Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Outside in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: June 28, 2022
Summary:
With three million copies of his books sold worldwide, “world-class crime writer”(The Sunday Times, UK) Ragnar Jónasson brings us a chilling new standalone thriller with Outside.
Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive . . .
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 . . .
My thoughts:
I am a huge fan of Ragnar Jonasson’s books, having loved both his Dark Iceland and Hidden Iceland series. This is his second stand-alone book and let me just say, I love his writing…it is always so atmospheric and dark and this latest one is no exception.
Once again, we have a slow-burn of a read that is set in an isolated area that completely drips with tension and suspense – a trip involving a group of friends going off on an adventure that goes terribly wrong. This is one that is absolutely character-driven and if you aren’t a fan of that, you might not love this, but for me, it had hallmarks of my favorite kind of nordic noir – broody characters, lots of secrets, bad weather, and an isolated setting. The way the story is told, alternating from each of the characters’ points of view really helps to keep you on edge as we see that not all is as it seems. We know not everyone makes it back alive…the question is who survives and why?
I love that each character reveals only part of themselves, but as the story moves back and forth among the different characters, we start to see the bigger picture. This is a book that, while not very long, takes paying attention to put the clues together.
This book is cleverly structured, partly I think to grab you from the get-go and partly to add suspense and tension and keep you on edge. We know right from the start that something ominous has happened and then we backtrack a bit to lead up to that event. It really had me anxious trying to work out what was going on as the pieces started falling into place and when you add in the chilling atmosphere, which Jonasson just excels at in his writing, it just makes for such a tense, suspenseful read.
This might be my new favorite from this author and I cannot wait to see what comes next from him.
