Red Snow by Will Dean #BlogTour #BookReview @willrdean @PtBlankBks @annecater

Author: Will Dean

Genre: Murder Mystery

Format: Paperback 389 pages

Release Date: 10 January 2019

Publisher: POINT BLANK

Firstly I would like to thank Anne Cater for inviting me to join in this Blog Tour and the publisher for the copy of this book provided to me for review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis

TWO BODIES

One suicide. One cold-blooded murder. Are they connected? And who’s really pulling the strings in the small Swedish town of Gavrik?

TWO COINS

Black Grimberg liquorice coins cover the murdered man’s eyes. The hashtag #Ferryman starts to trend as local people stock up on ammunition.

TWO WEEKS

Tuva Moodyson, deaf reported at the local paper, has a fortnight to investigate the deaths before she starts her new job in the south. A blizzard moves in. Residents, already terrified, feel increasingly cut-off. Tuva must go deep inside the Grimberg factory to stop the killer before she leaves town for good. But who’s to say the Ferryman will let her go?

My Thoughts

Red Snow is the authors sequel to his previous book featuring Tuva Moodyson, ‘Dark Pines’. I must confess, I haven’t read Dark Pines, but this in no way affected my enjoyment of this book and it is completely capable as being read as a standalone. There are some references throughout this book to a previous case Tuva was involved in, the ‘Medusa Murders’, which I presume took place in the previous book, but not enough to confuse the story being told here. If anything, it’s made me curious about what happened and I will be adding Dark Pines to my list so I can find out.

In this book, Tuva Moodyson very early on witnesses the head of the Grimberg family throw himself to his death from one of the chimneys of his liquorice factory. The Grimberg family in themselves are somewhat of an enigma within the town of Gavrik, having run and owned the factory for decades, but despite this, no one really seems to know too much about them on a personal level.

Tuva is called upon to help a ghost writer research the Grimberg family and is tasked with getting close to them and finding out as much as she can to add a personal element to the book. With the recent suicide however, the family are less than forthcoming and the grandmother is particularly quirky!

Tuva is a fantastic character and considering this is a sequel, I was pleasantly surprised at how well developed her character is throughout the book. In my previous experience I have often found that characters that feature in more than one book don’t necessarily have as much depth to them in the books that follow after the first. Tuva is a complex character with some unresolved personal issues of her own, particularly when it comes to her late mother. I liked that Tuva is a bit ‘rough around the edges’ and doesn’t necessarily conform to the small towns stereotypes.

The setting for this book couldn’t be more perfect, a small town, completely snowed in, and temperatures so far past freezing I can’t even imagine. All these factors combined made for a very chilling atmosphere as Tuva attempts to investigate and report on the suicide and murder. The sense of isolation and the way the people in this town must have to live and adapt their lives is brilliantly portrayed by the author. I actually found myself wondering how I would cope if I ever lived in a place like Gavrik.

I really enjoyed this book and I think anyone who likes a murder mystery with a chilling atmosphere would enjoy it too. Don’t forget to check out Dark Pines as well, just like I will be!

About the Author

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife. He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

For more reviews and updates you can follow me on Twitter @BooksBucks