Iceland's Ragnar Jónasson signs 'significant' deal with Minotaur

Icelandic author Ragnar Jónasson has signed a "significant" deal with St. Martin’s Press in the US.

Minotaur acquired North American rights to the first two novels in Jónasson’s new series, The Darkness and The Island, and two further Ari Thor titles from Jónasson's Dark Iceland series in a four-book deal agreed with David Headley at D H H Literary Agency.

Minotaur will publish The Darkness in hardback in June 2018. Executive editor Marcia Markland said: "We are thrilled to be introducing this amazing crime writer to the American market. His talent is phenomenal."

Jónasson said: "I am thrilled to be continuing working with Minotaur. They have shown great passion for my books and done an amazing job in bringing Snowblind to a US audience. I am very pleased that they will keep on publishing the Dark Iceland series as well as my new Hulda Series."

The Dark Iceland series was recently optioned for TV by On the Corner, the UK production company responsible for the Academy Award-winning documentary “Amy”.

Jónasson was born in Reykjavik where he works as a writer and a lawyer. He has also translated 14 of Agatha Christie’s novels into Icelandic. He is the co-founder of the Iceland Noir festival which takes place in Iceland in November, and he recently set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA, in Reykjavik.