*The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer* by Ragnar Jónasson is such a clever, atmospheric little mystery. It has this cozy-but-haunting vibe that pulls you in right away, with that slow-burn Icelandic style that I really enjoy. The story follows a retired detective who’s asked to investigate the disappearance of a famous crime writer, and of course, nothing is as simple as it seems. The setting is gorgeous and eerie, the plot keeps you guessing, and it’s just twisty enough without trying too hard. A quick, satisfying read for anyone who loves a smart, literary whodunit.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a digital copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

This story follows a detective who has been assigned the case of a missing crime novelist. Although she is older. she still has a routine that she follows regularly and now that routine has been broken. I liked the concept of this book; however, I just couldn't keep myself engaged in it. I didn't love the characters and not telling the police everything really frustrated me. What happened to the writer in the end left me a bit disappointed. This one was not for me.

Helgi returns for another case in this second series entry. This time he's looking for an author who hasn't been seen in a couple of weeks. Amidst the investigation, Helgi's relationship with Anita is deepening but Berthora refuses to relinquish her control. Fans of traditional mysteries set in Iceland will enjoy it.

I'm growing to love bookaholic police officer Helgi, and I'm grateful someone is finally taking Hulda's disappearance seriously though that's not the main point of this novel. It's all about missing Elin - and a murderous bank robbery years in the past - and recovering from a villainous ex. There's a lot going on here and Ragnar weaves them together expertly. I don't think there's anyone better today writing crime novels.

Loved this book, he’s a great writer and it was so interesting. A best selling crime writer goes missing and everyone that knows her including her publisher try to figure out what happened.

"The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her - a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge - he realizes that Elín's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer's very unexpected life."

I mean, I think being a crime writer you have to have a mysterious past that catches up to you right?

This was such a cozy, atmospheric read, it was easy to get lost in the story. I absolutely love to read about bookish people so I felt immediately connected to Helgi, especially when he would take a break with a favorite book. The Iceland setting of this book makes it the perfect fall/winter read. The only criticism I have is are we serious with this ending?! It was so shocking and abrupt, I kept thinking I was missing an entire chapter. Whether I liked it or not, it is definitely an ending that will stick with me for some time.

Icelandic police detective Helgi Reykdahl Is called back to Reykjavik To investigate The disappearance of an incredibly popular crime writer who had given up writing after completing 10 books. It is made all the more difficult due to the fact that this author was an incredibly secretive person and not a lot is known about them.

There is a lot we learn about Helgi and his past specifically dealing with an abusive ex-girlfriend. You also get to see some of his family and the way he is with them. What I thought was really interesting is that this book intertwines two different timelines. You get the current investigation into The disappearance of Elin (the author) As well as the disappearance of another detective named Hulda Hermanndsottir some year prior.

What was really interesting about this book? Is that some of the details and clues are not revealed until the very end, so it makes it almost impossible to "solve the case" as a reader. But in a way that was really kind of cool because it's not a predictable ending. The ending didn't feel like it happened very abruptly, But it was still very good.

The search for a missing author, by a detective who was a lover of books was a great plot. The author did an excellent job of holding your interest as the story bounced between two different timelines. The story moved along, and the two timelines were merged together well. I enjoyed the main plot, but the subplots in the story did not appeal to me. I was also disappointed in the ending, as I felt that I was left hanging without a closure to that part of the story. Perhaps a sequel is coming to finish out the endings of the subplots.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The Mysterious Case of the MIssing Crime Writer
by 'Ragnar Jonasson
Pub Date: Sept. 9th
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my h0nest opinion.
The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík.
This was a quick read and I enjoyed the main plot. I just wasn't crazy about the subplots and one of them isn't finished yet.
Hope this book is a match for you!
3 stars

This is a super quick read with a great plot. Really interesting, and the bouncing from one timeline to another is done really well and keeps the story moving along nicely. I thought the main plot was fantastic, and this would have rated higher for me, but I wasn’t crazy about the two subplots or the ending. One subplot was just left unfinished (is this a series??? I’m not sure), and the other came to a halt in such a way (at the end of the book) that I thought my Kindle was broken and not moving to the next page. I just kept swiping. So, worth reading? Yes! But I was a bit frustrated with how it finished.

Thanks to Ragnar Jonassen, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an engaging mystery set in Iceland. The detective, Helgi, is also a bibliophile and he is assigned a case to find a missing famous author. As the story unfolds, other factors come into play including Helgi’s past and another missing person.

Well written and interesting, the story will keep you guessing until the end. The characters are likeable, and the dialog is well done. I found the Icelandic setting to be a great change of pace. Recommended.

Told in alternating timelines and shifting perspectives, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer draws readers into a cleverly layered narrative filled with intrigue, deception, and unexpected twists. The story unravels gradually, allowing multiple mysteries to unfold in tandem, which kept me engaged throughout.

I especially appreciated how the structure built suspense while offering just enough clues to keep me guessing—yet I still didn’t see the ending coming, which is always a welcome surprise in a mystery novel. The conclusion was both satisfying and well-earned, tying together the various threads in a way that felt deliberate and rewarding.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of twisty mysteries with complex narratives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Set against the stark, shifting weather of Iceland, Ragnar Jónasson’s latest novel draws readers into a haunting tale where disappearance is only the beginning. Detective Helgi Reklydal, young yet perceptive, finds himself plunged into a high-stakes case: Iceland’s most beloved crime writer, Elin, has vanished without a trace.

But Jónasson doesn’t stop at a single mystery. Helgi’s personal life is splintering—his widowed mother is ill in the distant north, and his volatile ex is threatening his newfound happiness. Meanwhile, the disappearance of a former police detective looms ominously, adding another layer of unresolved tension to Helgi’s world.

Told in a time-hopping narrative, the novel peels back Elin’s seemingly ordinary life to reveal a tangled web of secrets. Her connection to a past crime gradually surfaces, intertwining with Helgi’s investigation in a deftly crafted dual storyline. Jónasson’s talent for merging plotlines shines here, leading to a satisfying reveal that solves more than one mystery—though not all.

Still, the ending may leave some readers unsettled. Just as Helgi reflects on the lingering mystery of his predecessor, tragedy strikes in a moment that feels abrupt, as if a final chapter was lost.

For readers who relish atmospheric tension, layered character struggles, and psychological complexity, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer delivers on many fronts—even if it leaves you yearning for just one more page.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is the first book I have read by Ragnar Jonasson, but I have been interested in reading his books. The book has a few different time periods that both help with clues and extend the mystery. The book is a pretty quick read. We have a missing crime writer and a police officer, Helgi who likes to read, especially crime novels, so he is the one assigned to her case. He hasn't been a police officer for very long, so he knows that this can really help his career, or it can hurt if he can't solve the case. There are some twists in the story, which help keep it interesting. I was going to give it a four, but then the ending was abrupt, and I felt like the rest of the book is missing. I am not sure if that is how this author normally writes. I definitely would like the rest of the story. The mystery of Helgi's predecessor, Hulda is left without an ending. There are a few other things that are also left without answers. (And the description when invited to read this book is that it is a standalone.)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the ARC ebook. All opinions are my own.

I have come to really love books by Ragnar Jonasson largely in part of their setting in Iceland, The atmospheric depiction in these novels is wonderful and serve to enhance the story. The secondary story about the detective's history is also interesting and different. The ending was somewhat abrupt but still surprising and left me wanting more.

My favorite part of this book was the setting in Iceland. It made me want to visit there so much more! I read this book in two days and I did enjoy it. Helgi was a more empathetic police officer than I've read in characters before, which I really liked. The mystery part was hard to follow and I felt like most of the information/clues didn't really come up until the end.

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Writer
By Ragnar Jónasson
Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press, 320 pages.
★★★★

In 1926, mystery writer Agatha Christie disappeared for a dozen days. She showed up unharmed, but never explained her absence. Some have done extensive detective work and believe they have cracked the mystery, but it remains open for speculation.

What, pray tell, does this have to do with the new novel from Iceland’s most popular mystery writer, Ragnar Jónasson? The Mysterious Case of the Missing Writer pays homage to Christie and is written in the so-called Golden Age style popularized by Christie. It is sparse and sprinkled with humor, though devoid of Christie's ability to somehow imbue murder with an ineffable sweetness. In other words, Jónasson is a hard-boiled mystery writer. Another departure is that whereas Christie preferred a controlled approach to her mysteries, Jónasson’s work is complex, right down to moving between three time frames: the 60s, the 70s, and 2005. He even cribs from two earlier works, White Out and Death at the Sanatorium, but doesn't bother to explain back stories. (You don't need to read these first to understand Case of the Missing Writer.)

Helgi Reykdal works for the Criminal Investigation Division in Reykjavik, a job that would stress out just about anyone. His mind is overloaded and is trying to recharge his batteries at his family's bookstore in the countryside outside of the capital. Helgi is relatively young as detectives go, and harbors a secret he wishes to remain private. His previous girlfriend, Bergthora, was violent. What his colleagues think if they knew Helgi was found to have been battered by Bergthora and is under a restraining order? He doesn't even want his current girlfriend, Anita, to know the details. She's everything Bergthora was not: kind, calm, affectionate, curious, athletic....

Helgi is brought in from the wilds, as it were, because Élin Jónsdóttir is missing. His job is to find the famous crime novelist before word gets out, social media explodes, and the public works itself into a frenzy of fear and rumor. There may be nothing to any of this, but the disappearance is reported by her best friend Lovisa, a retired judge, who suspects something has happened with Élin because she failed to show for their weekly gabfest. The public imagines that Jónsdóttir has a jetsetter’s lifestyle and would cast suspicion on every glamorous or important person in the nation. Lovisa, however, reveals that despite what people believe, Élin is a shy homebody of rigid habits. Her publisher, Rut, confirms Lovisa's concerns and reasons for them. Even Élin’s accountant finds it out of character for her to simply drop out of sight without a word to her closest confidants.

On the other hand, Jónsdóttir publicly announced that her 10th murder mystery, Deadline, would be her last book. Helgi can't help but wonder why an aging mystery writer would need anyone's permission or advanced notice to go out on her own for a bit; after all, that’s what he did. But the more Helgi probes, the more he's inclined to entertain the probability that something deeper is afoot. The ideal situation would be that Élin is acting in accordance to plots in her books and has pulled a fast one by claiming she was done with writing. Is she holed up somewhere working on a new book? Or, as Helgi increasingly fears, has she been murdered?

Try cracking all those nuts if you are Helgi. He is back in Reykjavik, is being badgered by higher ups to solve the case, and is falling deeply in love with his new girlfriend Anita, who fears that Bergthora has been stalking her at work. She's not wrong about that! Bergthora insists that Helgi is still in love with her, and that they have sex together when Anita is busy. That's not true, but Helgi has little time to deal with this as he is hours away from resolving the Jónsdóttir case. He insists that Bergthora as annoying, but not a threat. He promises to deal with her very soon.

Will Helga find Élin? Will he lose the intelligent Anita to his workaholic lifestyle? Is Bergthora a sociopath? Find out for yourself in this gripping page turner. Jónasson’s book is well plotted and finishes with an absolutely shocking conclusion. Maybe you'll anticipate it or maybe you won't. Either way it lands like a left hook when you're looking right.



Rob Weir

Although the plot was a bit predictable, I liked the main character quite a bit and enjoyed getting a glimpse of life in Iceland. The timelines merged together to tell a cohesive story with a satisfying ending. The last chapter ensures that the reader will want to pick up the next novel to see what happens next.

Ooh, love some Nordic crime writing! Ragnar Jónasson delivers a smart, meta-mystery perfect for fans of classic whodunits. Set against the moody backdrop of Iceland, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer is both a homage to the genre and a fresh, twisty tale in its own right. A slow burn with a satisfying payoff — ideal for lovers of Agatha Christie and Nordic noir alike. I just came off of reading Murder on the Orient Express before reading this one. Neither disappointed! Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. More of these books, please!