Love this author's Hulda detective novel trilogy so I was really looking forward to this. I loved the snowy backdrop and atmospheric descriptions. I could not get to grips with the plot and the characters though so I did struggle a bit to get to the end. I will continue to look out for other titles by this author.

This is a highly atmospheric novel with a compelling story and characters that I absolutely whizzed through. I loved the setting and the very short timescale of the main action while all the back story built so that the reasons for what was happening were revealed. Just a beautifully written thriller by a writer who never disappoints

This was such an amazingly atmospheric book, I didn't really like any of the characters at the start and Ragnar always has a way of creating a dark and sinister undercurrent from page 1. The premise from good reads states:

In the swirling snow of a deadly Icelandic storm, four friends seek shelter in a small abandoned hunting lodge. Miles from help, and knowing they will die outside in the cold, they break open the lock and make their way inside, hoping to wait out the storm until morning.

But nothing can prepare them for what they find behind the door . . .

Inside the cabin lurks a dangerous presence that chills them to their core.
Outside, certain death from exposure awaits.
So with no other option, they find themselves forced to spend a long, terrifying night in the cabin, watching as intently and silently as they are being watched themselves.

But as the evening darkens, old secrets are beginning to find their way to the light.
And as the tension escalates between the four friends, it soon becomes clear that the danger they discovered lurking in the cabin is far from the only mystery that will be uncovered tonight.

Nor the only thing to be afraid of . . .

The classic cold Icelandic setting Ragnar is renown for. It built gradually despite knowing both the un-trust worthy and unlikeable characters with compulsion until 3/4 of the way through. Then sadly this is where it lost its 4th star 🌟.

The realism seemed to drop away and so also with the abrupt and unfinished ending, felt just that, it wasn't just a feeling of disappointment it was more, feeling robbed of a more emotive and atmospheric ending.

Could anyone truly seek revenge and then just walk away, even if they said they could? With the behaviour of each of the remaining "friends" escaping all punishment for their behaviour and misdeeds. Sadly I think this was less successful as an ending than because of it.

To leave those types of people just walking away was it a cop out just to avoid it being another police procedural thriller or with intent to leave the reader asking what if?

If that was the case in this instance I felt robbed of any form of justice!

Having read several books by this author, I was looking forward to Outside. I usually enjoy the atmospheric descriptions of the harsh, foreboding landscape of the wild, harsh Icelandic winters that unfold into a gripping story full of fear and tension. Unfortunately, for me, Outside did not hit the mark. I felt it was too short, without the usual build to set the scene and produce feelings of empathy towards the characters. I can’t help but feel it was rushed, maybe to appease the publisher but this left me cold and not because of the Icelandic weather. The ending was not conclusive, maybe this was intended but I do like proper explanations. I won’t let this book put me off others by Ragnar Jonasson as I have enjoyed them previously and hope my review is accepted as constructive.

Four friends reunite for a wilderness trip , but get caught in a dreadful storm. They have to seek refuge in an emergency hut, but there is something in there they are not expecting. Gradually we find out what brought them together, and what challenges they have faced within the friendship group. There is danger at every angle and we start to wonder who will come out alive. Sinister and dark, this book grabs you and leaves you just a little bit perplexed at the end.

I’m not sure how I feel about Ragnar Jonasson’s latest Icelandic thriller. I’m a big fan of the author, and have really enjoyed everything he has previously written.

Something about Outside doesn’t quite sit right with me though. I found the 4 characters hard to get on with, none of them seem to have any redeeming qualities. The story itself (hard to explain here without giving the plot away) felt quite weak, and the ending was extremely disappointing. I’m not sure of it was an error with the formatting of the ebook, but it didn’t actually make any sense.

I still found the book easy to read, and its so short in length that it was enjoyable enough to wrap up in one sitting. Hopefully the authors next book see’s hm return to his imperious best.

A meteorological thriller with a twist in the usual Icelandic happy ending.

Four friends who don’t necessarily like each other very much agree to go on a weekend ptarmigan hunt on the high moors of Eastern Icelandic. The weather is worse than anticipated. Bad weather is implicit in the words “ptarmigan hunt” because a ptarmigan’s primary survival strategy is to live somewhere too inhospitable for predators. Even in Britain, ptarmigan habitats (there are some) are not to be visited on a casual basis without sensible preparation, such as carrying a shoulder bag full of high calorie food rather than a packed lunch. The four Icelandic friends go forth onto the moors with small packed lunches of garlic sausage and dried fish, with chocolate in only one instance. With one of them being a recovering alcoholic who’s only just started drinking again, one of the others takes the interesting decision to carry a bottle of brandy as well. There are several underlying antagonisms, paranoias and secret agendas. This being a hunt, they take shotguns, though they have varying levels of competence in that regard.

With any Anglo-Saxon author, these would be the ingredients for a black comedy, but if that is what Ragnar Jónasson is about, this is an example of Nordic Deadpan, which I have encountered in real life on some occasions. Tension mounts and it goes on mounting throughout. Towards the end of the novel it looks as if there will be an Icelandic happy ending, where terrible things happen which the authorities need to be told about so things can be resolved properly, but the protagonists decide instead to live with whatever has happened and whatever the situation is. But the final sentence indicates that at least one of the surviving protagonists intends to pursue their agenda despite the implicit agreement to leave things be. I think this is probably intended to be deeply disturbing to Icelandic readers who want the skeletons to be safely locked in their closet without any fuss. Victoria Cribb has done an excellent job of translating the Icelandic text into English, but I’m not sure that the undercurrent fully translates. I can only report my suspicions as to what it is.

This is the first time I've read a book by Ragnar Jonasson, and I found it quite heavy going at times. I thought the Icelandic setting was really well described, relentless and cold and cruel and the characters all quite flawed, in different ways. Not sure I understood the ending.

This was another brilliant book from Ragnar Jonasson,and it had me hooked from the beginning.Centres around some friends who book a Ptarmigan hunt in Iceland.
I loved it and it was such an easy read that flowed really well.
The characters were brilliant and all very different.
Such a good read.
Received arc from Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for honest read and review.

Old school friends Daníel, Helena, Gunnlaugur and Ármann decide to go on a ptarmigan hunt in the eastern Highlands of Iceland. When the weather takes a turn and the conditions become dangerous, they are forced to seek shelter in a mountain hut but get a terrifying shock when they eventually manage to enter. Each member of the group has to decide whether to stay inside the hut (despite their eerie discovery), or to take their chances outside. Tensions rise between the four as they begin to turn against each other and dark secrets from the past are revealed.

The thing that struck me as different about this book was that none of the main characters were particularly likeable. Each of them flawed, all affected by events from the past and the general morally grey behaviour meant that there wasn't that one person to root for - hoping that they weren't the killer or willing them to survive. However, what this added to the story was unpredictability. The paranoia and bitter rivalries which were gradually exposed between this so-called group of friends really kept me guessing right until the end when everything was revealed in a nod to the golden age of detective fiction.

The author's descriptions of the harsh Icelandic weather are exquisitely written and never fail to completely transport me to the chilling Nordic landscape. His books are always successful in creating a sense of isolation and claustrophobia at the same time - in Outside, this is achieved by introducing the whiteout snowstorm. The group are cut off from any help and the depiction of the storm itself gives that sense of foreboding, not being able to see the person walking right in front of you, the characters losing their bearings as everything in every direction begins to look the same. Then there is the hut and the thought of being forced to stay there despite the disconcerting discovery and the possible danger this may pose.

The first standalone novel from Ragnar Jonasson, The Girl Who Died, was my top pick from last year. Outside is yet another intense and gripping thriller but with a completely different feel and approach. Based on these two books I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Ragnar Jonasson for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an advance copy of Outside, a stand-alone psychological thriller set in the Highlands of Iceland.

Four old friends, Daníel, Helena, Gunnlaugur and Ármann decide to reconnect on a hunting trip, but the weather turns and they end up seeking shelter in a cabin. What they find in the locked cabin is as dangerous as the weather outside, but the fear brings old resentments and secrets to the surface. Not everyone will escape.

I have been a fan of Mr Jónasson’s writing for some time. I like the crisp clear prose that is so much at odds with the sense of unease it creates , and I find his novels very readable. Outside starts the same way with Daníel’s narrative creating a sense of fear at the weather and sympathy with his efforts to keep up. It is atmospheric, enticing and intriguing, especially when what is is in the cabin is a bit of a drawn out affair. Unfortunately, until later in the novel that’s it for tension.

The majority of the novel is told alternately from each of the protagonist’s point of view. There is the panic at the situation they find themselves in, but mostly it is an examination of their history, old resentments and current tensions. None of them are particularly pleasant characters, so it all seems a bit self indulgent and petty, Talk about first world problems and this is it. I am quite open about not really liking psychological thrillers as they often seem contrived in both the plot and the various scenarios enacted. I had expected more from this novel, but it’s just a bunch of middle class singletons in an extremely unlikely situation, which seems to get more unlikely as the novel progresses.

Outside is not to my taste, but it is well written with a steady increase in pressure on the characters and I think it will appeal to readers who like a psychological approach.

I enjoyed this to a point. Ragnar Jonasson is great at building atmosphere, particularly mounting dread, and describing the harsh weather and landscape. I also enjoyed the morally grey characters who are all presenting a mask of sorts to their friends. I liked the alternating points of view and hiw quickly things can fall apart. But, I was confused by the ending which was partly down to the formatting, although still off-putting, and I felt it the plot was less original than his other books. Good but not great.

Well, the Icelanders that I have met have been lovely people but this group of four 'friends' are anything but pleasant!
The reunited school friends meet up for a weekend to go on a ptarmigan hunt in the eastern Highlands of Iceland, a remote and desolate area. Armann, a tour guide, organises the trip, which includes Helena, Daniel and Gunnlauger. The weather unexpectedly deteriorates and the group is forced to take shelter in a mountain hut, out of the storm, but inside the hut they find something worse than they left outside.
The story is related using narrative from each of the friends, unravelling their pasts and their frailties and faults. And boy, do they all have a lot of faults. At first my sympathies lay with Daniel as I was reading but as the book progressed I rather suspect they all got what was coming for them.
The setting and the weather were very well told, creating and uneasy and increasingly difficult atmosphere for the four. Their isolation, from humanity and from each other is intensified as the weather worsens, fear takes hold and panic grips them. At this point they begin to unravel and we learn the history behind the trip.
This quite a short book and a quick read but multilayered and very atmospheric. I would happily read more from this author.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an arc in return for an honest review.

The writing was good as one would expect from this author but that is the best I can say. The story held me for a short time but became tedious and never got any better. The formatting errors added to the tedium of the book and the final insult was the end….

Except…..

I thought the end was so unexplained and that the additional pages was to provide the conclusion.

It was actually an introduction into the next book ….. I am beyond angry.

This has been a book that has gripped me from the very first page. I have been captivated and unwilling to put down.

We are given the perspective of the different characters in this one which had allowed me to really get the perspective from each of them.

This has been unpredictable and gripping. This is an author who never fails to disappoint and the standard of each book gets higher and higher.

This is unpredictable and gripping. The setting is eery and cold which really adds a dimension to this as a read. At times, I’ve felt my heart pound and race as I’ve read this one.

The friendship group are interesting and I have been unsure what I think of them whilst reading this. I have been shocked at the end in the best possible way.

I have no doubt that this will be a bestseller of 2022. It is a fantastic read and one I will be recommending.

Four friends meet up for a weekend in the Icelandic countryside. Gunnlaugur, Armann, Helena and Daniel have known each other since college but don't often get the chance to meet up. The plan was to meet up in Reykjavik but then Armann suggested a weekend hunting ptarmigan. Unfortunately the weather turns against them and in the midst of a blizzard they have to take shelter in a hut. It soon becomes apparent that the weekend isn't what everyone was expecting and that the four of them have some dark secrets they've been hiding.

Love Ragnar Jonasson's writing and I read this in one sitting - couldn't put it down. Fantastic read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Ragnar Jonasson for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The chapters of this chilling,intense thriller alternate between the perspectives of the each one of the four friends Daniel, Helena, Armann and Gunnlaugur. Each one of the four character's was flawed in some way and I didnt feel that any one of them had even the tiniest likeable quality to their character. It's a tale of toxic friendships, secrets, betrayals, loss, grief, denials, deception, paranoia and lies, a suspense packed battle to survive the freezing temperatures, hostile environment and the unpredictability of human behaviour when events spiral out of their control.

As the story unfolded, the author added dimension to his realistic characters by occasionally taking the reader back in time and having each of the individuals relate their own personal backstory. But was there any connection between the events from the past and the bone chilling terror the character's were experiencing in the isolated cabin and frozen highlands of Iceland in the present day? What did they discover when they arrived at the isolated cabin? Who would still be alive by the time the story reached its spine chilling, cliff hanger conclusion?

The pages of Outside are permeated with bone chilling intensity and atmosphere and the reader is hardly given the opportunity to draw a breath as the fast paced story unfolds before your captivated eyes. It's a extremely well written,intricately plotted thriller with a plot that has a number of unexpected twists and turns, hooks the reader in from the first page,keeps you guessing and frozen to your kindle. I would love to watch a movie or tv adaptation of this addictive page turner. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended by little old me.

Really enjoyed this book, could not put it down. Will definitely read more by this author. .

Fans of Ragnar Jónasson will find Outside a departure from his usual Icelandic murder mysteries, but if you persist there are rewards to be found before the story ends.

Intense, atmospheric, surreal and brooding, the action centres around a group of long time friends finding themselves on a hunting trip from hell and the reader starts to wonder what on earth possessed them to reunite in the first place and what secrets bind them together as they stumble towards the final resolution.

I have to admit I found the story a little slow and heavy handed for my taste, but Ragnar gradually tied the loose ends up so skilfully that by the end that I found myself well satisfied by the experience.

Many thanks to all concerned for letting me read and review this book.

It didn't take me long to read this book!
I've now read a few Ragnar Jonasson novels and this one equally didn't disappoint at all like all the others.
It felt relatively brief compared to the others I've read, but this could just be due to the pace I devoured it.
It was beautifully set, as ever, and I liked the unusual telling of the story switching between the four main characters. This had the potential to get difficult to follow but I had no trouble with this as it was kept to the fairly central core theme throughout and you didn't get too bogged down with too much characterisation such that it was always clear whose perspective you were following (despite the lack of clear formatting in this early Kindle version).
Great story to read on a cold winter's night wrapped up somewhere nice and warm.
5 stars from me for Outside.
Many thanks for the ARC.

My only criticism was the end - it wasn't quite clear - perhaps due to the formatting - that the story had finished as it began to tell another story, on the same page, which it turns out is completely unrelated (I think, I could just be confused!). Almost spoilt the end for me as I thought we were getting a follow-up chapter to the main story but it wasn't. This is something that will no doubt be sorted for the final version. To be explicit, I'm used to novels giving an extract of the author's next book at the end - that was present too, but before that in this one there was another short extract/story that seemed unrelated to the main story of this book, but that wasn't made clear as the one flowed into the other on the same page without a clear end/distinction.