A beastly storm rages.
Four friends trapped inside a hut for survival.
Old secrets restlessly come to the surface.
Can their friendships survive this ultimate test? Will they all survive?
I liked this book. It was a quick read and touches on themes of trust and loyalty.

Armann, Helena, Daniel and Gunnlauger alternately tell the story of their ill fated ptarmigan hunting trip. Armann,, who often guides in the Eastern Highlands of Iceland, organized this for this group of old friends. But are they friends? Were they ever friends? They break into a shelter when they are caught in a blizzard and find a man with a weapon - who is he? Why? This is heavy on the internal dialogue and back story of the characters with a dollop of survival in snow and cold. That said, it seems odd that Armann wasn't better prepared for the weather. No spoilers from me but I suspect canny readers won't find many surprises. I'm a fan of Jonasson for his writing, the Icelandic settings, and his characters so this was a treat for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Four Friends, a deadly snowstorm, and an abandoned hunting lodge set the stage in Outside. The four friends hope to have an enjoyable weekend in the Icelandic highlands, what they get is a nightmare!

The snow is falling, it's bitter cold and four friends seek shelter in an abandoned building. They are trapped in a harsh unforgiving environment. They have no way to call for help, they are miles from civilization and once in the lodge, find that they are not alone. Creepy.

They synopsis drew me in. I love books set in extreme cold for some reason. I, myself, hate being cold and perhaps that is why I am drawn to them. Who knows? But this is not a simple book about survival. It is about the ties that bind, about secrets, about conscience, about memories, about the past and about the here and now.

I found this book to have creepy elements, but it was also about dark memories, consequences, and secrets. Readers also get the POV of each of the friends. We learn more about them and their thoughts on the others. This was a nice touch, and I thought the narrators did a great job with their parts.

I had both the kindle and audiobook version. I enjoyed going back and forth between the two but found myself listening to the audiobook more out of convivence more than anything else. I felt that this book moved at a nice pace and the sense of tension flowed throughout the book. As other reviews this book does end abruptly. It was as if the author thought "that's it. I'm done."

Although I enjoyed this book, it was missing that little bit of something that would have garnered a higher rating. None of the characters pulled at my heartstrings. I didn't really feel a connection with them to care for their plight.


#Outside #NetGalley

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Four friends set off on a hiking excursion in the highlands of Iceland. An unexpected winter storm puts their lives in danger as temperatures plummet and hypothermia becomes a serious threat. The group finds a cabin to seek shelter in, but they’re not alone. Secrets are revealed as tensions rise and the friends realize they don’t know each other as well as they thought they did.

This is my first book by this author and I had really high hopes. I love atmospheric thrillers and this novel excelled in creating the perfect winter setting. I could almost hear the icy wind slamming against the windows. The chapters were short and the pacing was fast. Unfortunately, the rest of the book was disappointing.

The characters were all awful people, so I had no one to root for. They were surface level at best. I don’t try to figure out twists while I read, but this one was impossible not to predict. And the ending was just…oof!

I wasn’t sure if something went wrong in the translation because I’d only heard great things about this author’s books. After reading more reviews, it seems that many readers feel Outside is an outlier compared to his other work. Based on that, I’m willing to give Jónasson another shot in the future, but I cannot recommend this particular book.

A big thanks to the Netgalley, the author, and Minotaur Books for a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Outside is slow burn thriller about a group of friend who decide...on a whim...to trek in the Icelandic wilderness. Of course, things do not go according to plan. I really wanted to like this book - it had all the things I like in a plot but unfortunately the characters were just meh and unrealistic. I was unable to care about any of them. Others may be able to get into this one, but I just could not. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

OUTSIDE is the latest book from Ragnar Jonasson…. and my first book of his I’ve read! Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my e-arc I’m exchange for an honest review. This book publishes next Tuesday, June 28!

I feel kind of conflicted on this book. On the one hand, I really liked how fast paced it was. It took place within a day, and was very “edge of your seat, need to know what happens next” kind of feeling. The chapters are SO SHORT! I flew through this book, reading most of it in a day! The fast pace of the book adds to the overall feeling of intensity of the book.

However, the characters are not very likeable. I don’t really think I liked anything about any of the 4 MC… they all seemed to have their own hidden agenda and secrets. And with only half of them surviving the crazy Icelandic snowstorm… tension is high!! Secrets are spilled!

ALSO! I have no idea if it’s just me, but what the heck happened in the last chapter?! I’m so confused!! Do we find out who the guy was that was in abandons hut they take shelter in?! I don’t know if it was because I finished this book late at night and was tired, but I just couldn’t not connect the dots and the last chapter felt very unnecessary. I would have preferred it being left out 😅

I’m sure it’s just me, as I haven’t seen any reviews for this one yet. But if you have read this book, tell me what you thought of the last chapter!!

I really enjoyed Ragnar Jonasson's last book and was excited to read this one. It has the chilly bleak Icelandic setting, and four friends who aren't who they pretend to be. I enjoyed this story and flew through the pages, but I admit it did not live up to the previous book for me. Why? I found the whole story line a little weak. I did not fully engage with any of the characters either, as none of them were particularly likeable.

Four friends go hiking into the Iceland highlands. They all have something to hide. When a storm forces them to seek shelter in an old hut, they think they've found respite but really their troubles are just beginning.

What I liked about this book was the short chapters from the four friend's point of view. It kept the story propelling forward nicely and at a quick pace. I liked the atmosphere of being in Iceland. I just found that the story was not totally absorbing. A little of that, I think, could be due to the fact in Iceland it sounds like a gun is enough to inspire terror in the characters in the book. After a particularly violent beginning of summer here in the US, this lone man holding a gun just didn't seem that threatening, which is a sad comment on our society.

While this book was not my favorite by Mr. Jonasson, I am still eager to read whatever new books he may publish.

Four friends go on a hunting trip in the middle of winter in Iceland. What could possibly go wrong with that?? LOL! Although the premise of the story doesn't seem too original, the way this story played out was suspensful and unexpected. This was a quick read and I enjoyed every minute of it!

I generally like Nordic and Icelandic mysteries as they are usually dark and intriguing. This Icelandic mystery is dark but I while I found the story intriguing at first, it fell apart for me toward the end

Daniel, Helena, Armann and Gunnlaugur have been friends since college. When Armann, a tour guide, arranged a reunion hunting trip into the remote highlands of Iceland, they were all in. Things don't get off to a good start, however, when an unexpected snow storm forces the group to find shelter in an emergency hut, only to find they are not alone in the hut. An armed, silent stranger has also taken up refuge. Why does he keep his rifle aimed at them but says nothing?

In an effort to contact rescue services, Daniel and Helena set out in the storm again for another emergency hut that Armann assures them has a radio, leaving Gunnlaugur and Armann to keep an eye on the stranger. Both parties now face unknown and potentially deadly situations.

I was caught up in the story from the start. The sense of place--the desolation and remoteness of the highlands--combined with the life threatening storm set the perfect mood for the story. Unfortunately, I found the reactions of the characters to certain events that occurred to be unrealistic. I just couldn't buy into the author's explanation of their reactions to deadly situations--it didn't ring true--which is too bad because I did enjoy the majority of the book.

This one was just ok for me. I listened to the audiobook which was horrendously boring, as well as read the actual book. I did not like the narrators at all. The book took awhile setting the scene and developing the characters a bit. It was atmospheric and creepy at times and gave off vibes of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Four friends desperately seek shelter in an abandoned lodge during an Icelandic snowstorm. This is bound to end well right? Forced to stay isolated together secrets between the friends become revealed and they all have the feeling they are being watched. They uncover disturbing things about the lodge and realize that their shelter where they felt so safe may have actually put them in danger.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Friends venture out into the Icelandic wilderness for a fun get-a-way but it turns into a survival tale.

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.