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.

I’ve always been a fan of Ragnar Jonasson and this one didn’t let me down! Set in Iceland and like his other books the descriptions make you feel like you’re there. An excellent tale! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

I love books by Ragnar Jonasson so of course was thrilled to get the chance to read this one. I loved the plot and was instantly hooked. I loved reading this book from the alternating POVs and it added to the suspense and buildup of the plot. Highly recommend this one.

I loved this. Not quite what I expected but it had mystery, cold, stranded-ness, murder etc. My perfect combo for a thriller.

This is my introduction to Ragnar Jonasson's body of work. I liked it well enough but as far as nordic/scandinavian writers are concerned I would not compare this one to the millennium trilogy or Jo Nesbo's work.

Short, intense and deeply atmospheric, this novel did capture and hold my attention. The story is about four old friends with varying issues in their backgrounds, and it is told from the perspective of each of them. Dark memories and secrets play a role and generally speaking the book flowed at a good pace and the level of tension was measured. I think what the book lacked for me was any character that i really engaged with. If i'd cared more, I would have enjoyed it more.

That said, I will be willing to try another Jonasson novel one day. I do enjoy good nordic fiction!!

Oh my last read of 2022 & I actually liked this one! The back and forth of the different character’s perspective, I liked especially when it’s not so confusing and you can actually keep track, being that it was just four points of views, it was easy.

I liked the description of the scenery, I seriously was cold the whole time I was reading. Only thing I disliked was the abrupt ending! I don’t like novels that leave me wanting more with no means to find out. I tend to make my own ending but it’s not the same!

Overall, I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it. Thank you @netgalley for the copy📚

I listened to this on audio. It was OK. A decent story but not particularly gripping or memorable. A good wintry read set in Iceland during a snowstorm if you like atmospheric stories.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Huge fan of Ragnar Jonasson and Nordic Crime. This was not a disappointment. They story made for a quick read and I flew through this one just like his other ones

Overall, this was a decent read. I found the book a bit repetitive at times, as the author switched between the different characters' voices to give each one's individual perspective on the events as they transpired. I also found the cliff-hanger type endings to virtually every chapter a bit tiresome and formulaic. Having said that, I thought the characters were well-developed, and was intrigued by each one's secrets and motives. Although I wouldn't say it was terribly suspenseful, it was intriguing enough that I read it in two days, as I wanted to see what happened. I know this author has written several books and I will definitely try another one before forming a firm opinion.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric that you can read in one sitting, preferably during a winter snowstorm, this one in for you. Set in an Icelandic moor, four friends get together for a weekend of hunting, but all is not what it seems. Highly recommend going into to this book without reading much of the synopsis.

Four friends meet to go hunting in northeastern Iceland and get snowed in. Secrets come out, and not all of them get out alive.

Ragnar is a genius at creating chilling atmosphere, but this was a bit more slow burning than some of his others.

This Icelandic thriller puts friendships to the ultimate test of life and death. A snowstorm mixed with betrayal and revenge, prove to be a dangerously deadly combination. This story is atmospheric, character driven and tests morality and humanity. How long can secrets stay buried? What lengths will one go to in order to keep the past from resurfacing? The harsh surroundings are not the only life threatening elements in this chilling and haunting tale. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

Thank you NetGalley for a e-copy for an honest review.

Four friends reunite for a hunting trip in the highlands in Iceland. The weather started becoming “white out” so they all bunker down in a hut. Something happens and we follow the different points of view of each friend.

I loved the setting of the book. Isolation, storm, suspense.
I was intrigued but didn’t feel invested with this story. Just felt “meh!” After reading it.

"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..
There is nothing around but they are supposably not alone, As it begins to get dark
their fear grows stronger, an old tragedy gradually surfaces, one that forever affects their friendship.
Those dark memories could hold the key to the mystery the friends now find themselves in..
What will happen to these friends will they survive ? Will they still be friends?
New author to me, book started off little slow but then it started to get good. Will read another one of this authors work.
Thanks to netgalley, minotaur books and the author in honest exchange for a review.
Published June 28, 2022.

There is no accounting for what people will do.
“Outside” by Ragnar Jónasson sends readers into the cold, the isolation, and the danger of Iceland where even the brightest days might prove hazardous for those who do not show respect for conditions so close to the Arctic Circle. The drama begins on a mind-numbingly cold November night.
The story goes back in time with alternating narratives so readers learn how these friends got to this miserable, frightening, cold place. Readers get to know each person both individually and as part of the group; their backgrounds; their personalities; and their secrets. There is no stronger bond than a shared secret.
This is a reunion trip -- friends, food, and a foray on to the moors, a world away from the urban sprawl of Reykjavík. It is to be an adventure in nature’s merciless elements. Every detail has been carefully planned, perhaps too carefully.
The storm begins; no one is coming to rescue them, but they all believe that it will be fine in the end. They have no choice but to stop somewhere and wait it out. The refuge cabin should have provided a sanctuary, but it did not. Inside the emergency shelter, they found something unexpected and shocking.
“Outside” is filled jaw-dropping surprises. Questions hang in the frozen air. The letters? The gun? This stranger? Had they caused this? Had nothing happened by chance? Had it always been meant to end this way?
I received a review copy of “Outside” from Ragnar Jónasson, Victoria Cribb, translator, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books. It is strangely creepy, exceedingly bizarre, and exceptionally compelling. The chain of events is complex and diverse, but the motive is simple and uncomplicated.
“Outside” by Ragnar Jónasson is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

"Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive..." In this Nordic noir suspense novel, Ragnar Jonasson brings us to Iceland where four friends plan a hunting trip. They don't normally hunt but decide to do something different and go on this amazing expedition. Until a major blizzard decides to ruin those plans, and they trek into an old, abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. Once there, they discover they are not alone. I like the atmosphere of this story. For whatever reason, I am always drawn to stories that take place in snowstorms and extreme weather. However, the story itself somewhat felt a little flat to me. I'm not sure what it was but it wasn't what I thought.