<\/p>\n
Katr\u00edn Jakobsd\u00f3ttir, crime fiction fan and Iceland\u2019s Prime Minister, has published her first thriller novel.<\/p>\n
Entitled \u2018Reykjavik\u2019, the thriller was written with her close friend Ragnar J\u00f3nasson, the Icelandic bestselling author of the \u2018Dark Iceland\u2019 series.<\/p>\n
The idea that a head of government would have enough spare time to write a novel may sound absurd in most countries, but not in Iceland.<\/p>\n
The nation of 375,000 people has a strong tradition of reading and writing literature, with one in 10 Icelanders publishing a book in their lifetime, according to statistics.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, this is not something that I thought I would have any time to do\u201d, says the 46-year-old prime minister at an event this week for the book\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n
But it was \u201cquite liberating to be working on this project during Covid\u201d, she says. \u201cI don\u2019t have any other interests, this is my interest\u201d, she adds with a laugh.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not a first for a serving prime minister either: Jakobsd\u00f3ttir\u2019s predecessor David Oddsson published a novel in 1997 while he was in office.<\/p>\n
What is the book about?<\/p>\n
\u2018Reykjavik\u2019 tells the story of a cold case involving a teenage girl who went missing 30 years ago in Videy, a small island near the Icelandic capital.<\/p>\n
Valur, a journalist at a local tabloid, dives into the case to pick up the trail.<\/p>\n
The events unfold in 1986, as Reykjavik celebrates its 200th anniversary, launches its first commercial radio and television stations, and hosts a historic summit between US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought all of these events together would create the best background for a story\u201d, says co-author J\u00f3nasson.<\/p>\n
Jakobsd\u00f3ttir says she expects critics to be tough on her. However, she\u2019s confident she\u2019ll be able to deal with any harsh criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can deal with that. I have experience as a politician, so it\u2019s quite okay,\u201d she said at the book launch event.<\/p>\n
But Egill Helgason, who has hosted the book show Kiljan on public broadcaster RUV for 15 years, said he found the thriller \u201cwell written and well researched\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very pleasant read. It\u2019s somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie and the writers who don\u2019t have much violence in their books,\u201d said the TV host.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a mystery, not a blood-dripping horror story,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The novel was published in Iceland on 25 October and is set to be translated into several languages.\u00a0 It is expected to be out in the UK and the US in August 2023, and in France, J\u00f3nasson\u2019s biggest market, in the autumn of 2023.<\/p>\n