Sara Winokur is an author, geneticist, researcher and author. She has a master’s degree in cytogenetics and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics. Her research helped identify mutations underlying muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, dwarfism, and a rare craniofacial syndrome. She continues to work as a consultant on potential therapies for genetic disease. Sara is also a world-traveler and has visited all seven continents. Iceland is one of her favorite destinations. “Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders,” an intense, bone-chilling crime thriller that will keep readers at the edge of their seats from page one, is Sara’s debut novel. It is available in paperback and digital format on Amazon and other major retailers. (Black Château, 2021)

For US vaccinated citizens who miss traveling to Europe and are ready to embark on their next adventure, Iceland is one of the few available destinations. Author and world-traveler Sara Winokur depicts Iceland vividly in her award-winning mystery thriller, “Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders.” The book, praised by Kirkus Review as “a riveting mystery tale with a compelling lead character,” dives deep into the culture, history, food, genetics, Viking settlements, and gorgeous landscapes of the Land of Fire and Ice.

As the world opens for travel again, and people wait to embark on their next vacation, a book like “Double Blind” is the escapism needed. Winokur is a geneticist and has researched diseases like Huntington’s disease and muscular dystrophy. Her unique blend of expertise means she can weave all these insights into her writing to captivate readers and adventure-seekers.

In “Double Blind,” a young boy disappears in the chill of North Iceland. Twenty years later, a mysterious poem lands on the desk of his twin sister Brynja, a forensic geneticist, and rekindles her hopes that her brother might be alive. As Brynja unravels the clues, more poems arrive, each bearing dire consequences for those who receive them: the guard of the medieval manuscript of Icelandic sagas that possibly has the answer to her burning question, the prime minister’s secretary, the local pastor. Is the poet out to stop Brynja from finding her brother and shut down her access to the DNA database? Or is the verse maker simply a psychopath copycat killer? Fighting the visual auras that have plagued her since childhood and now threaten everything she holds dear, Brynja must summon the strength to navigate the twisted labyrinth of the poet’s mind and confront the dark secret buried in her family’s past. “Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders” is a wild ride through the cultural landscape of Iceland, from rural farmsteads to icy fjords to the high-tech world of DNA forensics.