Page 19 - Dispatches - June 2022
P. 19
The Darkness Literary
Adventure
by Ragnar Jónasson By John Bregoli
ith its isolated towns And off we go … Hulda immediately reopens a case that had
and frozen landscapes, been sticking in her craw. The body of a girl named Emily,
WIceland is the perfect an asylum-seeking Russian immigrant, had been found
setting for dark and atmospheric washed up on a remote Icelandic shore. While the death
crime thrillers—and no one does was ruled a suicide, Hulda wasn’t so sure. She thinks the
it better than Ragnar Jóasson. I investigator botched the case. And her suspicions deepen
was already a fan from his Dark when her initial inquiries suggest that Elena’s petition for
Iceland series, featuring a young asylum had been granted. Why would she kill herself after
policeman, Ari Thór, and lots of getting this good news?
dead bodies in the remote village As the plot races forward, we gain insights into Hulda’s
of Siglufjordur. And now with character and complex backstory. Her tenacity and
the first book in his follow-up investigative skills while working the case let us know that
Hidden Iceland trilogy, I’m an Hulda is very good at her job—maybe too good. Along with
even bigger fan.
gender discrimination, what’s really going on here is that
While the first series was set in Iceland’s northernmost her male-coworkers can’t handle being bested by a woman.
Arctic region, The Darkness takes place in Reykjavik and the We also learn that she’s been using work to avoid
fjords and highlands of southwest Iceland. And instead of confronting some personal tragedies in her past—and
the strapping rookie cop, the protagonist in this series is worries about falling apart completely without it.
Hulda Hermannsdóttir, a female detective at the tail end of
her career. Soon, Hulda discovers that another woman vanished
mysteriously at the same time as Elena. And instead of
When we first meet Hulda, she’s reflecting on turning offering any help, her colleagues seem to be doing all they
65 soon and how she may have to start thinking about can to stop her from digging any deeper. And with just two
retirement. Then she finds out the decision has already weeks to wrap things up, the suspense keeps ratcheting up
been made. Magnús, her boss, tells her he’s already knowing that the clock is ticking.
assigned her office and caseload to an up-and-coming
young male colleague. Oh, and could she please clean out To say that the ending of The Darkness will shock you
her desk?! is an understatement—it seems to defy all the rules of
conventional crime thrillers. But Jónasson is someone who
Hulda’s initial shock quickly turns to a slow boil. We learn began translating Agatha Christie’s novels into Icelandic
that she is no stranger to discrimination, and that moving at the age of 17, so he knows a thing or two about plotting
up the ranks of the Reykjavik police department had been thrillers. This is Nordic noir with a killer twist.
tougher for her than for her male counterparts.
But even as she’s being shown the door, Hulda insists on
another assignment. More to get her out of his hair than
anything, Magnús agrees to let her spend her last two Witness the landscapes that inspired Ragnar Jónasson’s
weeks working a cold case—any cold case. thrillers on our Enhanced! Untamed Iceland adventure.
Learn More
John Bregoli has been writing for O.A.T. for more than 16 years. An avid reader, his favorite literary
quote is from Groucho Marx: “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark
to read.”
DISPATCHES • JUNE
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