The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

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.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2025; Minotaur Books; 978-1250408266
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); mystery

I love reading translated fiction, and I love reading books set in places I haven't read before. The Mystertious Case of the Missing Crime Writer met both of those things, but does that mean I loved the book?

I struggle with Scandinavian fiction, but members of my mystery book club love it, so I keep thinking that maybe I just haven't found what I like yet. Last year, I read a cozy mystery by a Scandinavian author set in England, and it was pretty good. So I thought I would give a light mystery from a Nordic author a try.

In many ways, the novel and the main character, Helgi, remind me of M.C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series. If you like that series, you should definitely check out this series from Ragnar Jónasson. 

This book is part of a series and is book 3 in it. I have not read the previous two books. While other cases (presumably the ones from the previous books) are mentioned, it is more in a way to provide background for the character, so you know that he has solved other cases. You can jump right in with this novel.

I found it interesting that all the characters are referred to by their first name - even those in the police force. 

The book is told from multiple timelines. There is a chapter or two set in 1965, several set in 1975 and 2005, and then the "present" day timeline in 2012. These are well-marked as chapter titles. It looks like there are 3 unrelated mysteries: 1. the missing author, 2. a bank robbery, and 3. a missing detective. But of course, they do weave together in some ways. 

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. Helgi is an interesting character. He likes Golden Age detective novels (those from the 1930s and 1940s), and several books are mentioned that he is reading. He chose a reading list of mysteries featuring missing persons at the start of the case. 

Unfortunately, the novel ends on a big cliff-hanger. The case of the missing writer is solved, and I feel that perhaps the missing detective will be an overarching mystery for the series. It didn't bother me that the mystery wasn't fully resolved. No, it was something that was introduced at the end. I sort of wonder if something is wrong with my advance copy, and I was missing the actual ending. 

If you are looking for a light mystery, translated literature, or a book set in Iceland and written by an Icelandic author, then you should get this book.

Buy The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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