Outside by Ragnar Jónasson is a recommended psychological thriller set in Iceland.

Four friends, Daniel, Gunnlauger, Armann, and Helena are on a reunion vacation in the Icelandic highlands hunting for ptarmigan when a blizzard strikes while they are out, away from the hunting lodge. Armann, who leads tours of Iceland, knows there is a safety hut nearby where they can take shelter and wait out the storm. As the group face frostbite or worse getting to the hut, they finally find it. When they get inside, however, none of them are expecting what awaits them within.

In this Nordic noir thriller each chapter is narrated by one the four characters. As their individual points-of-view propel the plot forward, we are also privy to their inner thoughts and feelings about members of the group. They have been friends for many years so they have a history between them and know each other's flaws, however they may not know the secrets they hold.

The novel opens with the brutal trek through the blizzard to the shelter where we know something terrible and frightening is already inside. Then the narrative jumps back in time to the start of their vacation and the history of their friendship, allowing the tension and suspense to build while leading up to the hut, what is inside, and what happens next. The brutal, unforgiving weather adds a dimension to the tension in the plot.

I was engrossed in the story right up to almost the end at which point I had to suspend disbelief and the final, abrupt denouement left me cold and wanting.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

I could not put this book down until the very end! Jonasson, who is often inspired by Agatha Christie, puts four characters alone in the snowy tundra, throw in a blizzard, a stranger, dark secrets from the past and creates a story for the ages. I really enjoyed the narrative style, short chapters with alternating perspectives from different characters that provided great tempo to the writing. The plot is very strong, the many twists are believable and surprising. I have other books by Jonsson on my TBR List and they just moved to the top of the list. I highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley and St Martin Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Nordic/Scandi-noir, but I think this is the first book I've picked up by Ragnar Jonasson. And it was really weird. First, it is very short -- more novella than novel. Second, each chapter is only about two pages long and gives us the perspective of one of the four main characters. Honestly, it read more like a screenplay, with each chapter being that character's lines. And finally, each of the main characters was despicable.

The story is about four friends who go off for a weekend of (pheasant) hunting in the wilds of Iceland, and one doesn't survive the weekend. For the life of me, I could think of no credible reason these four would have gone anywhere together! From page one it's clear that, while the four might have been friends a long time ago, they are definitely no longer friends now. So why get together at all, much less take a weekend holiday together?!?!? If I were to give an oral book report on this novel, it would take me less than five minutes to sum up the entire thing. Day One four supposed friends go hunting and get caught up in a horrible snow storm. Day Two they all fall out and one ends up dead. Then they all go home. The End.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me an eGalley for review. This one was a disappointment.

What do you get when you mix old friends with grudges and a winter trek in the wild Icelandic highlands? You get a rather convoluted revenge story with an abrupt ending. This thriller kept me entertained on a long flight. I had started reading it and then switched to the audiobook for the flight. There were four narrators, one for each of the four friends, which made listening quite enjoyable: Carla Harrison-Hodge, Gil Sullivan, Jamie Maclachlan, and Reice Weathers.

This was a strange foursome, with one male apparently not really liked by the other three, so why was he invited? (You do find out eventually.) I really disliked all of them by the end of the book.

This was my first book by Icelandic author Ragnar Jonasson and, based solely on this book, I’m not sure I’d run to read another book by this author. I must say that the descriptions of the locale and the weather were terrific.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Outside by Ragnar Jónasson is everything that I love in the thriller/crime genre! It’s a fast paced Nordic Noir with short chapters, multiple POVs, and shocking twists that I did not see coming! The setting of Icelandic moors in a blizzard was perfect. I will warn that there is a short story tacked on to the end which was a little confusing at first, but not enough to effect my rating! If you love a good Nordic Noir thriller and need a book break from the summer heat, I highly recommend grabbing this book when it comes out!

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to Minotaur Books, Ragnar Jonasson, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*


“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather, it is one of those things which gives value to survival.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/outside/

Armann, Helena, Daniel and Gunnlaugur; ‘friends” from university get together for one last hurrah, a ptarmigan bird hunting trip in the eastern part of Iceland. This is a quick, but intense and atmospheric read. Translated from the Icelandic language, Jonasson focuses on each character’s perspectives. As the story begins, they are caught in an unexpected blizzard, and looking for a hut that Armann may or may not know the location of.

So, what makes all four friends cry out in shock when they successfully find the hut and go inside? It is difficult to talk about the story because of spoilers, but I will say it is not what I thought it was. Armann is a tour guide, and while none of them are exactly hunters, he has planned and executed this well thought-out trip as a time for everyone to reconnect. As the story progresses, we find each character is more unlikable than the next. Helena, bitter over the loss of her boyfriend, Vikingur, is holding many dark secrets. Daniel, an unsuccessful actor, has put on the act of a lifetime in the portrayal of his success. Daniel’s friend Gunnlaugur, an alcoholic accused of rape, is not even sure why anyone invited him as he is not well-liked, nor particularly treated well by any of them. And we have Armann, a recovering addict, now CEO of a huge empire of tour guides and outdoor excursions, who is a mastermind at manipulation. As the story progresses, we go from the viewpoint of each of the four characters, over and over. Knowing their thoughts and viewpoints, each one is more horrible than the next. Almost immediately, the feeling that something is very wrong on this trip is not lost to the reader, and a testament to how well Ragnar Jonasson wrote this novella. There is a definite foreboding of things to come, and so it becomes a page turner.

When Helena and Daniel set out to find another cabin with a radio in it, Helena becomes injured and encourages Daniel to find the cabin on his own and leave her. But what of Armann and Gunnlaugur, and their intense dislike of each other? Their initial jolt of surprise at what they find in the cabin turns to fear and anxiety as they cower in a corner. With no food, very little water, and no sleep, tempers explode and the unthinkable happens.

The chapters of Outside are short and to the point, while each one being more intense than the next. As each narrator’s story unfolds, the reader will realize all the secrets, resentment, and jealousy being held back. One reader said it is a wonder why any of them went on this trip. You can feel the tension in the pages and are just waiting for everything to explode. And the ending is explosive, without answers, leaving the reader to wonder what just happened.

The premise of this book is one that drew me in right away. There are four friends who end up having to take shelter in a hut in the middle of an Icelandic blizzard, completely cut off from the outside world with no means of communication. They have dark secrets in their shared past, and these secrets may rise to the surface, because the author promises not everyone is going to survive the night.

But this book was a slow read, a really slow read. This definitely built tension between the characters, but it didn't build enough suspense for me. For me personally, the book dragged until the last quarter when it suddenly picked up full speed ahead. When I saw where the author had been building, the rest of the book made sense, but I still think it could have been a quicker ride to the finish.

It was really hard to lean into the desolate, snowy setting of this one when reading it in June 😆

#ragnarjonasson writes wonderfully atmospheric books I have loved in the winter, and should have known better than to read in the summer.

The plot of this one felt a bit flat to me, but it's hard to say much more about it without giving any spoilers. I think the setting might have saved it - had I read it on a gloomy, snowy day - but it just wasn't enough in the bright sunshine.

Here's the synopsis:
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. As the night darkens, and fears intensify, an old tragedy gradually surfaces - one that forever changed the course of their friendship. Those dark memories could hold the key to the mystery the friends now find themselves in. And whether they will survive until morning.

Thank you to #netgalley and @stmartinspress for this #arc copy of #outside

While I was a bit underwhelmed by this one, I absolutely plan to read more from Jónasson this winter.

🌨Good atmospherics but ending too abrupt🤔

I really liked the writing style and format of this story. Short, to the point chapters of alternating perspective between four friends on a perilous weekend winter adventure in the Icelandic hinterland. There were plenty of suspenseful twists. But I was disappointed with the abrupt end which seemed unfinished.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Four college friends plan a hunting trip but a snowstorm takes them by surprise, trapping them in a falling down hut but the hut has a surprise for them. The trips starts on a good note with the four friends but by the time the trip is over only three will survive. Can you really depend on your friends.
The group all have secret's they want to keep but being cooped up in the hut begins to expose the secrets one by one. I enjoyed the story but was not too satisfied with the ending, although I would recommend the book.

OUTSIDE by Ragnar Jonasson has all the elements of a mystery from an isolated setting , a snowstorm and revenge.

Four friends in Iceland travel together to a hunting lodge far away from civilization. All Four friends have secrets that they are trying to hide from each other. An unexpected guest appears at the lodge and no one seems to know the stranger. Two friends leave the lodge to try to find something and one comes back, claiming that the other died. There is the vibe of "an eye for an eye".

This is a slow burning mystery set in Iceland. I enjoyed the mystery without the graphic violence. Although murder is committed.

The story was well crafted and the language is beautiful, though I have to say that I did not really like any of the four characters. Someone said it is possible to enjoy a book even if you do not like the characters. I learned that it is true after I finished reading the novel.

Highly recommended for fans of Agatha Christie type mysteries.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy on the digital platform.

Not posting on GoodReads or blog.

I received a digital advance copy of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson (translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb) via NetGalley. Outside is scheduled for release on June 28, 2022.

Outside is the story of four friends who head out for a hunting adventure in the Icelandic highlands. An unexpected winter storm appears, forcing them to find shelter in an isolated hut. While they wait for the storm to clear, they are forced to deal with events they thought were buried in the past.

While this novel had an interesting premise, the execution of the story did not work for me. While we get the story from the point of view of all four of the friends, none of the characters were well developed. The author gives us lists of facts about them, including summaries of moments from their pasts, but we don’t really see the characters do anything. Even the relationships between the four people we are told are friends are non-existent. In the last third of the novel, there was a reveal (of something all four of the characters would know, but which was withheld from the reader) that I think was intended to make us reconsider the relationships between the four. The problem was that I had no sense of who the four were, or what their relationships were, so the reveal fell very flat.

Despite the potentially interesting premise, the plot as a whole did not come together for me. Individual moments made no sense, even after the secrets of the story were revealed.

Overall, Outside was a disappointing read, with both the characters and plot needed much more development to create a satisfying story.

Outside, by Ragnar Jonasson, is an almost tangibly atmospheric Nordic Noir set on the snowy mountain range of Iceland’s Eastern Highlands. The story follows four college friends who reunite for a hunting trip when a snowstorm blows in. They find themselves seeking refuge in a remote hunting shack and discover an unsettling, rather terrifying surprise upon gaining entry. As they try to survive the night and work out what to do, given their current circumstances, tension mounts, tempers unfurl, accusations are made and old wounds are reopened. The scene is Arctic cold, desolate, hopeless and claustrophobic.

I did appreciate the short chapters and alternating perspectives in this mystery, and was truly intrigued to see where the story would go. But before long, it became rather repetitive and lacked a forward momentum in the plot. Some of the reveals were interesting, but others were lackluster and anti-climatic. The second part of the story, which was more like an epilogue, was absolutely confusing and unclear. I have no idea what transpired, who the narrator was, or how it connected to the main plot. And then the story ended, abruptly, without any explanation.

I am normally a huge fan of Ragnar Jonasson’s work. But sadly, despite its vivid setting and definite potential, Outside was a big disappointment.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader and audiobook copy of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson in exchange for an honest review. I started this book in ebook format and was slowly working my way through it, then got the audiobook and listened to 75%in one evening. It was a good, fast paced thriller that hooks you in to the end. Four "friends" go on a weekend trip in Iceland and the secrets of their lives unravel.

Outside by Ragnar Jonasson is a taut closed door mystery that is the best thriller of the year. Jonasson weaves the stories of the four leading characters like a riveting chess match. This is a slow burn that unveils its twists unexpectedly. Jonasson is a must read author and this will make an awesome film.

Outside is a stand-alone novel from Ragnar Jonasson.

"Four friends head out from the lodge intending to hunt. A winter storm hits driving them to a survival shelter. When they get inside they are surprised by what they find. Not everyone will make it out alive."

This is a short quick read from Jonasson. It takes place in one night. Jonasson does a nice job making the reader feel the cold of the Icelandic winter. It's told from the perspective of each of the characters. Each character has their own agenda...and secrets. The ending was a bit open-ended - not sure what I think about that yet

Good, quick story from Jonasson. Good to read while it's so hot outside

*3.5*

I wish I would've read this during the winter season because I was 100% LIVING for this atmosphere! The cold wintery isolation feel certainly adds to the story. Curling up with a blanket and a hot beverage is the perfect way to read this. The first reveal and cliffhanger certainly caught me off guard and had me hooked! It did seem to go downhill from there. There was a lot of inner dialogue with the characters and most of it repetitive chapter to chapter. I think some of it was meant to act like a cliffhanger but after awhile I wanted to yell JUST TELL ME WHAT IT IS! I thought the mix of characters was good for what was happening in the story and I was quite surprised by the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am really really new to Nordic Noir so I have to be honest and say I felt lost reading this book. I had friends but told me that I needed to be patient. That Nordic Noir tends to be a Slow Burn. And I kept waiting for that burn part, and just it didn't seem to get there. It really was challenging for me to actually finish the book. It had nothing to do with the author's writing, the writing was nice and smooth. I guess it's just not my genre.

Nordic noir! I enjoy the tastes I have had of this genre and I looked forward to this book, penned by Ragnar Jónasson, a respected and successful Icelandic author. The story sets up quickly, four friends on a weekend hunting trip who are soon in over their heads due to an unexpected Icelandic blizzard. One of the characters swears he knows of an old hut nearby, so they trudge on in an effort to survive the storm. A creepy and threatening intruder inflames the panic and sparks off insecurities within the group.

Jónasson tells the story in short chapters rotating through each of the characters points of view. This keeps the pace quick and helps us get into the mindset of each person… for better or for worse. The pace was brisk and the suspense only snowballed as the story unfolded…

…and then, like an avalanche, the ending fell off. Some interesting plot moves seemed to drop abruptly. The advance reader copy included snippets from two additional books and I was halfway into reading one when I realized “Outside” had already ended. It felt like an epilogue had been omitted.

I liked what was there. I give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3– but it really feels like a missed opportunity here. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really love this author but I’m not sure what’s going on with this book. Like a lot of nordic noir it’s a slow burn but I kept waiting for the burn part and just couldn’t get there. It took some effort to actually finish this book. I still love this author and can’t help but feel this one is an anomaly. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.