The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer: A Mystery

by Ragnar Jónasson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250408266
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

RAGNAR JÓNASSON is the award-winning Icelandic author of the international bestselling Hulda series, the Dark Iceland series, and standalone crime fiction, with five million copies sold across 36 territories. Ragnar was also an executive producer of the CBS Studios TV series The Darkness, based on the first novel in his Hulda series, starring Lena Olin and directed by Lasse Hallström. His novel Outside is being developed for the screen by Ridley Scott.

Editorial Reviews

“Cleverly plotted, slyly humorous, and bursting with love for the golden age of detective fiction, this outperforms even its outstanding predecessor.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“A lightning-fast read for fans willing to keep turning the pages till the crucial clues drop.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Flashbacks are effectively used as a creative way to tell the backstory of the missing novelist. This Golden Age–style mystery is a definite departure from Jónasson’s ‘Dark Iceland’ series, which was set in an atmospheric small town in Iceland.”—Library Journal

“This follow-up to Death at the Sanitarium (2024) is utterly compelling, blending meta classic mystery tropes with darker psychological thriller elements as Helgi is stalked by his violent ex-partner. Fans of Jónasson's Dark Iceland and Hidden Iceland series will appreciate the storytelling centered around Helgi, who links the three series together.”—Booklist

“Exhilarating and gripping; fans of Agatha Christie and Nordic Noir will find much to enjoy here.”—firstCLUE

From the Publisher

2025-07-17
After ending her bestselling list of mystery novels, an Icelandic writer adds a disquieting postscript to her career by disappearing herself.

Elín S. Jónsdóttir has always been very intentional in measuring out her life. Years ago, she decided thatDeadline would be the 10th and last in her series of whodunits. So when Rut Thoroddsen, her publisher, can’t reach her at home, the break in Elín’s routine is already alarming. Helgi Reykdal, a mystery fan who’s taking advantage of his vacation from the Reykjavík Criminal Investigative Division to nest in his family’s bookstore, is the obvious person to investigate, and he’s certainly willing to join the search for one of his favorite authors before it’s leaked to the press and everyone on social media joins the hunt. The problem is that there seems to be no trail to follow. Rut; her accountant husband, Thor; and Elín’s best friend, retired judge Lovísa, add details about Elín’s highly successful career, but nothing that would indicate either a reason for anyone to kill her or a reason for her to vanish. Eventually, however, Jónasson, who—apart from his many leaps among different time frames—seems more indebted here to the rhythm of Helgi’s earlier police procedurals than to the golden age mysteries that link his detective and his quarry, reveals evidence that makes Helgi look more closely at Marteinn Einarsson, the pseudonymous author ofKiller; at a 1965 bank robbery that left one employee dead and one robber in prison; and Helgi’s vengeful ex-girlfriend Bergthóra, whose erratic behavior threatens to hijack the whole case.

A lightning-fast read for fans willing to keep turning the pages till the crucial clues drop.

Kirkus Reviews