The Island cover art

The Island

Hidden Iceland Series, Book Two

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The Island

By: Ragnar Jónasson, Victoria Cribb - translator
Narrated by: Amanda Redman
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Island by Ragnar Jónasson, read by Amanda Redman.

Four friends visit the island.

But only three return . . .

Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is sent to the isolated island of Elliðaey to investigate and soon finds haunting similarities with a previous case - a young woman found murdered ten years ago in the equally desolate Westfjords.

Is there a patient killer stalking these barren outposts?

As Hulda navigates a sinister game constructed of smoke and mirrors she is convinced that no one is telling the truth, including those closest to her.

But who will crack first? And what secrets is the island hiding?


Haunting, suspenseful and as chilling as an Icelandic winter The Island follows one woman's journey to find the truth hidden in the darkest shadows, and shine a light on her own dark past.
____________

'One of the greatest tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction' Sunday Times

'Magnificently dark and twisted' C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man

'Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir' Peter James, bestselling author of Love You Dead

'Dark, chilling and utterly gripping, The Island is Nordic noir at its best, and is destined to become a classic of the genre. I couldn't put it down' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

'Out of all of Ragnar's books this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie' Kilian

Praise for Ragnar Jonasson

'A distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction . . . atmospheric and evocative prose'
Guardian on Nightblind

'Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir . . . all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone' Sunday Express

'His clues are traditional and beautifully finessed - and he keeps you turning the pages' Independent on Snowblind

Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Thriller Exciting Crime

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Critic reviews

Dark, chilling and utterly gripping, The Island is Nordic noir at its best, and is destined to become a classic of the genre. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of the Hulda series!
Few writers at work today conjure atmosphere with such power, or plot their mysteries with such craft. The Island is his best book yet, an unflinching thriller that braids past and present, good and evil, love and loss. I can't wait for Hulda Hermannsdóttir's next case
No one does isolation better than Ragnar Jonasson, who is superb at portraying Iceland's stark landscape and savage beauty . . . [Hulda Hermannsdottir is] an excellent addition to the growing band of top-class women detectives
Prepare to be swept away to the beautiful yet unforgiving island of Elliðaey in Jónasson's latest Icelandic noir. Atmospheric and creepy, Jónasson successfully keeps you guessing till the bittersweet end
A chilling novel about people with dark secrets, protecting themselves without a thought for the consequences.
Riveting
We heart the melancholy Hulda
A strikingly evoked picture of Iceland's forbidding beauty...Hulda Hermansdottir is a striking character - both gloomy and tenacious - and she is a key reason for the success of this atmospheric novel
Extraordinary, the three books in that series are all amazing . . . very moving all the way through (Ian Rankin)
This kept me guessing right up until the final pages. I loved the vivid landscapes, brilliant characterisation and intricate plotting. Bravo!
All stars
Most relevant
Seemed to take a long time in telling. Gave some indication of the beauty of Iceland but the female detective the only attractive character. Pretty joyless really.

Depressing. Long drawn out.

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When I read the first book of this series thinking that it was a stand-alone book I said it would have been nice to have a series based on Hulda Hermannsdottir but couldn't see it happening as she was on the verge of retirement. Jónasson has found a way though and apparently this will now be a trilogy which oddly will step backwards in time rather than forwards!

Here we go back a decade or so and Jónasson's ice cold cruelty is not restrained as Hulda has lost her family and is now immersed in her work with little else in her life. The book itself felt a little weak to me in the early stages but by the end it had delivered the key ingredients that made the first one so interesting; a sense of the beauty and sheer cold that is Iceland, a lead character you can identify and empathise with and a clever mystery with plot twists that were both personal and professional for Hulda.

I don't think that Amanda Redman is the best of narrators in the world, she doesn't have a great talent for accents or a wide range of character voices. However, she does bring Hulda Hermannsdottir herself to life extremely convincingly striking just the right tone.

The third and final book which will be published next year takes us back a further ten years so is bound to be highly charged and include tragedy for Hulda and having enjoyed the twists in this one I am quite looking forwards to it.

Icy Cool Cleverness!

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I think I’ve listened to all of Ragnar Jonasson’s books and this is the first that I didn’t really rate highly.
I wasn’t keen on the structure. Amanda Redman is a good reader but her voice didn’t seem quite right for this story. But really, it was the story that seemed a bit thin and not very credible. If the characters of the friends had come across stronger I think it would have helped. I felt they were just sketched in, each being introduced with a sort of potted history. Sadly not one of his best.

So disappointing

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