The Mist

The third in Jónasson’s “Hidden Iceland” series (following The Island) features Reykjavík detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir, who is called in to investigate a double murder on a farm deep in the Icelandic countryside while she is still dealing with undisclosed problems with her husband and daughter. Though uncertain that she is ready for such an assignment, Hulda accepts, knowing that if she doesn’t, her abilities as a female detective will forever be in question. At the same time, she is haunted by the yet unsolved disappearance of a young woman who set out to explore the country and hasn’t been heard from since. The narrative alternates between Christmas 1987, when Hulda’s slowly revealed family problems first began and the murders occurred, and February 1988, when the murders are discovered and investigated.