The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

A Mystery

By: Ragnar Jónasson

Narrated by: Cicely Whitehead, Jane Slavin, Rufus Wright

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík. This program features multicast narration as well as sound design and special effects to enhance your enjoyment. Listen out for the click and hiss of the tape recorder, and fully immerse yourself in the interview recordings.

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

©2025 Ragnar Jónasson (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic 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

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

Intriguing read

I loved the new characters and the interweaving of them and the detectives I'd learned to appreciate in previous novels. Im strongly hoping for the next novel and can't wait to see what happens next!

The narrator sells it!!

Naturalness in narration is a challenge under the simplest circumstances.
So when a work has complex well developed characters and then it’s translated from its original tongue, not to mention shifting timelines, it must be a triple challenge!
As I broaden my horizons, book wise into the Nordic noir, I readily pick up on the things that could be “lost in translation” literally! The narrator can literally make or break a book.
This narrator not only understood the story, he understood the characters, their roles, and the culture he was narrating.
Excellent across the board!
NOTE: This is not written in the style of “The Cat Who” series. Nor in the style of “Miss Marple” or “Poirot”. The story line develops differently and the reveal unfolds differently. Enjoy the ride, but don’t be let down by the grand finale being more of a Belmont finish.

What a jerk!

Hate the weak main character who endangers other people because … why? He can? He doesn’t care about anyone else? If you like your men selfish and self-centered, this drip is for you.

Binge Read - This is Amazing!

What feast! I loved everything about this story. I loved the mystery of the missing writer. And it is brilliantly done with audio recordings in the audiobook. I love the character of Helgi and his appreciation for crime fiction. But I’m fan girl screaming at the author dropping clues connecting this book to his previous book series regarding Hulda! And what a cliffhanger that ends this book, Very, Very satisfying!

Unresolved

I’m just not sure what this was supposed to be. So much was left unresolved, it barely hung together as a completed book. While the premise was promising, it felt as though the author simply wanted to get something published and was happy to submit a half-baked idea. Very disappointing for me.