Outside: The heart-pounding new mystery soon to be a major motion picture
By (Author) Ragnar Jnasson
Penguin Books Ltd
Penguin Books Ltd
21st February 2023
29th September 2022
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Thriller / suspense fiction
Psychological thriller
Fiction in translation
839.6935
Paperback
352
Width 130mm, Height 197mm, Spine 22mm
249g
Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive . . . The ice-cold new stand-alone mystery from 'world-class crime writer' Ragnar J nasson In a deadly Icelandic snowstorm, four friends break into an abandoned hunting lodge, hoping to wait out the storm until morning. But nothing can prepare them for what's inside... With no other option, they are forced to spend a terrifying night in the cabin- watching as intently and silently as they themselves are being watched. As the night darkens, old secrets spill into the light, and tensions rise between the four friends. Soon it's clear that what they've discovered in the cabin is far from the only mystery lurking there. Nor the only thing to be afraid of...
Jonasson is a connoisseur of 'unrelenting darkness'; the atmosphere of paranoid claustrophobia [Jonasson] creates is so intense you can't help gripping the book as tightly as possible * The Times *
Entertaining, suspenseful and twisty. Highly recommended for fans of Ragnar Jonasson and suspense thrillers in general * Mystery Tribune *
Lord of the Flies for grown-ups * Times Radio *
Chillingly terrifying, brilliantly entertaining, captivating the reader from page one. Impossible to put down * Frettabladid *
The author describes the difficult conditions of the four main characters in such a brilliant way that in an instant the reader finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings which neither the reader nor the characters can control * Morgunbladid *
A superb page-turner, Outside breathes fresh and unsettling life into the classic locked room mystery -- Kevin Wignall
Raw with cold and rich in atmosphere, Outside is an Arctic Inspector Calls for a new generation -- Matt Wesolowski
His best yet . . . Having read all of Jonasson's previous offerings. Outside confirms that here is an author at the top of his game, with complete command of his audience * On Magazine *
A stunningly original take on the looked-room mystery, where fear of a treacherous snowstorm outside an isolated hut is matched by mistrust among the terrified occupants. Tense. Very tense -- Michael Ridpath
Four friends find safety from a snowstorm in a remote Icelandic hut - or so they think. Jnasson's twisting, elegantly crafted story will keep you hooked till the very last page -- William Ryan
Ragnar Jnasson is so skilled in depicting the environment where the story takes place, it becomes one of the characters. It is so atmospheric, I am immediately transported to the Icelandic moors, feeling the cold all the way to the bones. I read with bated breath, my heart pounding with the looming knowledge that soon something bad is about to happen -- Sara Bldel
Yet another humdinger from Iceland's finest crime writer -- Ryan Tubridy
Jonasson offers an intense standalone, taking to new heights his unrivalled skill for using winter as an unpredictable plot-twister . . . There is so much to like here: the complexity of the quartet's relationships, Jonasson's powerful, streamlined writing, and the parallels between an unforgiving setting and the characters' seething grudges. Readers will be drawn into Jonasson's forbidding Iceland landscape, where it's anyone's guess who will make it out alive * Booklist *
Entertaining, suspenseful and twisty. Overall, highly recommended for fans of Ragnar Jonasson and suspense thrillers in general * Mystery Tribune *
Chilling thriller by the king of Icelandic noir . . . so gripping I can't put it down -- Fiona Cummings
Jonasson and translator Victoria Cribb do a fine job of setting the scene, developing the characters, and keeping readers in suspense with a tight, clean, noir prose style * Associated Press *
A shivery delight * Kirkus Reviews *
Jnasson's spare prose and brisk pacing make for an immersive read . . . Outside is an intriguing study of isolation, claustrophobia and the particular menace to be found in beautiful yet unforgiving terrain * Private Eye *
Jonasson is a master at two aspects of Icelandic noir: one is the description of his country's withering weather; the other is the handling of murderous plots that are tangled beyond all expectations. He's in top form in both specialties this time out * Toronto Star *
Jonasson is a master at exploring the impact of claustrophobia brought on by darkness and enclosed spaces. He an avid fan of Agatha Christie, and Outside is an adaptation, with an Icelandic twist, of the classic locked-door mystery * Canberra Times *
It takes a truly talented writer to work with a thin outline like that and turn it into a classic, and that is exactly what Jnasson has done here. I believe he has penned the Icelandic version of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs * Book Reporter *
From the winner of THE BEST CRIME NOVEL IN THE LAST 50 YEARS * Le Point *
Praise for Ragnar Jnasson * - *
Jnasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best Scandi writer working today
Triumphant . . . Chilling, creepy, perceptive, almost unbearably tense
Ragnar J nasson is an international number one bestselling author who has sold over three million books in thirty-four countries worldwide. He was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he also works as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and, from the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie's novels. He is currently writing a novel with the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsd ttir. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a major TV series, and Ridley Scott will be producing Outside as a feature film.