A fantastic tale of spies, deceit and murder in the Elizabethan age

Swanston clearly knows the period well and Radcliff is an engaging hero

Radcliff is a wonderful character, resourceful and intelligent . . . perfectly combines history and fiction . . . I loved every page

Beautifully done. All the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan England are there, along with an intriguing range of characters . . . Radcliff is clearly destined to appear in future books, and I think he's likely to gain some loyal fans

A colourful and gripping read . . . you can almost smell the filthy Tudor River Thames

Lawyer Christopher Radcliff is an erudite outsider with an unusual past, who turns state spy in this colourful and gripping historical novel.

Beautifully evokes the grimy and filthy streets of Elizabethan London and the plot canters along from the very first page . . . I cannot wait for the next one.

Historical fiction has never been hotter, and fans of S J Parris and Rory Clements will gulp it down in one.

I loved it . . . refreshing, engaging and never faltered from the first page to the last.

Really rich and beautifully written . . . if you’re a fan of Swanston’s other books, you’re going to absolutely love this.

Powerful, insightful and all too believable. Not knowing what is real and what isn't is the most frightening experience of all

Susi Fox has crafted a paranoia-inducing read

A compelling story of a fragmented family and the loss of innocence

A tense, well-orchestrated crime novel with a refreshingly unusual premise

A chilling and gripping original thriller by a great new talent. You'll want to race through to the scary climax

Blacklands... managed to glean the best word-of-mouth for any new crime novel in years.

A gripping read

Expertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker, The Darkness is the first book in a trilogy featuring this engaging investigator, which is good news

Chilling - a must-read

Page-turning stuff with an unexpected ending!

Was gripped from the start of this brilliantly told story. And left wide-eyed with shock at the ending

A true masterpiece . . . a plot full of twists and turns and an ending that leaves you gasping for air

As chilling as the nip in the Icelandic air

Crime fiction has never seen a character quite like Hulda Hermannsdóittir; nor a series launch so entirely willing to take risks and obliterate long-standing tropes . . . There is no doubt that The Darkness will rank as one of the most popular and powerful reading experiences of the year

Breathtaking. Read it in two sittings. Yet another instant Ragnar Jonasson classic

The Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I dare you not to be shocked.

The Darkness is Ragnar Jonasson at the top of his game - deft plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down

It had an intense, visceral sense of place and the connection between the emotional lives of the character and the landscape was evoked beautifully

It will get your pulse racing, and keep you hooked to the last page

Magnificently dark and twisted and that ending - blimey!

Praise for Ragnar Jónasson

Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best Scandi writer working today

As chilling as the nip in the Icelandic air

Superb. . . chilling . . . This is the first volume in Jonasson's Hidden Iceland trilogy, which tells Hulda's story in reverse chronological order and establishes her as one of the great tragic heroines of contemporary detective fiction

Expertly plotted, with an ending that's a true shocker, The Darkness is the first book in a trilogy featuring this engaging investigator, which is good news

Magnificently dark and twisted! That ending - blimey!

A sympathetic yet entirely unsentimental portrait of a flawed but decent detective seeking justice for a murdered Russian asylum seeker

It will get your pulse racing and keep you hooked to the last page

Crime fiction has never seen a character quite like Hulda Hermannsdóittir; nor a series launch so entirely willing to take risks and obliterate long-standing tropes . . . There is no doubt that The Darkness will rank as one of the most popular and powerful reading experiences of the year.

The Darkness is a bullet train of a novel, at once blazingly contemporary and Agatha-Christie old-fashioned. With prose as pure and crisp as Reykjavik snowcrust, Ragnar Jónasson navigates the treacherous narrative with a veteran's hand. I reached the end with adrenalized anticipation, the final twist hitting me in the face. I dare you not to be shocked

The Darkness is Ragnar Jónasson at the top of his game - deft plotting, a great central character and a story as chilling as the Icelandic winter. I couldn't put it down

Another masterpiece from the King of Icelandic Noir

Unbearably sinister

The Darkness is a true masterpiece of a crime novel, introducing an original protagonist, a plot full of twists and turns and an ending that leaves you gasping for air

Praise for Ragnar Jónasson

No country associated with the label Nordic noir is as bleak, cold, snowy and empty as Iceland. And no crime writer portrays those elements as evocatively and scarily as Ragnar Jonasson

A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens... first rate and highly recommended

A modern take on Agatha Christie-­-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom . . .

Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir

Distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction...atmospheric...economical and evocative prose

Seductive ... an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully

The ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach

Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir ...all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone

Hulda Hermannsdottir is a welcome addition to the selection of Icelandic crime fiction protagonists . . . It is almost impossible to put the book down until the last word has been read

Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie

The threads lie in various places, the plot is well woven and the pieces in the puzzle come together well in the end. The structure is good, the main characters are believable, the story flows well, everyone is a suspect á la Agatha Christie and the solution unveils the mystery and leads the readers to the truth. But not all the truth, as some things are better left hidden

A very good book, gripping and interesting, with all the threads carefully managed. Hopefully the author will publish as many books as possible with lead character Hulda