This book was intriguing. A locked door mystery about friends with years of drama. They go on an adventure in Iceland when things go wrong fast. I loved the twist at the end and it caught me off guard. I thought this was a good one. Perfect to read in the winter!

This was a gripping thriller that had me turning page after page. I really wanted to rate this book higher as I was drawn in from the beginning and captivated by the suspense and story telling. The characters were not likeable and were deceptive, which I do enjoy in a thriller. HOwever, I was very confused by the last chapter and it left me feeling deflated after finishing the book.

This book had a lot of potential but it fell a bit flat for me. I liked it okay but I was hoping to enjoy it more than I did.

Ragnar Jónasson delivers a chilling standalone thriller: Outside. Four friends are stranded in an isolated hunting lodge. It's clear there will be a killing, but the twisting tale leaves the reader guessing as to who, when, and why. A real page-turner.

The more I knew, the less I liked them. Something is very wrong with this excursion and it's only at the end that we learn motivations and reasons. And then the book ends very abruptly, in an almost not an ending manner. So, I was left feeling frozen in my dislike of the situation and the people.

Delightfully creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I think Nordic Noir is either hit or miss for me. and this one was a miss. And the who friends stuck over night during a bad storm can be played out if not done correctly

Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ + 1/2

OUTSIDE takes isolation to a whole new level with this crime novel. Jónasson has a distinct knack for developing atmospheric mysteries with layers of tension building until they combust in truth being revealed.

What I love about this book is how the author effortlessly manages to pull you into drama and the backstory. As a reader, I love the characters, the duplicity, and the careful unveiling of the reality of the situation all the players are in. There are moments where the ground is pulled out from one of the characters only for it to happen again just pages later. Then you have the landscape. Not only does the isolated nature of a snowstorm seep into the mystery, but it will deeply affect all those attending this trip. Honestly, the way it all intertwines is where the book shines.

Jónasson’s writing and deliberately plotted narrative made OUTSIDE a chilling read. I cannot wait to read what he has next for us.

Audiobook Note: The multi-perspective narration from Carla Harrison-Hodge, Eleanor Jackson, Gil Sullivan, Jamie Maclachlan, and Reice Weathers gave each character a distinct tone. This helped move the story along while creating interest for the reader/listener. It is always great when listening to an audiobook that the pace is upheld by all the narrators, and this is definitely the case here.

Ragnar Jónasson, a seasoned crime writer with a global following, ventures into the chilling realm of a standalone thriller with "Outside." Promising a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of an Icelandic snowstorm, the novel unfolds as four friends grapple with isolation and dark memories in an abandoned hunting lodge. Despite the anticipation, my experience with "Outside" was marked by a sense of mediocrity and a lack of originality.

The premise of the story, centered around four friends trapped in a remote lodge during a deadly snowstorm, held the potential for a suspenseful and atmospheric thriller. However, the execution left me underwhelmed. The narrative failed to sustain my engagement, and I found myself disenchanted with the unfolding events. The plot lacked the ingenuity and freshness expected from a world-class crime writer, leading to a sense of predictability and unoriginality.

The setting, the harsh Icelandic highlands in the midst of a snowstorm, was a highlight for me. The atmospheric potential was palpable, and I wished for a stronger integration of the setting with the unfolding story. The cool backdrop could have been a powerful ally in creating tension and adding depth to the narrative. Unfortunately, this potential remained largely untapped, leaving the setting feeling disconnected from the overall storytelling.

The narrative's attempt to intertwine the present predicament with old tragedies and dark memories felt forced at times. The revelation of these past events, which supposedly altered the course of the friends' friendship, failed to evoke the desired impact. Instead, it added to the sense of contrivance, contributing to the overall lack of resonance in the storytelling.

In conclusion, "Outside" by Ragnar Jónasson fell short of my expectations, delivering a narrative that felt average and lacking in originality. While the setting held promise, it failed to elevate the overall reading experience. The disconnect between the story and its atmospheric backdrop, coupled with a plot that struggled to maintain engagement, led me to give "Outside" a rating of 2 out of 5 stars. It may appeal to readers seeking a straightforward thriller, but for those craving depth and innovation, it might leave them wanting.

Four friends on a snowy skiing trip get stuck in a storm. Will they all make it back ok? This was a tense read at times but kept my interest for the most part. I enjoyed it.

I love the idea of books set in Iceland. I see that on a back cover and I’m immediately interested. But this one just wasn’t at all it. There seemed to be this huge disconnect between the events and the characters and the pace was off. Other things that just didn’t make sense or felt rushed. I do think there may have been some things lost in translation, and if I were to have read it in the language it was originally written in perhaps the dialogue wouldn’t have been so… clunky and the story would have been more smooth. But as is, it just felt dull and did not keep me engaged.

I ended up DNF-ing this one midway through quite a while ago at this point and I held off on writing a review on the off chance I’d circle back to it, but I just don’t think that’s going to happen.

I’ll keep this succinct. This somehow managed to be confusing while also having nothing really happen. I don’t know if it was a translation issue, but the writing was just not working for me and I found myself struggling to engage.

All in all, not for me. I think there are better books out there with similar premises and more effective executions.

Outside is a novel about four friends who reunite for a weekend hunting trip in the Icelandic wilderness. The dynamics between the four are murky and complicated, with hints that not everything is as it seems. When a storm hits and they find themselves stuck in an isolated emergency cabin, everything starts to go wrong, and not everyone makes it out alive.

I enjoyed the writing style of this novel - it was uncomplicated, atmospheric and had a nice flow. The setting was intriguing and evoked true feelings of terror - there are not a lot of things scarier that being stranded in a snow storm in extremely low temperatures with the risk of freezing to death. The characters were interesting and seem to have complex and intriguing back stories, but we unfortunately don’t really get to know them. There is not much character development, and the things that have happened between these four friends in the past are briefly mentioned, but not really explored. As this story takes place over twenty four hours, I feel like flashbacks to the things that happened in order to flesh them out and have the reader better understand them would have been helpful. As it is, the characters are unlikeable at best, and I was unable to care about them as I didn’t have enough of a foundation to care one way or another. I do wish the novel had of been longer to have delved a bit deeper. Also, the ending was rather abrupt. While I appreciate that we get some answers, I wish there had of been more to it. The tension building was really good, though, and the novel was atmospheric. I just wish there were more to it. I do recommend this book for a quick wintery read.

Ragnar Jónasson is one of my favorite thriller writers and I was very excited to dive into this one. Nothing quite hits like old friends with secrets stranded in a desolate area.

While parts of what each character endured got me, I didn't fully connect with all the characters and it made it hard to care about their fates. While it wasn't my favorite by Jónasson, I still look forward to reading more from him

Four friends set out for a hunting trip in Iceland, most of them didn’t really want to go, especially after a night of drinking. As they begin their trek and search for ptarmigan, a storm blows in quickly, forcing them to seek shelter at an emergency hut. They are forced to break in since the door is locked. What they find inside is chilling!

We get the viewpoints from each of the characters as the story goes along but motivations are never explained. The setting is very atmospheric, but I just didn’t connect with the characters in this one. WRITE more ending please. This book felt like an Alice Feeney ending. I have and will continue to be a huge Jonasson fan though, I love the nordic setting and world building he always creates so well.

When a deadly snowstorm strikes the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in a small, abandoned hunting lodge. It is in the middle of nowhere and there's no way of communicating with the outside world. They are isolated, but they are not alone . . .

First the pros. Ragnar can write. I enjoy his literary style and his plot building on most of his books. In this book, however, that fell flat. I thought going into this it was going to be a little Dytalov Pass with a twist or maybe an answer (because we still don't know what happened to them), but instead it was a weird group of people hunting, where it's freezing, who are ill-equipped and apparently did not look at the weather.

This book seemed like an excerpt from a bigger (and better) story. It had potential but seemed rushed and the characters barely developed and then, it just ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, and MacMillan audio for this opportunity in return for my honest review.

Four friends, one snow storm - who will survive? A good dark, winter, trapped story that keeps the reader guessing about the outcome.

I absolutely love Ragnar Jónasson’s writing! He is one of my most read Nordic Noir authors and I’m always looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next. Most of my reading has been with his various series’, so it’s always nice to snag a standalone book.

Outside kicks off with an intense scene involving our four friends discovering something that unsettles them in an isolated hunting lodge where they’ll be trapped waiting out a snowstorm. Cue the claustrophobia! Jónasson then jumps the story back in time to the start of our friend group’s trip, which allows readers to get to know each of them and feel out the tension that is brewing between them. I loved this structure because I knew something was coming, but I wasn’t sure when or what, so it was fun to feel that sense of anticipation throughout.

Jónasson smartly lets the story unravel through alternating narratives between each of the friends, allowing readers to get a bird’s eye view into their thought processes. Let me just tell you now, this group is messy. You might not like any of them, but you definitely are going to be invested in where their chaos is headed. Given that the story is condensed to take place over only a few days, you don’t have to wait long for the drama to ratchet up!

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Ragnar Jonasson is a master of writing dark crime novels, and Outside delivers exactly that.

With a great setting and a suspenseful story, long-time fans of this author will be pleased to get another mysterious tale from him. My only complaint with this one is that the end seemed quite abrupt compared to the time the author took to build up the story of these four friends.

Overall, fans of this genre will be please with this one though. It's a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat read that is satisfying right up until the last bit.