In the north of Iceland stands a sanatorium, once used for treating cases of tuberculosis, but it has an even darker past. In 1983, a nurse was killed – strangled but with fingers cut off. Soon after, the blame was placed on a doctor who committed suicide and the people involved drifted away.

In 2012, Helgi Reykdal is finishing his doctorate in criminology on the case at the sanatorium. As he begins to interview the five people – those who are willing to talk to him at least – he begins to see that the truth doesn’t quite fit the facts. And when one of the suspects is attacked, it seems that Helgi has uncovered much more than he bargained for…

I was looking forward to this one. I’ve not read much of Ragnar Jónasson’s work, and he’s often been touted as an author that should suit my tastes. He is “One of the finest crime writers in the world today” according to the Daily Fail Mail and I’ve seen plenty of comparisons to Christie.

I suppose the Christie comparison here would be to Five Little Pigs, as there are, according to the blurb, just five suspects (which isn’t exactly true but never mind) and it’s about a cold case. But that’s not a fair comparison to either author.

What Jónasson is doing here is telling a tale more about Helgi and his investigation rather than setting a mystery for the reader to solve. To guess, maybe, but this isn’t a clued mystery and doesn’t try to be.

The time jumps (from 1983 to 2012 and back again) are well done and adds to the tale, and the translation is good, giving a sense of another culture while still being completely accessible and understandable. The characters are well drawn and I was gripped all the way through to see what he was going to pull out of the hat.

I suppose there are two stories here, Helgi’s personal life and the murders, and I found the resolution to both a little flat. The first takes a while to reveal the core idea which I think most readers will guess, and the second… well, the solution is just a bit too ordinary for me, and relies on information that the reader gets very late.

All in all, it’s a very good read and definitely worth your time, but if you go in expecting a brain-twisting clue-fest, you might well be disappointed.

Death At The Sanatorium is out in hardback and ebook from Penguin on 22^nd August. Many thanks to the publisher for the review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.