The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson tells of Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir final case with the Reykjavik police department. She’s being pushed into early retirement, but is allowed to work on one cold case of her choosing. She picks the death of a Russian woman who was found by the sea.
Hulda’s bitterness after years of mistreatment by her colleagues buoys her into solving this case and ending her career on a high note. Along the way, she steps gets in the way of active investigation, angers coworkers, and begins to see life as a retiree.
I really enjoyed this with the twists in her investigation as well as the glimpses we see that maybe her impression of the world around her isn’t accurate. As we learn more of her past, her future happiness finally seems possible. The final twist shocked me which doesn’t happen very often.
Great read, great characters, great back story.
Read March 2020
Il Libro PDX 