Atmospheric and complicated!
Nightblind:A Thriller (Dark Iceland #2) by Ragnar Jonasson.
Once again I enjoyed the atmosphere of Siglufjördur, a small fishing village in Northern Iceland, previously closed to the outside world in winter, now with a tunnel the outside has come in. Ari Thór Arason, a police officer still seems an awkward, tormented sort of soul. His relationships are always troubling, even more so now that he has a ten month old son with girlfriend Kristín.
When Tómas, his boss, was promoted down south to the capital city of Reykjavík, Ari was hopeful for Tómas' position. Ari was passed over for Herjólfur.
Ari has flu and Herjólfur is working his shift. Herjólfur takes a call to a deserted old place on the edge of town, where he is shot. A shot that ricochets violently around the tiny town. This is a new happening. It seems the tunnel has brought the outside world in with a vengeance. As Ari was supposedly on duty, he can't help but wonder if the bullet was meant for him.
Tómas is called back to work on the case. Ari and he go through some upheavals to resolve their roles in this renewed situation.
The shooting opens up memories for Ari that he's tried to let go. It seems Ari had an abusive childhood which begins to explain some of his behavior patterns.
The frequent references to Ari's mild manner covering an unexpected temper is interesting. There are memories and recollections punctuating the prose that you know are important but you can't seem to finger just whose memories they are.
I must admit that I didn't feel as involved or caught up with Ari as I had been in Snowblind. He seems to have not really flowered in the way I had hoped for after the first novel I read, leading to a somewhat disjointed psychological view of him. His personal life becomes more disarrayed as the facts around the murder are uncovered. Resolution and implosion seem to go hand in hand as Nordic Noir complexities support the continuing story of Ari. I am certainly wondering what comes next for him.
A NetGalley ARC
****
When Tómas, his boss, was promoted down south to the capital city of Reykjavík, Ari was hopeful for Tómas' position. Ari was passed over for Herjólfur.
Ari has flu and Herjólfur is working his shift. Herjólfur takes a call to a deserted old place on the edge of town, where he is shot. A shot that ricochets violently around the tiny town. This is a new happening. It seems the tunnel has brought the outside world in with a vengeance. As Ari was supposedly on duty, he can't help but wonder if the bullet was meant for him.
Tómas is called back to work on the case. Ari and he go through some upheavals to resolve their roles in this renewed situation.
The shooting opens up memories for Ari that he's tried to let go. It seems Ari had an abusive childhood which begins to explain some of his behavior patterns.
The frequent references to Ari's mild manner covering an unexpected temper is interesting. There are memories and recollections punctuating the prose that you know are important but you can't seem to finger just whose memories they are.
I must admit that I didn't feel as involved or caught up with Ari as I had been in Snowblind. He seems to have not really flowered in the way I had hoped for after the first novel I read, leading to a somewhat disjointed psychological view of him. His personal life becomes more disarrayed as the facts around the murder are uncovered. Resolution and implosion seem to go hand in hand as Nordic Noir complexities support the continuing story of Ari. I am certainly wondering what comes next for him.
A NetGalley ARC
****
Comments
Post a Comment