My appreciation to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC of this clever book! Icelandic thrillers are unique because they take place in an unforgiving environment with smaller communities. This makes any investigation more challenging in general, especially when the people always hold something back. When an author goes missing, it could be foul play, natural death or even just a holiday. The investigation starts with information gathering, almost like a welfare check on a senior, but with mounting concerns. The detective Helgi is managing personal matters while investigating Elin's disappearance. Both storylines are significant in this tale. And Helgi being a bibliophile introduced me to other books that sound exciting and I may pursue - I like their addition as what he reads reflects his mindset at the time. I enjoyed the way Helgi was able to pluck information from unwilling acquaintances. Without giving spoilers, I will say that I had many surprises along the way, most especially the shocker from the past. And the ending of the book left me stunned. I kept trying to find something hidden at the end (at least one more page!) - it left me in quite a state. Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, the entertaining characters, and the manner in which the twists were delivered.

Helgi Reykdal, is called back to Rekjavik CID to investigate the dissappearance of a famous Icelandic crime writer. It was her publisher who began to worry after missing a social meeting with her. Elin Jonsdottir, an elderly lady but in good shape, loved hiking and only had a handful of close friends. As Helgi delves into the life of Elin, he is also drawn into the disappearance of his predecessor at the station and distracted by troubles in his personal life..
A thrilling Nordic mystery, second in the series, that is told in time segments that include a bank robbery. an interview of the author, the investigations into the authors life and how it all comes together.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer".

I didn't realize this was the followup to previous novels, but that didn't stop me from enjoying its characters, location and propulsive story not to mention the intriguing structure. An earlier Ragnar Jónasson book that I had read was from another series and had a far different style.

Here we have Iceland police detective Helgi Reykdahl called back to Reykjavik to investigate the disappearance of Elin Jonsdottir, a hugely popular published author of crime novels who famously stopped writing after completing ten books. There is also his personal life to unravel. What intrigued me as much as the twisting mystery at the core was the atmospheric depiction of Iceland at the tailend of autumn, when lashing rains motivate cozy evenings settling in with a good book, fire and fragrant stew scenting the air. Books, particularly crime novels from "the golden age" are a great favorite of Helgi, given his family background of owning a particularly welcoming bookstore, and he never misses a chance to grab a few pages when he has even as little as a minute. I can relate.

The ending did seem to be a bit abrupt, caught me by surprise, and makes me thirst for the next one.

I had a very hard time getting into this read unfortunately. The main character seems like a total bore. I really tried but it never caught my attention.

I couldn't get into this book for some reason, which I don't understand. I generally love Nordic crime/mystery books. I'll be eager to hear what other readers thought of is.

I was delighted to be offered an ARC of this book by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I am a big fan of Ragnar Jónasson and have been waiting to see what he does with his newly established production company, Dimma. I was glad to see the return of the main character of this book, as his fate was left unclear in the first installment of this series. This book also ends on another cliffhanger, and once again I hope all works out for the character. That I’m so invested should tell you that Jónasson has created yet another enduring and complexly drawn protagonist. I was mostly annoyed by Ari Thor and felt for Hulda, so I’m glad this new protagonist leans more towards Hulda than Ari.

The main mystery in this book moves at a clip and has a good resolution. Hulda incidentally makes an appearance here as one of the minor mysteries. As a favorite character, it was good to see her again, but we didn’t necessarily learn anything new about her. Jónasson does seem to be setting up a reopening of the case of her disappearance though, which would be a welcome development. Her end never quite sat comfortably with me. An enjoyable read; this series is turning out be a good one. 4/5 stars.

Detective Helgi returns!
A well-known mystery writer is reported missing and Helgi is called back from vacation to investigate. Besides trying to figure out what happened to the writer, Elin, his personal life is a mess. He has broken up with his abusive partner and started a new relationship with a more stable woman. But his old girlfriend will not be ignored, and I just kept saying to myself, this will not end well. In addition, the detective that he replaced is missing and he seems to be the only one who wants to find out what happened.
Lots of different threads with Helgi at the center of them all. I am not a huge fan of cliffhanger endings, and everything is not resolved when this story ends. I can only hope that the next book will be published next year. 🤞

A clever twist on the classic whodunit. It’s cozy with a cerebral edge—great for mystery fans who love puzzles within puzzles. A nice treat for Jonasson fans!

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Writer is a delightfully twisty, character‑driven mystery with atmospheric flair. It delivers more than surface‑level fun and will scratch the itch for fans of Agatha Christie–style puzzles with modern wit.
A solid 4 stars from me—perfect for those who love sleuthing in candlelit corridors without diving into too dark a thriller.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great choice if you enjoy cozy mysteries with clever puzzles, strong voices, and just enough creepiness!

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer
By Ragnar Jonasson
Icelandic Mystery
Minotaur Book, release date 9/9/2025


This is a new writer to me but he has an easy to read style, not too much dialogue and not too much description. Up front, just want to let everyone know that he bounces around in timelines, from 1965, 1976, 2003 and back to the present week of 2012 where the actions of his police detective hero Helgi are being relayed. Some readers are distracted by differing timelines, so just a headsup.

It only takes our hero Helgi a week to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the crime writer, which is revealed step by backward step very enticingly by the author. You may want to have a hot drink nearby while you’re reading this book because Jonasson paints an accurate portrait of the cold environs and you might come to shivers while reading some scenes.

The story would make a great 90-minute crime movie and the shocking ending might infuriate some readers – so, don't read it immediately before bedtime! It stays true to the Nordic genre.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to Net Galley for allowing me to read a free advanced copy in exchange for an unpaid honest review.

I enjoyed this mystery, it is well written and keeps you interested. I would suggest you read the previous books in the series because some people may get a little confused with the characters.

It has been years since I read a Ragnar Jonasson mystery. I don’t read many Scandinavian mysteries as I have found them to be too violent – though, of course, there are many writers from that area that do not necessarily show violence on the page. But the cover of this book, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer, did lead me to believe that it was more of a cozy mystery – do not be fooled. This is not a cozy, but then it is also not a violent, noir read either. Serious topics like domestic violence are dealt with expertly here.
The story surrounds the missing mystery writer, Elin Jonsdottir, who just doesn’t show up for her appointments with friends one week. Is she really missing, kidnapped, dead? Or just off on her own, wishing some private time? A young detective, Helgi, on one of his first real cases, wants to crack the case before Elin’s disappearance is leaked to the press. Like Agatha Christie who disappeared before her, Elin, may just want to be alone!
In several ways the novel does feel like an old-style traditional mystery, with lovely prose about life in Iceland on subjects of friendship and purpose in life. But then we learn about Helgi’s psychotic ex-girlfriend and the domestic abuse in their relationship. A subject which causes Helgi much embarrassment as he is the victim.
A nice story all in all, but since I have not read many recent Johasson novels, I did not follow the story of Hulda, another officer who is now also missing(?). Apparently, I did not know this character from former novels and just had to play catch up – though that side story did not get resolved in the least.
Also, I would have given the novel a four rating except for the bizarre ending. Or non-ending. Right in the middle of solving one of the story elements, the book simply ends. No resolution at all. I thought that somehow, I was involved in the case of the missing chapter – but no, upon research, that is how the book ends. One of the reasons I enjoy mystery novels is the satisfaction of a just and complete ending to an ongoing problem. I think Jonasson should have rethought this ending and given us resolution.

My Rating: 3 of 5
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer will be published on Aug. 21, 2025

I’m starting this off with the thing that bothered me a lot about this book. I hate and despise cliffhangers. Hate, hate, hate them. And this book ends on one. The major story line was resolved, but the subplot was not.
In spite of my dislike for the cliffhanger, I enjoyed the book. I’m a huge fan of Nordic stories. And ones set in Iceland are some of my favorites. The protagonist, young detective Helgi, was someone the reader can root for. He was a policeman who had some secrets he didn’t want anyone to know about which added an interesting component to his personality. An unexpected dimension to how he interacted with the world.
The story centers on a writer of mystery novels, Elin S. Jonsdottir, who lives alone and has never been married. She has a group of friends who have been in her life long term and they are creatures of habit. Lunching together on certain days of the week and at the same places. She also likes to hike and spend time in the outdoors. She has form for going off on her own and not telling anyone as she is independent.
When she fails to show up for one of the scheduled lunches, one of the friends reports her missing and the investigation ensues. The investigation is on the down low as the friends as well as the police want to keep the media at bay as Elin is a very popular Icelandic writer.
Our detective protagonist is a huge fan of golden age mysteries of the 1930s. He’s excited about the case as he believes he could earn a promotion if he brings her home safely.
The story is full of nuances and a few twists. I saw one coming but I liked how the author got us there. The policeman’s personal life is also interesting with some twists there as well.
The format of the book is unique as well. It skips time periods back and forth and also has a number of scenes that are the crime writer being interviewed. These are the only times we get to learn about her personality as the book progresses. The piecemeal learning about her was enjoyable. This reader enjoys books with different time jumps. It keeps things interesting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and if I don’t read the next one, I’ll make up my own ending to the cliffhanger. lol

This is the second in the series about Icelandic police detective Helgi Reykdahl. One evening a best-selling mystery writer is reported as missing to the police. Helgi follows up and interviews the small circle of close friends who were the only people to really know her. As he peels back the layers of the secretive life of this famous writer, he finds one surprising revelation after another. But where is she, and is she still alive?

I really enjoyed getting to know and understand Elin Jonsdottir through Helgi’s eyes. We come to understand that none of the friends is being overly forthcoming about Elin and her life. She is a private person and her circle of friends is very skilled at keeping secrets. The story is told through flashbacks to the 70s and early 2000s, as the mysteries of Elin’s life have long roots in the past. Like a jigsaw, Helgi collects and holds all the pieces until he can form the full picture. The ending is quite sudden and it is a cliffhanger! I was not ready to leave Helgi’s world and am really looking forward to the next in this series.

Sincere thanks to Minotaur for the copy to read.

When a famous crime writer vanishes just before the release of his latest book, a curious amateur sleuth dives into the mystery, uncovering secrets buried in both fiction and real life. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that truth may be stranger than the missing writer’s own novels
This was a fast-paced, short mystery with an intriguing premise, but I found it hard to connect with the story and characters. I really wanted to love it, especially as this was my first book from this author, but it just didn’t fully land for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

(2.5 rounded down) I read the first book in this series, “Death at the Sanatorium,” and felt mild about it until the ending/solution, which I hated. I wanted to give the second book a shot because the summary of this series is right up my alley - a cop in Iceland, obsessed with golden age mysteries, solves crimes using his detection skills picked up from reading his beloved books. This book is split into multiple timelines - in 2012 (which is the present in the book) a famous crime writer has gone missing. In 2005, said crime writer is giving an interview to an unidentified reporter about her life. In the 1970’s, a female cop in is assigned to speak to a man incarcerated for a robbery that left a man dead ten years prior. In 1965, unidentified people plan this bank robbery. Most of the time is spent in 2012, with Helgi, the detective leading the investigation of the missing crime writer. There are suspicious side characters and bad behavior and little clues dropped throughout the novel. I felt the exact same way about this one that I did the first one - mild enjoyment throughout, disappointment with the ending. I also am not of the fan of the writing of this, and I’m not sure whether that’s an issue with the original writing or the translation. The dialogue feels very unnatural and the story is somehow both unwieldy and too simplistic. I do think if you go in with the right expectations, this could be an enjoyable read, but I just don’t think this series is for me.

I really enjoyed this book, with two caveats. One, the obsessing over his future plans with Anita got repetitive. Two, I really don't like cliffhangers. So I liked this book a lot, though I began to skim some of the internal dialogue about Anita. And I was kinda furious at leaving him running to Anita at the end with no resolution, plus what's the point of putting Hulga in there if there's no answer? I see there's a standalone book on Hulga, but that's again clifhangery, and it doesn't make me want to read the other books. It makes me feel manipulated

This book is another hit by Ragnar Jonasson. You are hooked after the first chapter and can’t put the book down. Delightful characters new and old and addictive storyline. My best read of 2025 so far.

3 stars

Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.

CID Detective Helgi Reykdal lives and works in Reykjavik (but his heart is in his hometown of Akureyi and with the family bookstore he has inherited.) He’s assigned to the missing persons case of famous Icelandic author Elin S. Jonsdottir, known for her ten mystery novels written over a twenty year period. Why would Jonsdottir disappear? Accident or something more nefarious?

I read a previous book by Jonasson, whom I think is fairly popular in Iceland. As I recall I didn’t much like it, and this one was better. There’s an interesting secondary story about Helgi’s personal life that is actually quite good as it deals with domestic violence against a man, which is something I can’t recall ever seeing covered in a book. I saw no indication that this is part of a series, but perhaps it’s intended to be the start of one?

Elín S. Jónsdóttir, a popular Icelandic crime novelist, has gone missing. Helgi, a detective in Reykjavík, is called in to investigate. Helgi starts asking Elín's friends about their relationship with her and uncovers a connection to a decades-old cold case. The more Helgi uncovers, the more he finds that Elín and her powerful friends have been keeping far more secrets than a simple missing persons investigation was prepared to uncover. As he dives deeper into the lives of Iceland's famous and powerful, he finds himself in the midst of his own tragedy. The novel ends abruptly and I hope that means there will be a follow-up for Helgi.