Whiteout and The Mist by Ragnar Jónasson

 If you are one of the many families who gather at the cottage from far flung homes, you may also be a family who celebrate Christmas in the summer. To get in the mood there are two new mystery novels from Ragnar Jónasson, Whiteout with Detective Ari Thor Arason, and The Mist featuring Detective Hulda Hermannsdottir, both involving cases that are being investigated at Christmastime.

 Whiteout, the 5th in the Dark Iceland Series, opens with a young woman, Asta Karadottir, returning to the place of her childhood. A place where she witnessed a terrible event, something she has never admitted to anyone. When Asta is found dead, it is assumed that she has met with an accident or chosen to end her life. With both a sister and her mother dead, it is possible that this young woman had no desire to continue with her life. But, Ari Thor is not so sure. He has been called by his old boss to help with this investigation, and he reluctantly accepts the challenge.

 It is close to Christmas and Ari Thor and his partner, Kristin, are expecting the birth of their first child any day. They decide to make it a bit of a pre-Christmas holiday and come together, staying in a hotel in Blonduos, where Kristin can do some shopping while Ari Thor is working. The investigation seems quite straightforward, at least in the opinion of the lead Detective, but when there is another death it seems less clear, and Ari Thor certainly believes there is far more to be discovered about the past relationships between all of those involved. By Christmas Eve it all comes to a dramatic conclusion!

The Mist is the third in the Hulda series, and begins with Hulda returning to work after a personal leave. Perhaps she is not ready to be at work, but she is certainly ready to get out of the house. When bodies are found at a remote farmhouse Hulda is happy to get out of town and away from her troubles. The bodies have been there for some time – some longer than others. The tangled web of who is who, and why they have met their death in this place, is a puzzle that takes a good long time to figure out.

 Both stories take place in the long dark nights – and days – of winter in Iceland. We learn about Icelandic Christmas traditions – including the tradition of giving a book as a gift on Christmas Eve.

 The storms are endless and dangerous – as are the villains – and the cold so cold we can hardly imagine it on these hot hot summer days and nights.