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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Something I‘ve come to love in books is when a murder investigation takes place through the eyes of a journalist because the main protagonist, in this case, Tuva, isn’t bound by police protocol but instead has the freedom of a journalist and that leaves the plot wide open.
Tuva is a wonderful character, who I liked instantly; she’s tasked with reporting on the latest murders to hit the small town of Gavrik, not only does this mean venturing into the woods, which, understandably, she finds terrifying, but she also has to deal with the hostility from the local folk who believe her story will give the town a bad name. But Tuva is concerned with the truth, and she’ll be damned if she isn’t going to find it! I applaud Dean for, what felt to me like, an accurate and insightful portrayal of a character who is deaf; prior to reading this novel, I had no idea, for example, about the static that could interfere with hearing aids.
Dark Pines is set in a small-town and conveys that small town atmosphere very well, in the sense of everyone knowing everyone. And what an odd set of residents this town has, from the weird taxi driver to the woodcarving sisters, just about anyone could be responsible for these murders.
I did enjoy this novel, but I’m slightly torn about my overall opinion of it – there’s no denying it has all the right ingredients to make a fantastic read: small-town, dark woods, creepy characters, cold climate, murder mystery, but something was just missing in this one for me. It just didn’t carry that moody atmosphere I crave in Nordic Noir, that beauty wrapped in darkness, it’s hard to explain but it feels like I read this book at surface level, and was never really able to immerse myself fully in the novel the way I would have liked and is usually a given when I read Nordic Noir. While I recognise all that’s good about this book, I just struggled to connect with it in the way I would have liked.
*My thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to a digital copy of this title via Netgalley*
Tuva is a wonderful character, who I liked instantly; she’s tasked with reporting on the latest murders to hit the small town of Gavrik, not only does this mean venturing into the woods, which, understandably, she finds terrifying, but she also has to deal with the hostility from the local folk who believe her story will give the town a bad name. But Tuva is concerned with the truth, and she’ll be damned if she isn’t going to find it! I applaud Dean for, what felt to me like, an accurate and insightful portrayal of a character who is deaf; prior to reading this novel, I had no idea, for example, about the static that could interfere with hearing aids.
Dark Pines is set in a small-town and conveys that small town atmosphere very well, in the sense of everyone knowing everyone. And what an odd set of residents this town has, from the weird taxi driver to the woodcarving sisters, just about anyone could be responsible for these murders.
I did enjoy this novel, but I’m slightly torn about my overall opinion of it – there’s no denying it has all the right ingredients to make a fantastic read: small-town, dark woods, creepy characters, cold climate, murder mystery, but something was just missing in this one for me. It just didn’t carry that moody atmosphere I crave in Nordic Noir, that beauty wrapped in darkness, it’s hard to explain but it feels like I read this book at surface level, and was never really able to immerse myself fully in the novel the way I would have liked and is usually a given when I read Nordic Noir. While I recognise all that’s good about this book, I just struggled to connect with it in the way I would have liked.
*My thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to a digital copy of this title via Netgalley*
Enjoyable read, although the main character Tuva, felt just that bit too reckless. Interesting, and the descriptions of a dark moody, foreboding environment gave the novel a suitably morose feel. Not bad for a debut novel, looking forward to more in the series and development of the characters, especially Tuva.
Tuva Moodyson is a journalist who has had to relocate to the isolated Swedish town of Gavrik in order to be closer to her ailing mother. The town is surrounded by the Utland Forest, which is massive and a huge source of sustainment for the town through hunting and harvesting. When a pair of eyeless hunters are found murdered in the woods this sleepy town is suddenly on high alert.
In the midst of hunting season, Tuva must gather her courage to fight her fear of the woods, as she leads the investigation into these murders for the local paper. This type of story is the kind of thing that makes or breaks careers. In the town of Gavrik it is also the kind of case that can break your connection to the town if you’re an outsider, as Tuva is quickly finding out. As Tuva gets closer to discovering the murderer strange things start happening to her. Is she being followed? Could Tuva’s life be in danger?
DARK PINES is the launch of Will Dean’s series surrounding journalist Tuva Moodyson. The reader finds her feeling like an outsider in her new home of Gavrik, where if you’re not a local, you just don’t quite fit in. Moodyson is thrown into an elaborate murder investigation when a local man is found murdered in the woods with his eyes removed. This crime has connections to a handful of murder from 90’s and it is up to Tuva to put her reputation on the line as she looks into the backgrounds of the locals.
This book is incredibly atmospheric, as the reader can feel themselves being transported to Sweden and creeping through the Utland Forest with Tuva. Dean writes this town and forest in a way that immediately makes the reader feel on guard. You feel like someone is watching you and Tuva. Not only is there a sense of tension due to atmospheric qualities, but this feeling is also present because of the way Tuva is portrayed as an outsider in this town. The reader can feel her isolation. They can feel Tuva being turned away and shut out. This is one of those instances where the reader is just as lost for answers as the main character because they are both outsiders in this small town.
Tuva Moodyson is not your typical lead for a Nordic Noir book, which is why I think she is so compelling to read about. Tuva is not particularly brave while investigating the murders, but she does trust her guts. Tuva challenges those around her, i.e., the police and town residents, to see the clues and hints that she sees. She desperately wants the town to look into the corrupt individuals in Gavrik, but is consistently met with responses that hint that she should mind her own business. Watching Tuva push herself to go to the places she doesn’t want to, bend the law following a lead, and force herself to keep going no matter the obstacle is empowering and satisfying.
DARK PINES is a classic atmospheric Nordic Noir mystery. This book is filled with an intricate murder mystery, small town drama, and creepy characters, perfect for reading in the winter months. If you’re looking for something a little slower paced to go with the chilly weather then put this one on your TBR!
In the midst of hunting season, Tuva must gather her courage to fight her fear of the woods, as she leads the investigation into these murders for the local paper. This type of story is the kind of thing that makes or breaks careers. In the town of Gavrik it is also the kind of case that can break your connection to the town if you’re an outsider, as Tuva is quickly finding out. As Tuva gets closer to discovering the murderer strange things start happening to her. Is she being followed? Could Tuva’s life be in danger?
DARK PINES is the launch of Will Dean’s series surrounding journalist Tuva Moodyson. The reader finds her feeling like an outsider in her new home of Gavrik, where if you’re not a local, you just don’t quite fit in. Moodyson is thrown into an elaborate murder investigation when a local man is found murdered in the woods with his eyes removed. This crime has connections to a handful of murder from 90’s and it is up to Tuva to put her reputation on the line as she looks into the backgrounds of the locals.
This book is incredibly atmospheric, as the reader can feel themselves being transported to Sweden and creeping through the Utland Forest with Tuva. Dean writes this town and forest in a way that immediately makes the reader feel on guard. You feel like someone is watching you and Tuva. Not only is there a sense of tension due to atmospheric qualities, but this feeling is also present because of the way Tuva is portrayed as an outsider in this town. The reader can feel her isolation. They can feel Tuva being turned away and shut out. This is one of those instances where the reader is just as lost for answers as the main character because they are both outsiders in this small town.
Tuva Moodyson is not your typical lead for a Nordic Noir book, which is why I think she is so compelling to read about. Tuva is not particularly brave while investigating the murders, but she does trust her guts. Tuva challenges those around her, i.e., the police and town residents, to see the clues and hints that she sees. She desperately wants the town to look into the corrupt individuals in Gavrik, but is consistently met with responses that hint that she should mind her own business. Watching Tuva push herself to go to the places she doesn’t want to, bend the law following a lead, and force herself to keep going no matter the obstacle is empowering and satisfying.
DARK PINES is a classic atmospheric Nordic Noir mystery. This book is filled with an intricate murder mystery, small town drama, and creepy characters, perfect for reading in the winter months. If you’re looking for something a little slower paced to go with the chilly weather then put this one on your TBR!
Tuva Moodyson is a local reporter, deaf since she was young, who moved from London to a small town in Sweden to be near her sick mother. She’s working for a small newspaper when the body of a hunter is found deep in the forest in the middle of Elk hunting season with the same MO as a serial killer from the 1990’s. Tuva decides to go ahead and solve this case on her own, since the police don’t seen able to do so, but that isn’t easy in a small town that needs to income from the tourists to stay alive.
I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere to this novel and the small town feeling that I got from throughout the novel. I loved all the imagery throughout and honestly felt as if I could see the forest and the houses Tuva visited. Dean wrote this forest to be a magical, but yet scary place where a killer resides. I loved that and I loved the Tuva character. It was nice to see the murder and investigation through a reporter’s eye instead of a detective’s. I also really enjoyed that Tuva wasn’t your average woman; she experienced loss in her life and can write something that won’t be offensive to the victim’s families.
This novel made me hungry almost the whole way through because Tuva seems to be always eating and the author really makes all the food sound delicious. Tuva had a wide assortment of unlikely friends in this novel and I can appreciate that in a small town, you make the friends you can. I loved the twist in this novel; I really had no idea who was committing the murders in this small hunting town. I would absolutely shocked by the conclusion to this novel; I really didn’t see it coming and how it all comes together is unreal! I think that this is definitely the most descriptive book that I have ever read and that was a huge plus for me! I recommend this book highly and I would definitely suggest picking it up before the second novel comes out in 2019!
I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere to this novel and the small town feeling that I got from throughout the novel. I loved all the imagery throughout and honestly felt as if I could see the forest and the houses Tuva visited. Dean wrote this forest to be a magical, but yet scary place where a killer resides. I loved that and I loved the Tuva character. It was nice to see the murder and investigation through a reporter’s eye instead of a detective’s. I also really enjoyed that Tuva wasn’t your average woman; she experienced loss in her life and can write something that won’t be offensive to the victim’s families.
This novel made me hungry almost the whole way through because Tuva seems to be always eating and the author really makes all the food sound delicious. Tuva had a wide assortment of unlikely friends in this novel and I can appreciate that in a small town, you make the friends you can. I loved the twist in this novel; I really had no idea who was committing the murders in this small hunting town. I would absolutely shocked by the conclusion to this novel; I really didn’t see it coming and how it all comes together is unreal! I think that this is definitely the most descriptive book that I have ever read and that was a huge plus for me! I recommend this book highly and I would definitely suggest picking it up before the second novel comes out in 2019!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this novel. The atmospheric details added a lot to the feel of the book. I also thought the addition of a hearing impaired lead was interesting, I had never thought about a lot of the hardships of wearing hearing aids before this. I liked the subtle mystery but mostly the weird and fascinating characters living in the small town. The plot was a little slow but it flowed well and kept me guessing.
First of all I will say that this was a book that I found on NetGalley and it caught my eye straight away. I’m such a sucker for a black and white contrast book cover, especially during this dark and dreary time of the year.
Honestly, I am blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. Admittedly at first, it was the cover that drew me to the book but after reading the synopsis I knew I needed to read it. Dark. Cold. Mystery. Thriller. Set in Sweden. Deaf and bi-sexual main character (hurrah for representation!). What more could you want? Honestly?
Will Dean has managed to create such a vivid setting with his writing, so much so I felt cold just reading it. Set in the isolated town of Gavrik, Sweden. The characters have such depth and such individual voices that I felt every single one of them was believable, especially with their quirkiness. I found myself getting seriously attached to the main character Tuva, who is completely kick-ass, by the way.
This is the first ‘Nordic Noir’ that I’ve read in a very long time and boy was a spoiled with this one! I enjoyed this so much that I have actually pre-ordered a finished copy and it’ll be arriving on the day that it’s released.
Tuva, a deaf reporter moves from London to Gavrik to be closers to her unwell mother. She find a job with a local paper and decides to investigate when a body is found in the depths of the woods, the MO matching a serial killer that was loose in the 90’s, all of this despite her growing fears about everything around her, including the dense dark woods.
How did I rate it?
It is thrilling, mysterious and thoroughly gripping. I think this book will be a massive hit when it hits the shelves on the 4th of January and I’m betting you’ll soon be seeing it everywhere, and that would be totally well-deserved. I don’t want to tell you too much as I think it would spoil the fantastic ending! I rated Dark Pines 4/5 stars.
This review can also be found on my blog: www.tomeswithtea.com
Honestly, I am blown away by the fact that this is a debut novel. Admittedly at first, it was the cover that drew me to the book but after reading the synopsis I knew I needed to read it. Dark. Cold. Mystery. Thriller. Set in Sweden. Deaf and bi-sexual main character (hurrah for representation!). What more could you want? Honestly?
Will Dean has managed to create such a vivid setting with his writing, so much so I felt cold just reading it. Set in the isolated town of Gavrik, Sweden. The characters have such depth and such individual voices that I felt every single one of them was believable, especially with their quirkiness. I found myself getting seriously attached to the main character Tuva, who is completely kick-ass, by the way.
This is the first ‘Nordic Noir’ that I’ve read in a very long time and boy was a spoiled with this one! I enjoyed this so much that I have actually pre-ordered a finished copy and it’ll be arriving on the day that it’s released.
Tuva, a deaf reporter moves from London to Gavrik to be closers to her unwell mother. She find a job with a local paper and decides to investigate when a body is found in the depths of the woods, the MO matching a serial killer that was loose in the 90’s, all of this despite her growing fears about everything around her, including the dense dark woods.
How did I rate it?
It is thrilling, mysterious and thoroughly gripping. I think this book will be a massive hit when it hits the shelves on the 4th of January and I’m betting you’ll soon be seeing it everywhere, and that would be totally well-deserved. I don’t want to tell you too much as I think it would spoil the fantastic ending! I rated Dark Pines 4/5 stars.
This review can also be found on my blog: www.tomeswithtea.com