The Girl Who Died: The chilling Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year 2021

All as advertised and as expected.

Well written, atmospheric and a few twists.You can sense exactly where you are in beautiful Iceland - but not many people would want to be here!Will search out more books by this author for sure.

I have read all of the author's books with great admiration. This one, though, I couldn't take to at all. I actually thought I had read bits of the story elsewhere, in particular the supposed ghost in the attic of a little girl seemed particularly familiar. Although it references to a past crime it was more of a ghost story than a crime, with no detective involved. The main character, Una, is a bit of a sad case who seems willing to sacrifice everything on a potential love affair with someone who (in my interpretation) couldn't care less about her. The ending just brought to mind an image straight from 'The Shining'. I much preferred the Dark Iceland series.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't understand the negative reviews. Ragnar Jonasson is a master in writing crime fiction which is set in Iceland. It's easy to read, has a relatable central character, several storylines which tie together at the end, and covers some dark themes.

I did enjoy this book, its setting in Iceland and a somewhat Christmas theme which is nice at this time of the year. I have read a lot by this author, and find the English translation (which I assume is not doing justice to the writing) makes the whole reading experience too light, not enough depth in the writing style to keep me from skip reading along to the end. So.. 3 stars unfortunately from me.

Love this author and always look out for anything new from him, not disappointed

The Girl Who Died is a stand alone Icelandic noir novel from one of Iceland's best mystery writers. His stories are well written, grab and hold the reader's attention and feature well rounded convincing characters.Our heroine, Una, at a lull in her life, answers an advertisement for a teacher to educate two young girls in an isolated hamlet of just eleven souls at Iceland's most remote point. From her arrival there is an atmosphere of distrust from the residents. She makes some minor inroads into the community but one by one they are shut off before any meaningful relationships can develop. The atmosphere of alienation is well done by the author and the mystery develops its grip.There are spooky sightings and sounds in the reputedly haunted house in which she lodges for which Ragnar Jonasson nicely provides the reader a choice of possible explanations.Interspersed with chapters about Una's experiences with the distant and insular villagers are chapters voiced by an enigmatic female banged up after police framed her for a notorious murder some years before. The two narrative threads start to come together and tension racks up entertainingly as we enter the last 10% of the novel.And then: Phut! The story deflates like a perished balloon: no thrill, no denouement, no satisfaction. Una simply accepts the explanation for the unfriendliness with all its immoral connotations. The true victims - those who could still benefit from justice as well as those beyond earthly justice - are simply dumped from what is left of the novel, and we last encounter Una being finally accepted by… well I won't spoil it; Mr Jonasson will do that without my help. At its end, he Girl Who Died screams out for a satisfactory resolution of the moral tangle of the injustices; it doesn't provide any. I actually flicked back and forth on my Kindle thinking I'd missed a few chapters; but no, I hadn't. Incredibly, the author really had finished the novel that badly/lazily.Come on, Mr Jonasson: you've proved you're a better storyteller than this. Tell us the story right to a satisfying end.

Pretty standard stuff. Young woman gets a teaching job in a small remote Icelandic village. Usual thing..dark history and secrets. Also a kind of vague ghostly presence.Ragnar Jonasson has written better books than this.Check out the Ari Thör stories.