Synopsis
'Teacher wanted at the edge of the world...'
After the loss of her father, Una sees a chance to escape Reykjavik to tutor two girls in the tiny village of Skalar - population just ten - on Iceland's storm-battered north coast.
But city life hasn't prepared her for the unforgiving weather nor inhospitable village life. Worse, the creaky old house where she lives is playing on her already fragile mind when she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.
Then, at midwinter, a young girl is found dead.
And one of the villagers must have blood on their hands . . .
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9781405942546
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 199 x 132 x 26 mm
- Weight: 276g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A Creepy Mysterious Story
The Girl who died is another wonderful read from Ragnar Jonasson.A mixture of ghost story and mystery set in the 1980's before the technology of today .It ... READ MORE
Slow burner
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.
After seeing a job ad for a teacher at the end of the world, Una applies and finds herself teaching two children in... READ MORE
Bleak Icelandic tale
This is a dark story set in a bleak landscape. Una decides to take a job as a teacher in a small hamlet with only 10 inhabitants, including her two prospec... READ MORE
Not for me
Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, for the review copy.
This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want spoilers, please s... READ MORE
Skalar is a tiny village wants a teacher for just two girls. Will this work out for Una?
Una is not coping with life in Reykjavik and responds to an advert for a teacher in Skalar, a tiny village and only two pupils. Isolated in the depths of w... READ MORE
A stand-alone novel from this brilliant writer.
I love Ragnar Jonasson’s writing, so seeing a stand alone novel I was intrigued to see what this one would be about. After all I know I like the writing. S... READ MORE
Totally immersive
As is expected from a writer of this quality, a totally immersive story, atmospheric and claustrophobic producing an atmosphere where anything can be expec... READ MORE
Unsettling and creepy
In 1985, Una answers an advertisement for a ‘teacher at the end of the world’,which in Iceland is the village of Skalar on the Langanes peninsula, with ten... READ MORE
Slow burn chiller
If you have read Winterkill, Ragnar's previous Icelandic crime novel, you will be aware of the small, microcosm worlds that he creates around an incident a... READ MORE
A perfectly paced, atmospheric ice burn of a tale
If you have read Winterkill, Ragnar's previous Icelandic crime novel, you will be aware of the small, microcosm worlds that he creates around an incident a... READ MORE
Another masterpiece
I don’t think Ragnar Jónasson can write a bad book and this standalone is another masterpiece by this very talented author.
Mainly following the story o... READ MORE
Slow paced
I thought I liked Icelandic crime novels but I found this one so difficult to get into. Lots of descriptions of the landscape, which were very evocative. T... READ MORE
a sad noir tale with a twist.
A sad noir tale with a twist
Una lives in Reykjavik and is a mess. She mourns her father who committed suicide; she has few friends; she is drinking too m... READ MORE
Full of atmosphere
‘Teacher wanted at the edge of the world’. Una responds to this advertisement to teach just two girls in the remote hamlet of Skaler on the Langanes Penins... READ MORE
Atmospheric and gripping
Having previously read Whiteout, I had an inkling of what to expect from this book and it didn’t disappoint. I’m not a huge reader of crime or thrillers, b... READ MORE
Brilliant book
I confess to being a big fan of this author so to have an ARC of this book was a real privilege and pleasure and I genuinely think this is one of my favour... READ MORE
Icelandic Mystery
Una answers an advertisement to be a teacher in an isolated village in Iceland . She rents out her home in Reykjavik and moves. There are only 2 girls to t... READ MORE
Mystery Story set in Iceland
Brilliant. I loved this book. From beginning to end I was hooked in. Set in Iceland, a place I have visited, was a bonus for me. This is a dark story, it i... READ MORE
Atmospheric!
I’d like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girl Who Died’ written by Ragnar Jonasson in exchange ... READ MORE
Cold cold murder
The author is an Icelandic citizen residing in Iceland with an excellent world-wide reputation. The current novel is set in Iceland involving people that ... READ MORE
A claustrophobic and atmospheric thriller
Una moves to the tiny Icelandic village Skálar to be a teacher to the two girls that live there, but ghosts and murders haunt her stay – who can she really... READ MORE
A tense, moody thriller
Úna is an unhappy teacher living near Reykjavík and just barely making ends meet when her closest friend Sara shows her an interesting job listing in a rem... READ MORE
A supernatural crime thriller with an Icelandic happy ending.
This review is based on a free review .pdf from the publisher via NetGalley.co.uk
Una, a schoolteacher, becomes an economic refugee from the mid eighties ... READ MORE
Not for me!
This wasn’t the chilling and unbearably tense book that I’d hoped for. I’m really sorry but I didn’t enjoy it at all. A 30-year old teacher from Reykjavi... READ MORE
Haunting and intense
No-one does remote Icelandic locations quite like Ragnar Jónasson. This time, set in the 1980’s, it is Una, a 30 year old Reykjavík teacher who, struggling... READ MORE
More Icelandic mystery
I am a great fan of this author and remain so after this new novel. Having enjoyed the previous series there is always a little worry that something differ... READ MORE
ARC
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 nonexist... READ MORE
Excellent
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found the... READ MORE
Full of atmosphere !
This a very atmospheric and creepy tale set in Iceland telling the story of Una a schoolteacher who has taken a teaching post in a small community of just... READ MORE
Another great read
This is the fifth Ragnar Jonasson novel I have read now and he really has become an auto read for me. Still wonderfully Scandi Noir, as you would expect fr... READ MORE
Icelandic Noir at its finest
What you have in essence is a stunning piece of writing, the plotting is meticulous, the narrative sublime.
When I set out reading, I wasn’t quite sure wh... READ MORE
Great, creepy fun!
A Nordic noir with a mix of crime and supernatural elements? Sign me up!
A haunting page-turner with gothic overtones, this eerie slow-burn of a read had ... READ MORE
Not as good as I hoped
Teacher Una is struggling to make ends meet in 1980s Reykjavik, her father's suicide and the distance from her mother mean that she drinks to forget and ha... READ MORE
Very atmospheric
Very atmospheric. I got the feel of Iceland and its climate. The long dark nights and ghosts of the past. I also liked the character of Una and her difficu... READ MORE
ENGROSSING
Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favourite Nordic crime writers and here he has written a stand alone novel and was a little disappointed not to see his protag... READ MORE
An atmospheric slow burn
This is a real mix of Scandi noir, crime and the supernatural. Thirty year old Una has taken a teaching post in an extremely remote part of Iceland. She fi... READ MORE
Excellent Icelandic crime fiction!
his novel transports you to the edge of the world
Ragnar is already a favourite author of mine but he’s done something very special with this novel . He’s... READ MORE
Brilliant, as ever.
Ragnar has become my very favourite fiction writer. He is the absolute master of dark and chilling. I read this book in one sitting. He should be cloned re... READ MORE
Atmospheric mystery
An atmospheric tale of a young teacher, Una moving to a remote village in Iceland. It's a pleasant read but does not live up to the hype - a slow burner... READ MORE
A Gripping Mystery.
Following the sudden death of her father, Una is not in a good place and realises that her drinking is getting out of control. When a friend shows her an a... READ MORE