DEATH ON THE ISLAND

Reid’s atmospheric fiction debut creates suspense through a trio of murders, each of them alternating with flashbacks providing significant details doled out in teaspoons. In a murky prologue, Kristján Gunnarsson, later identified as the mayor of Vestmannaeyjar, encounters a corpse whom we later learn was his husband, Ari. Despite his fragile emotional state, Kristján is obliged to host a diplomatic dinner at the noted Skel restaurant on Heimaey, an island off the southern coast of Iceland. The attendees include Canadian ambassador Graeme Shearer and his wife, Jane, from whose perspective this section is presented. A double blow comes when a storm prevents the nine people present from leaving and Graeme’s deputy ambassador, Kavita, suddenly collapses and dies. Subsequent chapters, beginning with “Thirteen Hours Before She Died,” march forward to the tragic event. Noteworthy revelations include Kristján’s belief that Ari was murdered and Jane’s realization that Graeme is having an affair she’s the last to learn about. Before the solution to this second murder comes another section, kicked off with “Thirty-Seven Hours Before He Dies.” Again, the story moves forward in small chunks of time before the identities of both the killer and the third victim are revealed. Reid’s status as a Canadian native and former first lady of Iceland—her husband was president from 2016 to 2024—authentically informs both the Canadian perspective and the Icelandic setting. Her cast of suspects is vivid, even if their uniqueness is sometimes lost in the swirl of the complex puzzle.

May 13, 2025 - 05:23

Reid’s atmospheric fiction debut creates suspense through a trio of murders, each of them alternating with flashbacks providing significant details doled out in teaspoons. In a murky prologue, Kristján Gunnarsson, later identified as the mayor of Vestmannaeyjar, encounters a corpse whom we later learn was his husband, Ari. Despite his fragile emotional state, Kristján is obliged to host a diplomatic dinner at the noted Skel restaurant on Heimaey, an island off the southern coast of Iceland. The attendees include Canadian ambassador Graeme Shearer and his wife, Jane, from whose perspective this section is presented. A double blow comes when a storm prevents the nine people present from leaving and Graeme’s deputy ambassador, Kavita, suddenly collapses and dies. Subsequent chapters, beginning with “Thirteen Hours Before She Died,” march forward to the tragic event. Noteworthy revelations include Kristján’s belief that Ari was murdered and Jane’s realization that Graeme is having an affair she’s the last to learn about. Before the solution to this second murder comes another section, kicked off with “Thirty-Seven Hours Before He Dies.” Again, the story moves forward in small chunks of time before the identities of both the killer and the third victim are revealed. Reid’s status as a Canadian native and former first lady of Iceland—her husband was president from 2016 to 2024—authentically informs both the Canadian perspective and the Icelandic setting. Her cast of suspects is vivid, even if their uniqueness is sometimes lost in the swirl of the complex puzzle.