Ragnar Jonasson

The Girl Who Died

Jemima Scott

Melissa Railey

THE NAIL-BITING NEW STORY FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR "Is this the best crime writer in the world today? If you're looking for a mystery to get lost in during lockdown..." —The Times, UK "A world-class crime writer...One of the most astonishing plots of modern crime fiction" —Sunday Times, UK "It is nothing less than a landmark in modern crime fiction." —The Times, UK From Ragnar Jónasson, the award-winning author of the international bestselling Ari Thór series, The Girl Who Died is a standalone thriller about a young woman seeking a new start in a secluded village where a small community is desperate to protect its secrets. Teacher Wanted At the Edge of the World Una wants nothing more than to teach, but she has been unable to secure steady employment in Reykjavík. Her savings are depleted, her love life is nonexistent, and she cannot face another winter staring at the four walls of her shabby apartment. Celebrating Christmas and ringing in 1986 in the remote fishing hamlet of Skálar seems like a small price to pay for a chance to earn some teaching credentials and get her life back on track. But Skálar isn’t just one of Iceland’s most isolated villages, it is home to just ten people. Una’s only students are two girls aged seven and nine. Teaching them only occupies so many hours in a day and the few adults she interacts with are civil but distant. She only seems to connect with Thór, a man she shares an attraction with but who is determined to keep her at arm’s length. As darkness descends throughout the bleak winter, Una finds herself more often than not in her rented attic space—the site of a local legendary haunting—drinking her loneliness away. She is plagued by nightmares of a little girl in a white dress singing a lullaby. And when a sudden tragedy echoes an event long buried in Skálar’s past, the villagers become even more guarded, leaving a suspicious Una seeking to uncover a shocking truth that’s been kept secret for generations.

A Novel

shellybn

Ragnar Jónasson

PRE-ORDER THE NAIL-BITING NEW STORY FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Is this the best crime writer in the world today? If you're looking for a mystery to get lost in during lockdown . . .' The Times 'A world-class crime writer . . . One of the most astonishing plots of modern crime fiction' Sunday Times 'It is nothing less than a landmark in modern crime fiction' The Times ________ 'TEACHER WANTED ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD . . .' Una knows she is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps. So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape. But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom of the old house where she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing. Una worries that she's losing her mind. And then, just before midwinter, a young girl from the village is found dead. Now there are only nine villagers left - and Una fears that one of them has blood on their hands . . . ________ 'A creepy tale' The Times 'Invigorating Iceland-set slice of Nordic Noir' Daily Mail 'A mist-shrouded blend of horror and psychological thriller . . . works in every way' Booklist Praise for Ragnar Jónasson 'This is Icelandic noir of the highest order, with Jonasson's atmospheric sense of place, and his heroine's unerring humanity shining from every page' Daily Mail 'Triumphant conclusion. Chilling, creepy, perceptive, almost unbearably tense' Ian Rankin 'This is such a tense, gripping read' Anthony Horowitz 'Brilliantly effective. Each book enraptures us' The Times Literary Supplement 'Superb . . . chilling . . . one of the great tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction' Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month 'A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens. First rate and highly recommended' Lee Child 'Chilling - a must-read' Peter James 'A stunningly atmospheric story. Pitch-perfect, beautifully paced. Ragnar Jónasson is at the top of his game, and a master of the genre' Will Dean 'Darkly claustrophobic . . . Perfect mid-winter reading' Ann Cleeves

The Girl Who Died

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