Outside is an Icelandic psychological thriller with subtle horror elements weaved into the novel written by Ragnar Jonasson and published by Minotaur Books on 6/28/22. The novel's narrative is based on the relationship of its four main characters and the atmosphere driven claustrophobic setting. A blizzard serves as a character itself as the weather creates a tense, foreboding mood for the story. Short chapters keep the plot moving along at a steady pace as the book is best read in one sitting. Readers will enjoy how the author weaves the character’s backstories into the novel, which reveals the sinister secrets they are keeping from each other. I couldn’t put this book down as I marveled at the author’s eminent talent for immersive writing. Themes of entrapment and tension dominant the narrative and every character in the book feels it, and so will you as the reader. I absolutely loved this entire book; however, I’m not certain I understand a piece of the finale. The section titled, “Party of Two” left me confused and wondering how to resolve the plot threads. Despite my need for the ending of the novel to be explained, I still recommend this book and have a deep love of the author’s compelling storytelling and his ability to create dramatic landscapes as a fictional world.

I''m a huge fan of Ragnar Jonasson's books. Can't say this was my favorite but only because of the abrupt ending. I would still recommend it but I wish the ending could be reworked.

Thank you for the chance to read Outside by Ragnar Jonasson; I received an ebook copy of this from Minotaur (imprint of St Martin's press) via NetGalley. I read this after reading a sampler chapter from Minotaur.

Strengths:
1. I enjoyed the slow burn tension. I requested this book after reading a chapter, meaning that one chapter alone drew me in and engaged me. For a large part of the book the slow burn tension (what was going on, what was/did happen... )was filled with promise.
2. I love stories about friends/groups together, facing nature, and having to face their past/secrets. This is pretty well done here and I thought the tension between and among the characters was well written
3. The writing and tone was wonderfully atmospheric, which I appreciate as I think keeping up a consistent mood and tension within a steady "mood" can be hard to execute. This was well done

My enthusiasm and overall rating are impacted by a resolution/ending that didn't quite live up the bigger promise and slow burn feel of the narrative. The ending didn't quite satisfy me and felt off track from the pacing and build up earlier in the book.

Don’t read this by yourself, alone and in the dark. The weather and the isolation of Iceland’s eastern highlands play huge roles and increase the panic and uncertainty of the four friends who decide to go hiking to a remote spot in the winter. Having said that, this is not one of the author’s best works. The characters are flat and there was not one character to root for, they were all unlike-able. The ending came abruptly and was incomplete. The author has better books to read, so search THEM out.

I feel like something got lost in translation. The premise of this book is great, it’s dark and creepy and 🥶. I felt like some thing were just a little too weird for me to ignore.
The 5th character wasn’t needed. Also how is this one character a lawyer? There were a few things that I had to suspend my beliefs on. But it was a good book.
Fast paced, short chapters, terrible characters, messy drama. I enjoyed reading Helena’s pov you could see her breaking down in the words on the page. I enjoyed this book.

8/10 would recommend.

I Cannot Recommending Reading This Novel

When I was 95% percent finished reading this novel, I was 90% finished writing the review. It was a five-star review. This novel is a psychological thriller. Mostly, this genre of novels centers on one individual, and the reader see the world through that person’s eyes, thoughts and, usually paranoia. This novel only has one thread but it is narrated in quadraphonic! Each chapter, mostly short, switches to a different of four narrators. You, the reader, is treated to events through each characters’ eyes, thoughts, actions and paranoia. This presentation gave me a very rich view into each character, and, as a bonus, it hides who are the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). This was the final lock on my interest. This occurred before what I call literary grenades started dropping.

At the 94%, the novel was winding down to the end and only one problem remaining. What I did not realize that there was a preview of a future novel by the author. Actually, I was starting the last chapter that was a few words more than one page. It left this one issue unresolved. This is what I call “Who Shot JR” ending when during the season finale of Dallas, the character JR Ewing was shot. The above phrase was used during the summer to keep interest in the show at the start of the next season. I do not appreciate when this is used in a novel. Particular to this novel, it does not appear to be the first of a series, so I feel that the author purposely leaving the readers hanging.

I have read four previous novels by this author, one psychological thriller and three police procedurals. The author had earned my Must-Read rating and did not expect this terrible ending. I will wait to his next novel, after which I will assess any changes to his rating for me.

As the Advanced Reading Copy that I received and just downloaded again on the day I wrote this review to confirm that my issue still exists, I was disappointed with the reading of this novel. I do not recommend reading and rate this novel with two stars.

I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press. My review is based only by my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

A group of friends goes on a hunting expedition in the highlands of Iceland. With full packs and a range of enthusiasm for the endeavor, they set out on a cold winter morning. Soon they are in the midst of an ever-worsening blizzard. When they find shelter, they discover it is already occupied. Fans of psychological suspense will enjoy this.

I am a big fan of Jonasson’s books and this is a good one! The story takes place in Iceland in winter during a blizzard. A small group of four old friends has met up for a bird hunting trip. The atmospheric quality of this book made the story even more compelling. The book is written in short, tense, chapters from each of the characters’ perspectives. I look forward to more from this author! Recommended.

It is difficult to do a review of Outside (Ragnar Jonasson) without using spoilers. I kept waiting for this story to pick up, and it never did. None of the four main characters are practically likable, and by the end of the book I rather detested everyone of them. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy to review.

A favorite genre plot of mine! Group of people become isolated, usually due to a combo of nefarious intentions and unexpected weather or emergency, and then secrets get exposed, someone or lots of someone's are murdered and the killers identity is revealed when only a few are still alive!

The "Outside" is described as such a plot in the book's summary. It started well, continued on with an adequate ramping of tension for almost three quarters. Then splat!

Unfortunately, the depth of the connection between the characters is never given life. When the circumstances as to why this is happening begin to reveal themselves, I couldn't get into the emotional reasoning. Some back stories were included. However, they were very brief and their inclusion was always at a point that felt inconvenient or too late to be useful.

The last quarter, full honesty, went completely sideways for me. I am still confused about the reasons everything occured. I am utterly still confused about the conclusion. I admit I thought perhaps my DRC was missing the last chapters.

This was a great premise. An intriguing read for over half the book. Then unfortunately, the last part, filled with confusion, lacking intensity as well as, if not missing altogether, a decent conclusion.

This was a difficult review. There was much potential within this book. I would still consider giving the author's next release a try, and hope it all comes together.

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, for the advanced digital review copy.

Review of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson

My thanks to Minotaur Books for the Uncorrected Digital Galley of this book.

I have a thing for Icelandic and Norwegian crime fiction novels, so I was happy to be offered Outside. I would classify this novel more a psychological thriller than murder mystery. There are certainly murders involved, but the background and emotions surrounding these murders are what held my interest throughout.

Jonasson does a great job of the slow build. The story begins with a group of friends (Armann, Helena, Daniel, and Gunnlaugur) setting out on a ptarmigan-hunting expedition in the remote Iceland countryside in the wintertime. What were they thinking? Of course, the weather turns ugly, and the situation for everyone becomes dire. Slowly, Jonasson gives the reader small clues that there is something else going on with not only this hunt but with the entire setup of the expedition. The group makes their way to a small hunting cabin for protection from the storm. Inside is a stranger. The stranger is armed with a rifle and silently sitting in the corner of the cabin. The stranger never says a word. Spooky, indeed. Things go badly, but my lips are frozen shut. ;-)

The story includes memories of another friend’s death (Vikingur…Helena’s partner and Daniel’s best friend). These memories become more and more important as the story unfolds. The memories are worked in nicely and unobtrusively. The reader finally realizes that this expedition is all about avenging Vikingur’s death.

I enjoyed this book until the very end. Suddenly, it was over. After the slow build, the end was rushed. I am not sure what I expected at the end, but it seemed abrupt and lacking something. I wanted more. Maybe there will be a follow-up book from Jonasson.

Jonasson has eight other novels. I am off to seek and find.

Star rating: 3.5 - 4 stars (due to the abrupt ending)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a E-ARC copy of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson in return for an honest opinion of the book.

Outside is the story of a group of four friends who go on an annual trip in their home country of Iceland. Unfortunately, the trip does not go as planned when a deadly winter storm hits the mountains and the group finds a strange man within the only shelter in their surrounding area. The question is, will they survive until they are able to get back into civilization?

Like many reviewers, I was brought in by the thought of a horror novel set in a snowy isolated area. Not to mention it seemed like the novel was going to be similar to the video game Until Dawn where a group of friends got together for a trip to the mountains and bad things start to happen. However, unlike Until Dawn, Outside does not portray the plot as well as I would have hoped. The bouncing of time lines between the multiple view points of the characters often do not match up and it feels like a guessing game of where they are in relation to the plot. I honestly believe that if there was a section for each character, but then had a focal point to wrap all sections for the ending it would have been a bit easier to understand what was going on.

I would be interested in reading other novels by Ragnar Jonasson as he seems to be popular, but for this particular novel I wasn’t a huge fan of.

I certainly wanted to love this book, but alas, not! The premise is ridiculous and the one saving grace was that it’s a short story at three hours or so to read. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

I loved the idea of remote Iceland in a blizzard and four friends who get caught up in a murder, each with a secret past. But this fell flat in the end for me. I couldn’t get into the story or the backstory of the characters and the plot dragged some. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

** Thank you to the publisher for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review**

The premise of this book sounded so spooky to me! The freezing 🥶 cold ❄️ snowy elements sounded so delightful!

I think I was expecting this to be more of a horror book based on the cover. I thought the tracks in the snow were going to come from a monster or creature 👹. (Which btw leads me to say that I loved the cover of this book!)

This can be classified more of a isolated thriller rather than horror. It’s my first read by this author and I will say I loved his element descriptions. This is perfect for a winter read. I loved the setting and I liked the character’s stories.

In this book we follow 4 friends who take a trip together to go do some sort of hunting. Things go eerily wrong when they don’t plan on hiking through a massive winter storm blaring though the mountainside they are at. They come across a shelter cabin and are shocked to find a man sitting on the floor with a rifle. Who is this man and why is he just sitting there staring at them?

2 of the friends go back out into the storm to seek assistance and that’s when all of their troubles come to fruition. They hold heavy grudges and resentment against one another. Turns out they weren’t the best of friends after all.

The story does have suspense and some eerie moments especially if your reading it in the dark alone like I did one night. And again I loved the winter vibes. My only complaint is that I wish the climax would have been more dramatic than what it was. Overall though it was a good read.

This is a novel about revenge, pure and simple. A group of friends decide to go hunting in the Icelandic wilderness. An unexpected storm, forces the group to shelter in a hut. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the hut, they have difficulty getting in as it’s unexpectedly locked and then there is an unexpected stranger already staying there. Things continue to go sideways from there and the ulterior motives of the group come to light.

Unfortunately this book could have been so much better. The characters didn’t have much depth and none of them were likeable. I also didn’t find the story as interesting or suspenseful as it could have been.

I do like some other books by this author though. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What made the four friends cry out in shock when they entered the isolated hut, seeking shelter from an unexpected snowstorm?

It was supposed to be their annual vacation, a Ptarmigan hunt this year, organized by Armann, who often acts as a guide in the area.

Armann, Helena, Daniel and Gunnlauger will begin the trek through the bone chilling, Icelandic highlands.

One won’t survive the night.

There is no cell phone service where they are going-and no way to call for help-when they discover they are not alone.

As the night darkens, and fears intensify, they should be turning to each other, instead of turning away from each other and playing the blame game, if they hope to survive-but that isn’t what transpires in this suspenseful little tale! I just wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly as the ending leaves much to the imagination.

Ragnar Jonasson has sold three million copies, Worldwide and he began his career from the age of 17, translating 14. Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic!! Known for writing Nordic Noir, also known as Scandi Noir, which is crime fiction which takes place in Scandinavia or Nordic countries.

Although often written from a Police point of view, this one was written from the point of views from each of the four friends instead. These stories are also known for gloomy, chilling atmosphere, flawed protagonists and dark narratives which this book had in spades!

I recently discovered this sub-genre, when I read the author’s “The Girl Who Died” , when it was translated from Icelandic to English last year. Although I preferred that one to this one, I look forward to reading more from this author as additional titles become available in the US. (This book had sneak peek chapters for two additional books at the end of the story)

The Girl Who Died review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3846405996

This title will be available on June 28, 2022.

Thank You to Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

A survival story where you don’t know if the biggest danger is the blizzard storming outside or the people you are sheltering shoulder to shoulder with.
A very entertaining, fast-paced read that’s perfect for a cold night curled up by a warm fire.

This was my first Ragnar Jonasson book and it won't be my last--in no small part due to the cliffhanger that the book ends on. This was a brilliant take on the locked-room scenario with interesting and characters with ambiguous moral codes. Nothing is what it seems, relationships aren't clear, and alliances are constantly in flux. This was a book that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Outside by Ragnar Jonasson is the least favorite book I have read by this author. Four "friends" plan a winter trip in Iceland with the objective of shooting game birds. Each person has secrets, and there is an underlying current of revenge, and mistrust among the group. They become stranded in a blizzard and unexpected events happen to each of the four friends during the two days. As the story progresses the reader finds there is a lack of actual friendship among the four.
I did not feel sympathy for any of the characters. I read the book but did not enjoy the story, it was miserable!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Publication Date: June 28, 2022