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kcfromaustcrime's review
4.0
Recently finished, ICE MOON by Jan Costin Wagner was an unexpected pleasure. It seems that Wagner has a bit of a reputation in his homeland of Germany for turning the "traditional" form of crime fiction on its head and if that's the case then he's done it again with ICE MOON.
Whilst there is murder, and an obviously very disturbed serial killer, in many ways ICE MOON is more an exploration of grief. The book opens with Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa confronted with the death of his young wife from cancer. Returning to work straight away, he is left trying to understand and deal with her death, whilst a strange series of connected killings begin to occur involving a range of seemingly unconnected victims.
Whilst the crime investigation proceeds through the book, the focus of ICE MOON remains Kimmo's struggle with grief, the affect that the grief has on his decision making, his life and his work. Ultimately it's that overwhelming sense of his own grief which tempers and informs the entire book - it's significantly less about the crime and more an exploration of this one man's grief.
This was undoubtedly one of the most moving books I've read in a long long while - the crime was handled well, but what you come away from is the awfulness of loss, and Kimmo's tentative steps back into his life.
Whilst there is murder, and an obviously very disturbed serial killer, in many ways ICE MOON is more an exploration of grief. The book opens with Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa confronted with the death of his young wife from cancer. Returning to work straight away, he is left trying to understand and deal with her death, whilst a strange series of connected killings begin to occur involving a range of seemingly unconnected victims.
Whilst the crime investigation proceeds through the book, the focus of ICE MOON remains Kimmo's struggle with grief, the affect that the grief has on his decision making, his life and his work. Ultimately it's that overwhelming sense of his own grief which tempers and informs the entire book - it's significantly less about the crime and more an exploration of this one man's grief.
This was undoubtedly one of the most moving books I've read in a long long while - the crime was handled well, but what you come away from is the awfulness of loss, and Kimmo's tentative steps back into his life.
namulith's review against another edition
2.0
Almost 3 stars. A German author writing about a Finnish investigator. The book was quite nice and I enjoyed it, but what I enjoy is reading about crimes and their investigation. Joenta's wife's death featured way too prominently. While it was probably a somewhat accurate portrayal of a bereaved husband, it's just not what I was looking for. Overall nice characters, although we don't get to learn a lot about them. The killer was OK, nothing overly exciting. Overall a nice book with potential. I might continue the series if Joenta finally handles his wife's death.
mmefish's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
A really weird book for a thriller featuring police forces. Didn't like the writing either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse
andrew61's review
4.0
I enjoyed this (new to me) Scandi crime novel. Set in Finland the novel starts with the principal detective Kimmo at his wife's death bed. He develops a strange connection to the killer because of his emotional state . Whilst a short book (in context of most Scandi crime novels) at under 300 pages I was hooked by the character and its a series I will return to.
martinclark's review
3.0
This book is classified as a psychological thriller but, without meaning to insult the book at all, "thriller" is stretching a point a bit. To be a thriller there should be some suspense, tension or excitement, but that isn't what this book is about at all. Things in this uncomplicated story just happen, there is no mystery and no brilliant detective work.
However, although not thrilling, it is gripping. And it is certainly psychological, exploring the tortured minds of both the villain and the policeman. In fact most of the book is concerned with describing the protagonists' thoughts and feelings. Which it does very well. Nevertheless, it was perhaps a bit too morbid for my taste.
However, although not thrilling, it is gripping. And it is certainly psychological, exploring the tortured minds of both the villain and the policeman. In fact most of the book is concerned with describing the protagonists' thoughts and feelings. Which it does very well. Nevertheless, it was perhaps a bit too morbid for my taste.
juniperusxx's review against another edition
4.0
Tämä oli mielenkiintoinen, ei-perinteinen dekkari. Jonkinlainen psykologinen trilleri tai ihmismielen tutkielma enemmänkin. Erityiseksi tämän kirjan teki tunnelman lisäksi se, että saksalaissyntyinen kirjailija sijoittaa tapahtumat Suomeen, Turkuun ja Naantaliin, poliisi on kotoisin Kiteeltä! Täytyypä tutkailla, onko mies kirjoittanut jotain muutakin.
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