The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now
Death at the Sanatorium

Death at the Sanatorium

Summary

'ONE OF THE FINEST CRIME WRITERS IN THE WORLD TODAY' DAILY MAIL


THE BEST NEW BOOKS OUT IN AUGUST i

'A knowing, unnerving mystery' The Times


'Superbly told and packed with subtle nods to crime writers of the past, this is exquisite, delicate story-telling' Daily Mail


This is Jónasson on top form - Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

As seen on Simon Mayo's BOOKS OF THE YEAR podcast


----

AN OLD SANATORIUM. ONE TERRIFYING MURDER. FIVE SUSPECTS. AND A CASE THAT NEVER CLOSED.

WELCOME TO THE SANATORIUM


High up in the mountains stands a sanatorium. Once a hospital dedicated to treating tuberculosis, it now sits haunted by the ghosts of its past.

One wing of the hospital remains open and houses six employees: the caretaker, two doctors, two nurses and a young research assistant.

Despite the wards closing decades ago, they remain at the hospital to conduct research. But the cold corridors, draughty windows and echoey halls are constant reminders of the building’s dark history.

When one of the nurses, Yrsa, is found brutally murdered, they discover that death has never left this place – and neither did its secrets. None can escape this terrifying legacy.

Despite just five suspects the case is never solved and remains open for two decades. Until a young criminologist named Helgi Reykdal attempts to finally lay the ghosts of the hospital's past to rest . . .

----

Praise for Ragnar Jónasson


'Is this the best crime writer in the world today?' The Times

'An automatic must-read for me' Lee Child

'A compelling voice in crime fiction' Clare Mackintosh

'Ragnar Jónasson . . . a great writer' Harlan Coben

Reviews

  • Ragnar Jónasson is no ordinary writer [. . .] Death at the Sanatorium is a knowing, unnerving mystery [. . ..] fans of Jónasson will be delighted
    The Times

About the author

Ragnar Jónasson

Ragnar Jónasson is an international number one bestselling author who has sold five million books in thirty-six countries worldwide. He was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, where he also teaches copyright law at university, and is the co-chair of the Iceland Noir literature festival. He has previously worked on radio and television and, from the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie’s novels. He has won multiple awards for his crime fiction internationally, as well as a special jury recognition in Iceland for his poetry. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is coming to TV screens, starring Lena Olin, Jack Bannon and Douglas Henshall, and Ridley Scott will be producing Outside as a feature film.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more