“1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them.

Haunting, frightening and complex, Rupture is a dark and atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland’s foremost crime writers.”

Better late than never, isn’t that what they say…

I am delighted to be part of the Rupture blog tour today.  Rupture is written by the incredibly talented Ragnar Jónasson and is the fourth book in the Dark Iceland series.  I’m a little behind with this series as I’ve only read the fantastically claustrophobic Blackout which I loved. If you missed my review please click here for a recap.

Today I have a fascinating post from Ragnar about his favourite thrillers on the big screen.  So without further ado, over to Ragnar…

Classic Thrillers on Screen

In addition to reading classic crime fiction, I’m quite a fan of good films. I’d like to share with you some of my favourite classic thrillers and mysteries (using classic rather freely, referring to movies from the last century).

1. Seven (1995) – Excellent David Fincher thriller starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow. Fincher has hardly hit a wrong note since then.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994) – The Quentin Tarantino epic, his best movie to date, almost every scene a classic.
3. Die Hard I & II (1988 / 1990) – The ultimate action films, both of them excellent in their own right.
4. Rear Window (1954) – I am a great fan of Alfred Hitchcock and this is one of hist all time best movie, based on a crime story (short story) by Cornell Woolrich, starring the amazing James Stewart and Grace Kelly.
5. Rope (1948) – Another classic Hitchcock, based on an excellent crime play by Patrick Hamilton.
6. The Godfather I & II (1972 / 1974) – Perfect, epic crime stories.
7. The Thin Man series (1934-1947) – A series of six wonderful mysteries starring classic golden age stars William Powell & Myrna Loy. The first one was based on Dashiell Hammett’s classic novel. Also look out for the interesting 2012 publication of “novellas” which became films in the series.
8. Rebecca (1940) – Yet another excellent Hitchcock film.
9. Dr. No (1962) – No list is complete without James Bond, and the first one in the series is one of the best.
10. The Game (1997) – Another incredibly good David Fincher mystery.

***

Thank you for this interesting post Ragnar.  I think I’ve only managed to watch ‘Seven’ as I’m horribly squeamish and a bit of a wimp!  Following your recommendations however, I will endeavour to watch one or two more!

Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson was published in the UK by Orenda Books on 15th January 2017 and is available in paperback and eBook editions | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Goodreads | Orenda Books |

Icelandic crime writer Ragnar Jónasson was born in Reykjavik in 1976, and currently works as a lawyer, while teaching copyright law at the Reykjavik University Law School. In the past, he’s worked in TV and radio, including as a news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Before embarking on a writing career, Ragnar translated 14 Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic, and has had several short stories published in German, English and Icelandic literary magazines. Ragnar set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) in Reykjavik, and is co-founder of the international crime-writing festival Iceland Noir, selected by the Guardian as one of the ‘best crime-writing festivals around the world’. Ragnar Jónasson has written five novels in the Dark Iceland series, and he is currently working on his sixth. He lives in Reykjavik with his wife and two daughters.

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