On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer’s night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person’s life hangs in the balance.
Ari Thór Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjörður struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. What secrets does the dead man harbour, and what is the young reporter hiding? As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it’s a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies…
Dark, terrifying and complex, Blackout is an exceptional, atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland’s finest crime writers.


‘Jónasson’s books have breathed new life into Nordic Noir’ Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express

‘The darkness and cold are palpable’ Marcel Berlins, Times

‘A distinctive blend of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction … economical and evocative prose, as well as some masterful prestidigitation’ Laura Wilson, Guardian

‘Jónasson’s writing is a masterful reinvention of the Golden Age classic style, both contemporary and timeless … enclosed by the poetic beauty of the location’ Crime Review

‘A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens … first rate and highly recommended’ Lee Child

‘Ragnar Jonasson does claustrophobia beautifully’ Ann Cleeves

'A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom…’ Ian Rankin