast of characters and what makes for a brilliantly well plotted mystery. Listeners are able to gain a real feel for the claustrophobia of life in a remote vilage where incomers never feel they truly belong and this is a story which hooks you from the off!

The author cleverly draws in the wider backdrop of the economy in Iceland and the prosperity of the fishing industry is no more, with an increased emphasis on the need of the village to rely on the tourist trade as a source of income. Combined with a new tunnel making the village more accessible this has made for some changes and with it some newcomers. Yet when a shooting occurs in the village in this noriously peaceful country it still strikes at the very heart of society and the puzzle which Ari Thór find himself wrestling with offers a second thrilling return to Iceland.

What did you like best about this story?

Undoubtedly for me it was gaining an update on how life for the protagonist Ari Thór has changed. Despite being passed over for the job which Tómas left vacant he has made his home in the village and is now a father. Alongside Ari Thór, a brilliantly drawn cast of locals make for a memorable return to Siglufjördur and bring the story alive.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scenes which I most enjoyed were undoubtedly those which featured Ari Thór alongside his former boss Tómas. In Snowblind the rapport between the two was evident and the chemistry and interplay between the duo was established. Once again working alongside his former colleague this allows a look at just how far Ari Thór has come.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If Snowblind made for a brilliant starter, then Nightblind undoubtedly delivers a memorable main course and the icing on the cake combined!

Any additional comments?

Leighton Pugh provided a superb narrator for Ari Thór. His lively delivery made for a very engaging listen and his expression and careful distinction between the different characters easily drew you in to the story. His passion and enthusiasm for the story he narrates is evident and I would look forward to hearing him again.

9 people found this helpful

Wrong order!

I’m thoroughly enjoying this series (although I miss the original Icelandic narrator) however this is the THIRD in the series, not the second as audible state!

3 people found this helpful

Rambling

The deep impression of the place and characters you build in your mind that works so well in the first book is lost in the second because of the change in reader.
I thought this book had too many parallel threads that I guess are there to keep you guessing but ultimately left you wondering why they are there in the first place. To me it felt like the story and plots rambled along.
I wasn’t gripped.

2 people found this helpful

Dreary and Depressing

What disappointed you about Nightblind?

The story was both slow and boring. I had hoped it would be a good replacement for the Quentin Bates series which I really enjoyed. I was wrong!

Has Nightblind put you off other books in this genre?

No only this Author

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Leighton Pugh?

narrator was OK the material was the problem

2 people found this helpful

Great series

Really enjoying the series and can't wait to start the next one. Good characters and plot and very evocative of this strange and wonderful landscape.

1 person found this helpful

Five darkly brooding stars

Ari Thόr Arason is still living and working in Siglufjördur, an isolated community in the North of Iceland. Ari and Kristín are together again and have a son, Stefnir. After his boss Tόmas leaves to take up a new post, Ari Thόr applies for the position of inspector. He is passed over in favour of another man, one with connections. Ari receives a phone call late one evening from the wife of his boss, her husband hasn’t come home, and she is unable to contact him. Ari locates him at a spooky abandoned house, he’s been shot. Tόmas returns to head the investigation, leading them into the murky worlds of politics, drugs, and inherited pathological violence. Set during the shortening days of late Autumn, the brooding dark skies, howling gales and bitter rain, establishes the timbre for this wonderful Icelandic Noir tale.

1 person found this helpful

not very exciting

struggled to follow the story. no plot. I could have skipped to the end

Quite a good story

BUT.....so long and drawn out! Too many stray nonentities with little bearing on the main plot, too many odd little stories going on with 'grey' people. I'm not impressed by the writing style. Won't bother with this author again.

I didn't feel ANYTHING AT ALL for any of the characters, they weren't likeable nor were they nasty and dis-likeable! Just sort of bland!