Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive . . . The gripping new stand-alone mystery from 'world-class crime writer' Ragnar Jonasson, soon to be a major motion picture

'Is this the best crime writer in the world today' THE TIMES
'So atmospheric, I was immediately transported to the Icelandic moors . . . I read with bated breath, my heart pounding' Sara Blaedel
'The atmosphere is so intense you can't help gripping the book as tightly as possible' THE TIMES
________

In a deadly Icelandic snowstorm, four friends seek shelter in an abandoned hunting lodge. Miles from help, and knowing they will die out in the cold, they break in, 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 long and 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 . . .
________

'A wonderful atmospheric thriller. A real page turner. Gripping and compelling' 5***** READER REVIEW

'A chilling, compelling mystery with a tremendous sense of time and place' 5***** READER REVIEW

'Jonasson expertly delivers twists and turns that you just won't see coming!' 5***** READER REVIEW

'I did not see that coming!' 5***** READER REVIEW

Praise for Ragnar Jonasson

'Is this the best crime writer in the world today?' The Times

'An intensely gripping mystery, Ragnar Jonasson is a poet of the "dark, wet and cold", of the "gloom, cold and rain". The climactic revelations are credible and moving' The Times

'Invigorating Iceland-set slice of Nordic Noir' Daily Mail

'A mist-shrouded blend of horror and psychological thriller . . . works in every way' Booklist

About the Author

Ragnar Jonasson 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 Jakobsdottir. 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.

Reviews
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. Jonasson's twisting, elegantly crafted story will keep you hooked till the very last page -- William Ryan
Ragnar Jonasson 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 Blaedel
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 *
Jonasson'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 Jonasson 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 Jonasson * - *
Jonasson is an automatic must-read for me . . . possibly the best Scandi writer working today

Triumphant . . . Chilling, creepy, perceptive, almost unbearably tense

-- Ian Rankin * - *
Dark, chilling and utterly gripping -- Shari Lapena * - *
Such a tense, gripping read -- Anthony Horowitz * - *
A world-class crime writer. One of the most astonishing plots of modern crime fiction. * The Sunday Times *
A master of the Icelandic thriller. * New York Post *
Is this the best crime writer in the world today? . . . He's truly a master of his genre * The Times Online *
Invigorating Iceland-set slice of Nordic Noir * Daily Mail *
Fiendishy clever * Financial Times *
Triumphant conclusion to the trilogy. Only Ragnar Jonasson has rendered hindsight so heartbreaking * Sunday Times (on the Hidden Iceland trilogy) *
It is nothing less than a landmark in modern crime fiction * The Times *
The red hot crime writer from the frozen north . . . One of the most important voices on the international crime scene * The Times *
Ragnar Jonasson has a gift for crafting clever whodunnits while conveying the intimidating beauty of his native Iceland * Vogue Scandinavia *
Jonasson has the full measure of the Nordic noir genre, and pushes all the buttons * Financial Times *
Expertly Plotted * Guardian *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241493656
Author Ragnar Jonasson
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Michael Joseph Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 559g
Dimensions(mm) 224mm * 161mm * 32mm