For a nation with very little violent crime of its own, Iceland continues to produce some of crime fiction’s rising superstars. New to the genre—although hardly an unknown entity—Eliza Reid is dropping her debut novel in early May. For those who don’t follow Icelandic politics, Eliza Reid was the unofficial First Lady of Iceland from 2016-2024, while her husband served as President. And she also happens to be a huge fan of both crime fiction and the genre traditions that serve as its backbone.
With that in mind, it will be no surprise that Eliza Reid’s debut novel—Death on the Island—weaves together an Agatha Christie-esque closed circle crime with political subplots and a deep understanding of setting, in this case an isolated island off the coast of Iceland. Reid is a gifted storyteller who clearly understands the importance of grabbing the reader early and never letting go.
Death on the Island begins as a small group of international players descend upon the island of Heimaey for a diplomatic dinner at an exclusive restaurant. Gathering with the outsiders—each of whom has a reason for visiting and/or past connection to the island—are some of the local residents, including the mayor who has recently lost his husband in an unfortunate incident he believes could have been murder. In total, less than ten individuals are in attendance and by the end of the meal, one of them will be dead, a victim of poisoning.
As so often happens in these tales, an approaching storm strands our suspects on the island and in this case, also means that the only onsite official to investigate is a young, inexperienced police officer. This set-up allows for some amateur investigations to also commence, supplementing the police discoveries.
What is uncovered is a host of hidden secrets, some geo-political shenanigans, and the navigation of some extremely complicated marriage dynamics—all of it shrouded in the taint of toxic masculinity. Eliza Reid fills the canvas with relatable characters and enough red herrings to mislead even the most ardent crime fiction readers. Fortunately for series fans, Death on the Island will be getting a sequel in which some of the characters will make a return appearance, including our police officer Jónas.
Death on the Island is easily one of the best debut crime fiction novels of the year to date. If you haven’t yet experienced some of the excellent crime writing coming out of Iceland, Eliza Reid’s Death on the Island is a great place to start. And if you are already familiar with the nation’s crime fiction output, Death on the Island will fit very naturally into your expectations and you will no doubt anxiously await the next book from Eliza Reid.
BUY LINKS: Death on the Island by Eliza Reid
Disclaimer: A print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
