Ragnar Jonasson unveils Death at the Sanitorium in Iceland

Ragnar Jonasson, an Icelandic author and law professor, has a deep admiration for Agatha Christie, having translated over a dozen of her works into Icelandic since he was 17. His latest novel features a complex murder mystery set in a former tuberculosis sanitorium in northern Iceland, where a nurse was brutally murdered thirty years ago. The case was initially closed when the chief physician, one of the suspects, died under suspicious circumstances, leading police to conclude it was a suicide. Years later, Helgi Reykdal, a college student, decides to investigate the cold case for his criminology thesis. His research leads him to interview former staff and police involved in the original investigation, but he encounters fear and deception instead of clarity. As he delves deeper, it becomes evident that the truth surrounding the nurse's murder is being actively concealed. The tension escalates when individuals Helgi interviews begin to turn up dead, suggesting that someone is determined to keep the past buried. Helgi's personal background adds another layer to the narrative; he is the son of a mystery bookshop owner and shares a passion for classic murder mysteries, which he often reads to escape his troubled home life. The novel, originally written in Icelandic and translated into English, maintains Jonasson's signature style of intricate plotting and unexpected twists, reminiscent of Christie's work. Despite some clichéd expressions in the translation, the essence of the story remains intact, promising readers a gripping and suspenseful experience.