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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
kniferious's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
4.25
chaptersbydani's review against another edition
Violence against animals. Dog killed for no reason.
mdavids's review against another edition
4.0
Really nice closed-room mystery from Norway. Intriguing suspects and protagonist, great atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.
rkw25's review against another edition
4.0
Randomly researching books about place one day, I read a brief description of this book and was intrigued by the description of the 'detective'--Norwegian, wheelchair-bound, lesbian, no longer working--and the place--northern Norway where a train has derailed and the occupants are accommodated in a nearby hotel 1222 meters above sea level while a hurricane-force storm rages. I have been listening lately to radio plays from BBC about detective Annika from Norway and the wit and brilliance of the women are much the same, as is the writing full of streams of thought from the main characters.
Hanne from the book has withdrawn into a smaller and smaller world since her days on the Oslo police force and basically sees only her partner Nefis, their 3-year-old daughter, and their housekeeper at home. To be thrust into a large group of people, dependent on others, is her worst nightmare. But a murder and then a second (both clergymen) draws the best out of her and out of the group that rises to leadership--the hotel manager, two local men, and a doctor. The secondary characters are well drawn, with enough of them to add variety without needing a character listing at the front of the book. Chapter headings raise the threat of storm and emotions as they describe the Beaufort (wind) scale.
This book is the eighth in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and appears to have been the first translated into English. If you plan to read the whole series, you may not want to start here as some spoilers from previous books appear. But I found it very readable as a stand-alone book and really atmospheric as well as a good puzzle.
Hanne from the book has withdrawn into a smaller and smaller world since her days on the Oslo police force and basically sees only her partner Nefis, their 3-year-old daughter, and their housekeeper at home. To be thrust into a large group of people, dependent on others, is her worst nightmare. But a murder and then a second (both clergymen) draws the best out of her and out of the group that rises to leadership--the hotel manager, two local men, and a doctor. The secondary characters are well drawn, with enough of them to add variety without needing a character listing at the front of the book. Chapter headings raise the threat of storm and emotions as they describe the Beaufort (wind) scale.
This book is the eighth in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and appears to have been the first translated into English. If you plan to read the whole series, you may not want to start here as some spoilers from previous books appear. But I found it very readable as a stand-alone book and really atmospheric as well as a good puzzle.
bokforingenligtmonika's review against another edition
3.0
Nej, egentligen vet jag inte varför jag fortsätter läsa Anne Holt. Hennes böcker, för mig, är som mellanmjölk, varken bu eller bä, bara... lagom. Läs mer på http://bokslut.blogspot.se/2011/01/1222-over-havet-av-anne-holt.html
esseboi's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
janp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tentatividiauro's review against another edition
2.0
l'ho trovato di una noia mortale. a 30 pagine dalla fine non mi interessava niente, la storia, l'intreccio, i personaggi, niente. e me ne sono dimenticata.
pleforge's review against another edition
The first interesting thing I want to mention is that Anne Holt’s series is listed as The Hanne Wilhelmsen Novels. Not The Hanne Wilhelmsen Mysteries or The Hanne Wilhelmsen Adventures. The publisher—a traditional mainstream press—wants us to view these books as literary. In other words, something above the more lightly taken mystery genre, and certainly above the lesbian mystery subgenre. This is a bit troubling. Although I don't question the fact that books labeled "of lesbian interest" will sell more than those that are, it gives the mistaken and still-perpetuated notion that lesbian mysteries are inferior.
Holt is a good writer, though; way better than the average, and 1222 is an exciting and suspenseful novel that fits squarely into the class of Scandinavian writers like Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, and Hennng Mankell. I generally read the first book in a series first, but for some reason, 1222 was the only one that was affordable. This may have helped this review, because I suspect that the protagonist, Hanne Wilhelmsen, has changed greatly since her inception over twenty years previous. This Hanne is someone who wants to be left alone to suffer a crippling disability without having people stare at her or offer sympathy.
She is on a train trip to see a specialist in a northern city in Norway when her train derails during a fierce storm and all the passengers are forced to wait for help in a nearby hotel. Then the storm turns into an actual hurricane, threatening the hotel itself. Then someone is killed. Although Hanne has no desire to participate in finding the killer, she seems to be the only one who can.
The mystery is actually set up as a veritable whodunit—with the reader getting clues as Hanne gets them. And I suspect that when she gets the final clue, the reader will guess the murderer at the same time Hanne does. This spoils nothing. The setting—a hundred-year-old resort hotel, the varied and well-drawn characters, and the dangerous story, would be worth reading about even if there were no mystery at all. The truth is, I felt like I had been put through a ringer—a very cold one—before I had even finished half of this entertaining novel.
Although Hanne seems to identify as a lesbian, there is no sex in this book, nor is there any attempt to feature a gay lifestyle in any of the characters or even in Hanne’s inner thoughts. I suspect I will have to read some of the initial offerings in this series to learn more about this side of Hanne’s life.
Quibbles aside, I would give this book high marks (if I gave marks at all). At least as high as a 4 and maybe higher. Certainly high enough to make my Top 20.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Holt is a good writer, though; way better than the average, and 1222 is an exciting and suspenseful novel that fits squarely into the class of Scandinavian writers like Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, and Hennng Mankell. I generally read the first book in a series first, but for some reason, 1222 was the only one that was affordable. This may have helped this review, because I suspect that the protagonist, Hanne Wilhelmsen, has changed greatly since her inception over twenty years previous. This Hanne is someone who wants to be left alone to suffer a crippling disability without having people stare at her or offer sympathy.
She is on a train trip to see a specialist in a northern city in Norway when her train derails during a fierce storm and all the passengers are forced to wait for help in a nearby hotel. Then the storm turns into an actual hurricane, threatening the hotel itself. Then someone is killed. Although Hanne has no desire to participate in finding the killer, she seems to be the only one who can.
The mystery is actually set up as a veritable whodunit—with the reader getting clues as Hanne gets them. And I suspect that when she gets the final clue, the reader will guess the murderer at the same time Hanne does. This spoils nothing. The setting—a hundred-year-old resort hotel, the varied and well-drawn characters, and the dangerous story, would be worth reading about even if there were no mystery at all. The truth is, I felt like I had been put through a ringer—a very cold one—before I had even finished half of this entertaining novel.
Although Hanne seems to identify as a lesbian, there is no sex in this book, nor is there any attempt to feature a gay lifestyle in any of the characters or even in Hanne’s inner thoughts. I suspect I will have to read some of the initial offerings in this series to learn more about this side of Hanne’s life.
Quibbles aside, I would give this book high marks (if I gave marks at all). At least as high as a 4 and maybe higher. Certainly high enough to make my Top 20.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.