The Blood Strand

Faroes #1

by Chris Ould

Having left the Faroes as a child, Jan Reyna is now a British police detective, and the islands are foreign to him. But he is drawn back when his estranged father is found unconscious with a shotgun by his side and someone else’s blood at the scene. Then a man’s body is washed up on an isolated beach. Is Reyna’s father responsible?

Looking for answers, Reyna falls in with local detective Hjalti Hentze. But as the stakes get higher and Reyna learns more about his family and the truth behind his mother’s flight from the Faroes, he must decide whether to stay, or to forsake the strange, windswept islands for good.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Nordic Noir, Audiobook, Procedural, Mystery Thriller

441 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2016

About the author

Chris Ould is a BAFTA award winning screenwriter who has worked on TV shows including The Bill, Soldier Soldier, Casualty and Hornblower. Chris has previously published two adult novels, and the second of his series of Young Adult crime novels, The Killing Street, was published by Usborne in June 2013.

Reviews

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I haven’t really shut up about this book for a month in my daytime job as a bookseller, as it is set apart from much of crime fiction by the largely unfurrowed terrain of its Faroe islands setting. With a similarity in its premise to Peter May’s excellent Hebridean trilogy of a mainland detective returning to the stamping grounds of their youth, and replete with the sense of place exhibited in Ann Cleeves’ Shetland books, I was soon immersed in this far from everyday tale of island folk. What Ould achieves in spades with this book is a seamless intertwining of the mysterious and beautiful but harsh setting of the Faroes themselves, fully bolstered by an intriguing and sinister plot. There is a real sense that the author has absorbed completely the language, traditions and unique character of this location, and as much as I was gripped by the excellent plot, my enjoyment of reading was further enhanced by the revealing of a way of life that I had not encountered before. Ould homes in on the discreet character of the Faroese with their natural respect for the privacy of the individual, and the difficulties this presents in our detectives’ investigation, the differences between the inhabitants of each separate island, and the story is peppered with examples of the vernacular adding an authenticity to the book overall. I was also completely taken with the two main police protagonists, the returning prodigal son Jan Reyna and local detective Hjalti Hentze, with both men exhibiting shades of light and dark as more of their character was slowly revealed as the tricky investigation progresses. Also, satisfyingly Ould has managed to maintain a further air of mystery about Reyna in particular, no doubt to be revealed in future books. There is an easy sense of professionalism and growing friendship between the two men, and I liked the camaraderie and their individual tenacity in their slightly different investigative styles that becomes apparent. Probably due to Ould’s extensive screenwriting experience, the plot unfolds at an assured pace, and contains both suspense and surprise along the way and delighted to say that I was very impressed indeed…

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great surprise. It's not an action packed thriller but rather a thinking man's murder/police procedural.

It focuses on 2 men who are cops. Jan is returning to the place of his birth for the first time since his mother fled the Faroe Islands. His estranged (and wealthy) father is seriously ill & he's not sure what to expect from family members who are strangers.

The other man is Hjalti, the local detective investigating a murder which involves Jan's family. As the 2 cops spend more time together, they find their similarities outweigh their differences.

Hjalti's an interesting guy whose quiet demeanour masks a sharp eye & keen intelligence. He hasn't had to deal with a lot of murder on the islands & as he consults Jan, they slowly develop a grudging mutual respect & friendship.

The cast includes local cops, Jan's family members & colourful islanders. The geography & weather of the Faroes play heavily in the story & there's a distinct sense of place. It can be beautiful or bleak depending on the day & this is mirrored by Jan's emotions. He desperately wants to understand why she committed suicide years earlier. But as he questions long lost cousins, he gets the impression each has a private agenda that informs their version of the truth.

This is a smart, intricate murder mystery full of great characters, family secrets & atmospheric settings. Hopefully there's more to come & I'd recommend it for fans of Ann Cleeves' "Shetland" & Peter May's "Blackhouse" series.

[Alex Cantone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half the places I saw remained anonymous and impossible to interpret, and it bothered me less. Inside these unidentifiable, precisely-designed buildings there might be production lines or offices, or maybe nothing at all. Whatever the case, it was none of my business – or anyone else’s – to know. Private; discrete; without show. The Faroese way.

English police detective Jan Reyná returns to the treeless Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic where he was born, leaving at the age of three with his mother. He had been back briefly as a teenager, taking on his father, local businessman Signar Ravnsfjall, who had remarried and now had a grown family. The old man has suffered a stroke, prompting Jan’s return, meeting his half-brothers and a cousin in less than congenial circumstances, a mystery surrounding the large amount of cash, a shotgun and unexplained blood stains found in his father’s car. When a man’s body is washed up on a beach with gunshot wounds Jan is befriended by local detective, Hjalti Hentze, and together they try to piece together the man’s last movements.

This is a stylish murder mystery, set in an atmospheric location where the inhabitants keep their secrets close. The narrative switches between the two men as their investigations overlap, Hentze seeking a murderer, Reyná information on his mother, who died when he was young, leaving him to be brought up by an aunt.

It was nearly seven o’clock now and the streets were deserted. It felt as if the entire population had withdrawn to safety; taking shelter from some imminent disaster or storm, leaving only strangers like me outside in my ignorance.

Character-driven, with a slow but intense feel, I was drawn into this book, guided by the helpful map of the Faroes, as I was with The Fire Pit, third book in the trilogy, which I picked up and read a couple of years back.

Recommended for lovers of a thoughtful mystery.

[Icewineanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book of a new mystery series set in the Faroe Islands. The main character, detective Jan Reyna, was taken from the Faroes as a child when his mother left his father. He grew up in Britain but is now back to see his estranged father & explore his roots. Of course he becomes involved in a murder that is somehow connected to his father and even though he has no official status there, he's right in the thick of things.

I enjoyed learning about the Faroes, and its people immensely. Next to no graphic violence, it's more of a straight forward puzzler with plenty of family drama thrown in. Oddly, it actually felt more like a translated novel even though the author lives & writes in the UK. Also the ending leaves you with a few questions which I'm sure will be answered in the next two installments.
But I loved the change of pace & really look forward to the next one in this series. Highly recommended!

[Rukky]

I found it at the dollar store and it was only $1 so yay! It feels weird owning a book...but I hope I like it.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan Reyna was born in the Faroes Islands, but after his parents' divorce when he was 3 years old, he and his mother left for England. Now nearing 40 (I think) he has returned because Signar, his father, is in the hospital having suffered a severe stroke. Signar was found in a somewhat isolated spot and the policeman who found him thought perhaps he was dead. At first it was thought there was foul play as there was blood on the inside of the door. No, as it turned out, the blood was not a match. Whose was it?

In not too many more pages, a body is found on the beach. Because it is such a small community, Hyalti Henze, the investigator on the, scene recognizes the dead man. As a policeman in England, Jan Reyna has been invited to come to the scene. The question now arises, was this a murder or an accidental death?

The writing is good enough and, while the characterizations might not be actually fully-fleshed, those of the two main characters especially are good enough. This is not like a lot of mysteries where all of the possible suspects are known to the reader. Instead, the plot develops much as I think an actual crime investigation would go. There are theories and as one lead is followed, more is learned. The solution doesn't necessarily follow the original theories.

This is the first in a series, most probably a trilogy. I'm inclined to fill in a 4th star, and, because I liked it well enough I might find myself in front of the next one, I think it sits above the middle of that group.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a crime series set in the Faroe Islands, a place with its own language, culture and sense of community. Into this foreign setting comes Midlands police detective Jan Reyna - but it is not his first time there as he was born on the islands but taken away by his mother as a toddler when her marriage broke up. Now Jan is back to visit his estranged father who was found in his car in an isolated lay-by having apparently suffered a stroke. However, police interest has been sparked by the discovery of blood at the scene and a discharged shotgun - even more so following the subsequent discovery of a young man's body on a local beach. Local detective Hjalti Hentze enlists the professional expertise of Jan, despite the possible links to his estranged family and against the wishes of his boss....
This was a very atmospheric book and I really loved the harsh and often bleak island setting where it seems to be either raining or the rain has just stopped or about to start! The characters were good with scope for future development as the series progresses and the crime/s themselves were intriguing, as was the eventual resolution. It was quite odd that the sections involving Jan were written in the first person whereas the rest was written in a third person reporting style. Even the author seemed to get confused with this as at one point (Part 1, chapter 8) Jan says 'I shook his head' when it should have been 'I shook MY head'! Not the best crime series that I've read - certainly prefer Ann Cleeves' Shetland series which are brilliant - but I'm not averse to reading the next in the series to see how the characters develop - 8/10.

[Ninaminacat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings but glad I persevered

I am a fan of the detective genre and have a penchant for Scandi crime, so the unusual setting of the Faroe Islands (which I have visited) really appealed to me, as did the concept of the involvement of a British detective returning to the country of his birth.

It all started so well, with Jan Reyna seeming to be an engaging character. I liked his internal struggle to decide what he made of the islands and their inhabitants and found this a satisfying story to run in parallel with the investigation. However as I read on, I didn't find either storyline was truly keeping my attention and I was also disappointed that the descriptions didn't transport me to the Faroes. I did consider giving up, but I really don't like leaving a book unfinished.

It's lucky that I did persevere, because the investigation becomes much more engrossing towards the end of the book and it was satisfying to be right about what had happened - well, almost...

In the latter part of the book, the descriptions of the weather closing in and the sheer isolation of some of the locations were also very evocative of these unique islands.

I will no doubt read another Hentze and Reyna case, partly because of the setting and partly to see how the characters develop.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, thoughtful mystery. Slow, but not because it's uninteresting. Tense and suspenseful in the right places.

I loved visiting a place I had never heard of, the Faroe Islands. They are near but independent from Denmark, with their own language and island culture. Without feeling I was being described to, I felt quite present in the place--not an easy trick for this reader.

The protagonist is originally from the islands, but raised in England, and working as a police detective there when he gets a call that his father, who he never really knew, is in bad shape in the hospital. Natural causes? Accident? Attempted murder?

Intertwined plots follow the protagonist's search for his own past and a developing crime story.

This one was good enough to continue with the second in the series. Not so compelling that I'm in a hurry for the next one, but good enough to pick up the next one at the right time.

[Jacqie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Popsugar 2022: a book with a misleading title

To explain the misleading title thing: I can't think of what the title has to do with the book, except that the main character is tenuously linked to the family under investigation. Also, my German-speaking brain keeps translating it into "Blood Beach" so I'm misleading myself too. I guess there is a body found on a beach but it's not bloody.

So, I read this because I was planning a trip to the Faroe Islands. This book does a great job of getting across the feel of the place and the people.

The basic premise is that a British cop on leave is drawn back to the Faroes(where he was born) because his father has been badly hurt and is in the hospital. Jan Reyna was taken from the islands by his mother and he is VERY estranged from his father. In this book, he starts to get to know his two younger half-brothers.

The Faroe Islands only have a population of about 50,000 people. The largest town, Torshavn, has fewer than 14,000 residents. This means that the police aren't especially used to investigating murders. When the officer assigned to the case, Hjalti Hentze, meets Jan, he sees a possible ally and resource. Of course, it's not impossible for Jan to be considered a suspect so this strains belief a bit, but it gets Jan access to information he might not otherwise have.

Jan's father owns a fishing company that I'm pretty sure is based on Bakkafrost, the largest employer in the Faroe Islands and the third largest fish farming company in the world (focused mostly on salmon farming). This makes the family very influential and powerful. Jan takes trips around the islands to gather information about both the case and his past. He's never known why his mother (who is dead) left and is at least as interested in that as the mystery of who hurt his father.

I had a feeling I knew the culprit, but that was okay with me. I found the book to be atmospheric and the Scandinavian culture felt familiar enough to me with my German farming ancestry and the pragmatic, durable, unemotional (at least openly) people it produced. I'm definitely up for reading the next book!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Faroes setting was the standout feature of this book. The characters were engaging, but the mystery doesn't follow the classic whodunnit format - the killer is not anybody that we've been introduced to - it's more of a police procedural, although the police of the Faroe Islands seem more relaxed about regulations on conflict of interest, interviewing underage witnesses, etc, than any police force I can imagine. But it was a good read, and I'm glad I was given the next two in the series. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an aficionado of Nordic Noir, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading 'the Blood Strand', set in the Faroe Islands. Chris Oulds gives the reader a glimpse into life on these islands, rugged and isolated, midway between Norway and Iceland. The remoteness of the Faroes really appeals to me and Oulds intertwines the plot of this book with descriptions of the geography and Faroese way of life.

The Blood Strand introduces detective Jan Reyna, born in the Faroes, but having left the islands as a young boy. He returns when he learns that his father, from whom he is estranged, is potentially on his death bed. Reyna, who is on leave from the UK CID (we learn that he is actually suspended although the reason for this remains undisclosed), becomes involved in the investigation around the reason for his father's near death experience.

The plot has a few twists and turns and while not the most riveting story kept me interested the entire way through. I found a real connection with Reyna, his mood, propensity to being a bit on the closed side, and the fact that he battles with some sort of depression, often referred to as the black dog nipping at his heels. Oulds leaves us with enough that is unknown about Reyna that I imagine will be unpacked in the subsequent Faroes novels. These will definitely both go on my 'to read' shelf.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting of this mystery (first of three) is interesting: The Faroes, an island group between Iceland and Norway (but belonging to Denmark) with a population of 45,000. Like Peter May's books (set in the Hebrides) or Anne Cleve's (set in the Shetlands), Ould's chosen setting gives the book a slightly different feel than I aam used to. The main character, Jan Reyna, left the Faroes with his mother when he was three. She killed herself when he was five, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. His only contact with life in the Faroes came when he returned as a teen to accost his father, who had not sought to raise him (or so he assumed), and to find out what had driven his mother to leave. He still doesn't know why she left or why she committed suicide, but he does know that his father has had a stroke after involvement in something suspicious.

Reyna is now an English police inspector. He is under suspension for something about an investigation that went wrong, so he lingers in the Faroes even after it becomes clear that his father won't recover. He is a cop, after all, and the circumstances of his father's stroke (a discharged shotgun, someone else's blood on the outside of his car, a bruise to his head) catch his interest, just as his need to unravel the circumstances of his mother's life remains strong. He finds that he has two half-brothers (one hostile and one welcoming), an aunt, and several cousins, all of them somehow connected both to his mother's history and his father's fate.

The book's plot unfolds in a leisurely fashion (maybe a mark against it), but the characters are of interest; e.g., the cop who is in charge of the investigation, the cousin who describes herself as a counselor but is a psychotherapist, the welcoming brother, and Reyna himself. If the crime's solution is a bit of an anticlimax (though it works once I thought about it a bit, hinging on a mildly brilliant assumption by the murderer), the set-up for the next two books is strong, and there are more things to learn about Reyna.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in a trilogy set in the Faroes. Looking forward to reading the next two!

I absolutely loved this book. I am a great fan of Scandinavian thrillers both on TV and in books and this is in a similar vein. The action takes place on the Faroes. I have never been there but have been to Iceland so had an idea of this type of place. However, everything is slightly down-scaled as the Faroes are not quite as distant as Iceland and the action is not quite as dramatic as some novels of this ilk that I have read. If anything, this made this book even better. The atmosphere, landscape and weather of the Faroes are so well described that you almost feel you are there. Chris Old is an award-winning screenwriter and he is obviously a born author.

The actual plot is also enthralling. It revolves around Jan Reyna, who is a British detective who left the Faroes as a young child with his mother and until the story begins, has only returned once to see his estranged father which ended badly. However, when his father is found unconscious with a shotgun at his side and is rushed to hospital in a coma, Jan feels obliged to visit his father for what could be the last time. A body is then found washed up on the beach and the blood in his father’s car matches this victim.

We are introduced to Jan’s family, two half-brothers with their own problems and various cousins, who all seem to know a little about Jan’s history. Jan encounters the local detective, Halt Hertz, an unassuming character who wants to do his police work correctly and efficiently. The two men become good friends and work together to try and solve the murder.

This was one of those books that you just have to keep reading. There are so many strands, not only regarding the central murder plot, but also Jan’s interaction with his family members, his desire to find out why his mother, who died when Jan was six, left his father and the potential burgeoning friendship with his cousin Frida. Although the murder is solved in this book there are many areas left open and the reader is left wanting more.

Fortunately this is a trilogy and even more, fortunately, I am going to be able to read and review them both.

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

[Christopher Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was really good. First in series set in Faroe Islands with Jan Reyna returning to his birthplace for the first time, following his father having a stroke. The characters are great especially Hjalti and some of the other Faroe Island police and the place is described very well too.
Looking forward to reading the next two!

[Christal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kate Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book beckoned me when I wasn’t reading it, so caught was I by the sense of Faroe its terrain and the people. It was a good solid detective story set in this fascinating context. So much to learn of life on these islands.

[Olivia Maine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ it would be better if it was all in English. I might have understood some things better.

[Macky · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5⭐️

[Wendy Hearder-moan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking forward to the rest of this series, set in the Faroe Islands, a part of the world I know nothing about. This first one reminded me of Peter May’s Hebrides series and Ann Cleves’s Shetland.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two years ago I read another crime novel set in the Faroes, and I've become intrigued with these remote islands that are found between Iceland and Norway. Author Chris Ould gives readers a good feel for the setting and the customs of the people and even provides a brief basic pronunciation guide to the language which comes in very handy (although the book is not overloaded with Faroese words).

Local policeman Hjalti Hentze was my favorite character, due in part to the fact that he explained local procedure and customs, but also because of his dedication and attitude. Jan Reyna, on the other hand, was abrasive and secretive-- understandable when readers take into consideration that he was spirited away from his home as a small child and-- to his knowledge-- none of his Faroese family tried to get in touch with him. We soon learn that one of the secrets he's hanging tight to involves his life in the UK, and we should be learning more about that in the next books in the proposed trilogy.

Reyna's negative attitude toward most of what he encountered in the islands made me a bit impatient with him, and it was interesting to see how the author dealt with this as the story progressed.

There's an awful lot to like about this book, but I found it hampered by "too much middle" which slowed the pace down to a crawl. Yes, a small part of that slowness was due to the fact that most of the evidence had to be flown to Copenhagen for analysis (the Faroes are a part of Denmark), but it cannot be held accountable for it all.

Chris Ould has a marvelous setting and two main characters that deserve to be fleshed out even more. Although I did find The Blood Strand to have a flaw or two, I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Ould's previous outings as a screen writer and author of YA crime fiction titles means that he has brought a polished style to THE BLOOD STRAND which promises to be the beginning of a trilogy, even perhaps a series.

Faroes-born Jan Reyna comes back to the Faroes from England because his father has been shot and seems to be dying. His adoptive parents encourage him to attempt one last reconciliation. Inevitably his policeman's detective brain kicks in and he realises there are mysteries to be solved. He meets up with his half-brothers, one of whom is very hostile, the other very friendly, and so he decides to approach the police to see what they have found out. This leads to him teaming up with local policeman Hjalti Hentze, in an unofficial way, becoming part of the investigative team. At first he is treated by Hentze's boss as a suspect, but then it becomes clear that he could really have had nothing to do with the original incident. Faroese police procedures are a little different to British ones and so he looks at the crimes scenes with different eyes.

As the book progresses we learn little snippets of Reyna's background but the author keeps us constantly hungry for more.

As I usually do, I weighed the clues up, and came up with a workable scenario which led to the shooting of Jan's father and then explained the subsequent chain of action. But I was wrong!

I very much enjoyed the unique setting of the novel too.

Jan Reyna and Hjalti Hentze make an interesting and effective team and I look forward to meeting them again in

THE KILLING BAY due to be published Feb 2017
THE FIRE PIT dues to be published Feb 2018.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blood Strand is the first book in a new detective series that is set in the Faroe Islands. At the start of the novel there is a map showing the location of the Faroes and a guide on pronunciation. I was grateful for both, not knowing where they were and I am one of those readers that prefer to pronounce characters names correctly.
Jan had left the Faroes with his mother when he was very young and apart from a disastrous visit in his teens had no contact with his father. Neither had he met any of the other members of his family.
He had recently been suspended from his job with the British police but details are only hinted at, and his family in the UK encouraged him to make the trip to see his father.
He develops a good relationship with Hjalti Hentz, the investigating officer who is frustrated by the lack of interest shown by his supervisor. Jan offers advice and tells him how he would look at the case if it had occurred in the UK. The investigation into his father is only part of the story. Jan also wanted to understand why his mother left the islands but was struggling to get any answers. I have a feeling that more will be revealed in future novels. I thought I had solved the case but I was mistaken. There were quite a few twists that I hadn't seen.
Jan's account is told in the first person and the rest of the novel is told in the third person. I found it worked quite well, even when it switched frequently. I found the novel to be much lighter than Nordic Noir novels that I have read in the past. Maybe because it is told by an outsider's point of view.

I would like to thank Titan Books for the copy received for review.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blood Strand is the first in a new police procedural series set in the Faroes. It very much has the feel of Scandinavian crime fiction, with its low key and realist telling and emphasis on place and family. The tale tells the story of British detective Jan Reyna’s return to the islands he left as a child and his contribution to a murder investigation in which is father is a suspect. Reyna’s outsider status enables Ould to introduce both the character and reader to Faroes landscape and community, with local detective Hjalti Hentze and his cousin Frida Solsker, a counsellor, acting as guides. The characterisation is nicely done, with Reyna and Hentze both being strong, thoughtful, silent, pragmatic types, who cut through politics to get the job done. The story unfolds at a steady pace, with Ould carefully stitching together the two main plot lines – Reyna’s reluctant quest to find out more about his family and the investigation into the murder of a local man – and working in plenty of clues and doubts, and feints and twists towards the end, and a nice denouement. I was never quite convinced that the Faroes police would engage so thoroughly with a visiting British police officer whose father is heavily implicated in the death, but Ould makes the premise just about plausible. Overall, a strong start to the series and I’m looking forward to reading the next, The Killing Bay, due for publication in 2017.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok - I had never heard of the Faroes Islands so that was kind of interesting. The main character, Jan Reyna, was originally from there but his mom left is father and he hasn't been back since he was a kid. He is a cop and takes a vacation (we find out later he is suspended) because he hears that his father is dying and he decides to see if he can get some answers about his mother's life, why she left, why she committed suicide, etc. While there he gets involved in a murder investigation.

So it moves very slowly - and I think if you read a lot of mysteries you can figure out who the bad guy is as soon as you 'meet' him - I wasn't that interested in Jan's back story and found myself annoyed that nothing ever really got resolved - we never learn why his is suspended nor much about his mother - I suspect that information will be doled out over the next few books. So if like me, you don't care about that, it means that the next few books aren't high on my list to read.

Like I said it was ok - I am not going to look for more of these and in a few weeks I won't remember what this is about -but if I saw one in an airport or in a hotel - sure I would pick it up and read. I know that seems like I a 'damning with faint praise' but believe me there are lots of authors I would NOT pick up and read no matter how desperate I was.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read again 5/2019 for bookclub discussion. I liked this just as much the second time round. This time, I noticed the conversational style, the occasional sarcasm and humor intertwined with the police procedural. A few red herrings, but not so much to lead you astray, just real world incidentals that sometimes lead to wrong conclusions. Now I’m ready to binge on the rest of the trilogy!

This book came highly recommended as a smart crime novel, and did not disappoint. Despite the title, this is not a gory or gruesome book (maybe one paragraph)!
I had never heard of Faroes Island, a Danish controlled territory between Iceland and Norway, in the North Atlantic. Rainy, cold and dark much of the year, but the book was not bleak as often felt in novels based on islands off the coast of Newfoundland.
I knew at the start this was the first book of a trilogy (I would prefer to binge read and not wait for second installment). Although primary murder was resolved, it still felt like some loose ends and characters left in limbo.
I recommend listening to audio book for accents and pronunciations.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I decided to read it based on the fact it took place on the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory between Iceland and the UK. Very few destinations draw me in, but there are some in this world. An English detective returns to the Faroes because his estranged father is dying, and gets caught up in a murder investigation with a Faroe detective. Several twists and turns, and a good complex mystery. Recommended.

[Leanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtle, bleak and compelling. The building of tension and pace was impeccably smooth, and the characters and procedural work were quite believable. Masterful work.

Full review @ thecrimereview.com.

[Shea Nagel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. Again, I love Scandinavian noir. And I didn't know anything about the Faroe Islands, so it was interesting to learn more about the country. But the main character is very dismissive of the people and the culture and the land. He (the main character and seemingly the author) is terribly misogynistic. Ugh. His female characters are flat and usually talked about dismissively. Even the male characters blend together. Nothing really makes them stand out from one another. And this may just be a result of the types of names they have in the Faroes but way too many characters whose names start with the letter H! Made it really hard to tell them apart. Also - so many theories it's not exactly clear what happened.
Characters:
Ketty and Peter: aunt and uncle, raised Jan in UK
Jan Reyna: Mother left Faroes with him when he was 3. She eventually committed suicide and he went to live with Ketty and Peter. Book alternates between his first person accounts and 3rd person accounts (which is annoying and doesn't seem to serve narrative purpose)
Lydia - Jan's mother
Signar Ravnsfjall: his father, his mother divorced and left him. Rich man in Faroes, Jan goes to Faroes because he has been found at wheel of car in unusual place, had a stroke, never really regains consciousness while Jan is there. Has lots of money in trunk (apparently to confront who was blackmailing Kristian) Jan only sees him twice, even though that's why he supposedly went to Faroes in the first place. Jan had only seen him once before when he was 17 and they got in a fight.
Magnus: Jan's brother. Took over Signar's business. Doesn't really like Jan.
Frioa Solker: Jan's cousin. Her mother is Signar's sister, Ester. She has one daughter. She and Jan get along. She is a psychologist at the hospital.
Kristian: Jan's other brother. He likes him at first. He ends up having affair with his stepdaughter (I think?) Was being blackmailed. Not clear whether he actually had affair or not. Was losing his business (didn't run dad's company)
Annika Mortenson: female cop. Not much else about her in book.
Heri Kalso: Cop. Has sort of relationship with Annika but they end up only having make up sex in the book one time and otherwise they don't seem to like each other much.
Hjalti Hentze: detective
Inspector Remi Syderbo
Ari Niclasen: another inspector. In charge of the cases.
Hendrik: another officer I think?
Anni: Kristian's wife, filed for divorce, has daughter
Elin: Anna's daughter. Kristian had affair with her (I think?)
Petur Bech: farmer who discovered body
Tummas Gramm: I think was the one blackmailing Kristian. Found dead on beach. Shotgun pellets in face from Signur's gun but not what killed him. Had been living in garage being renovated. They found his blood there.
Elisabet Hovgaard: coroner
Danjal Michelson: another detective I think
Dr Heinason: Signur's doctor

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough police procedural which hold's the reader's attention well. The real star of the book is the setting. I have an old friend in the Faroes Islands, and this enhanced my understanding of his world. I was gratified to receive from Ould a sense of the physical appearance of the islands as well as a lot about the culture. As others have mentioned in reviews, one can't help but remember Ann Cleeves' series on the Shetland Islands, and it is enlightening to become aware of the similarities and differences about the two island settings. Boy, it sure rains a lot in the Faroes!

I also appreciate that in Detective Hjalti Hentze we have a protagonist who does not fit the usual cliches in this genre. First of all, he is married (though we never get any information about the relationship). He is also not chronically depressed. He even has a trace of a sense of humor. This also makes him one of the most likable central characters in a police procedural. And it is refreshing that the book has no unhappy sex scenes. The only standard element of this kidn of story is that the cop on the beat (Hentze) has a constant struggle with the people to whom he reports. (So does Reyna, who is a policeman back in England).

In general, the characters are well-crafted, though I was less drawn to the other main figure, Jan Reyna, whose narratives alternate with Hentze's. He apparently is rather outspoken at work back home, but in this story he is somewhat understated and the soul of discretion. It is a tribute to Ould that despite the more than thirty characters in the story, I was able to keep them all straight.

The above being said, this misses by a bit being a truly memorable example of its kind. The plot moves rather slowly, and that results in an overlong book. Still, it is an enjoyable and respectable read, and I look forward to the next two installments.