As a massive fan of Dark Pines and Red Snow, I was delighted to be back with Tuva Moodyson. Although she's no longer strictly a Gavrik resident, she's back to help in the search for her friend, and as readers, we too are immediately taken back there. The area of Black River is an area that hasn't been explored before but Dean's sense of place is amazing and it makes the novel wonderfully atmospheric. It's slightly different this time around as Black River is set in summer so there is less snow and more heat, but it is still easy to picture the surroundings. I also enjoyed learning about the traditions of Midsummar. 

Tuva Moodyson is a fabulous heroine. Although it is clear that her hearing loss can sometimes make situations difficult, she never uses it as an excuse and she never lets anything get in her way. The disability is an incidental part of her character (which is how it should be) but it's brilliantly researched to make her character as authentic as possible. 

There are a number of characters in Black River, some of whom we have met before. They all have fascinating characteristics, which intrigued me throughout the whole novel. I had no idea who the culprit was, but it could have been anyone! 

It takes some time for the mystery to be unravelled, but this allows the tension to build gradually. Dean's storytelling is excellent and I really wanted the women to be safe so I kept reading right until the end! 

The ending of Black River is left open for Tuva to make a decision and I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

Tuva is back, and this time it is more personal than ever. She has been living away from Gavrik for four months when she gets a phone call that changes everything. Her best friend has gone missing. Dropping everything she races to her one-time home in order to help with the search. Her plan - find her friend at all costs, but maybe she will find some other things while she's searching. Tuva rushes back to aid in the search for her friend, but it seems she may have to be the one to initiate it. While this happens another woman goes missing, and then things really ramp up to 11!

Tuva may have only been away for four months, but it is clear she has grown as a person in that short period of time. While her decision making still leaves a lot to be desired, she is much more focused in this novel than she was in previous books - perhaps because she is closely connected to the missing person.

The cast of recurring characters are almost all here with some people taking a bigger role than they had previously. I loved getting back into "Toytown" and its surroundings and still love the fact that McDonald's is essentially the only place to hang out. We not only have characters that were here before but new ones too. All in all, with the mix of suspicious folk both old and new there are more shady characters here than you could shake a big stick at! Of course, this just adds to the intrigue.

Tuva follows all the leads she comes across (as usual) putting herself in jeopardy on numerous occasions in order to help her friend. The book is chock-full of red herrings and false paths. The story, while seamless, leaves you guessing throughout, and I wasn't ready for the reveal when it came in the closing stages.

There are enough nods to the previous book to give you a taste of what has come before, without ruining any large plot points. I think there is enough here to give you a taste to go back for book one, hell I'm considering reading it again myself!

Once again Will's descriptions of Sweden leave me in awe, and I want to check out the Midsommar festival at some point, although I may shy away from small villages in Northern Sweden if I do go. The memories of the Tuva series would probably frighten me too much to be comfortable.

With Black River Will proves why he deserves the praise that so many in the industry are giving him. This is another excellently executed work, and one which I was glued to throughout. (The only reason I didn't finish this in a day is because of this damn virus that has me checking the news every ten minutes!) Highly recommended!

It’s a total cliché that the sequel to an astonishing debut is often disappointing. Author Will Dean deftly sidestepped that situation with his Tuva Moodyson series; the second book (Red Snow) was every bit as good as the first (Dark Pines). But this third venture into the depth of the northern Swedish forest doesn’t quite live up to my (possibly unreasonably high) expectations. But that’s not to say this is a bad book, far from it.

The writing is as excellent as ever and the scenario initially engaging. Tuva, a profoundly deaf journalist, is drawn back to the isolated small town she’s trying to escape when her BFF goes mysteriously missing. Soon another young woman disappears and the over-stretch local police force is tugged in too many directions. Tuva is a natural investigator and she’s more than motivated to follow her suspicions into dangerous territory. She’s convinced that something horrific is happening to her friend – possibly amid the swampsnakes and trailer trash.

The previous books took place in the bitter Scandinavian winter, but this story is set in a sweltering summer with mosquitos, wasps and angry elk infesting the overgrown forest. The narrative is full of traps and creeping things, both physical and metaphorical. Tuva stays in a tiny guest lodge, comfortable, but eerily similar to a prison cell, and haunted by a small bird which batters itself bloodily senseless against the window.

Meanwhile the bugs and wick things bite, sting, slither and flitter in every scene. Will Dean is extremely adept at making commonplace, ordinary objects and situations extremely sinister. He ratchets up the anxiety to nerve-shredding levels… then leaves the reader in a soggy puddle of terrified tension when the next chapter reveals an entirely innocuous explanation.

This makes the actual violence – real, imagined or implied – all the more shocking when it finally happens. Dean is also excellent at demonstrating the ever-present, unspoken sensations that many women experience; the sound of footfalls behind you on a sidestreet, the isolation of walking home after dark. Few men experience what is for many females an everyday occurrence. It’s refreshing to see a male author acknowledging what can be a difficult aspect of ‘normal life’ for independent women.

Tuva’s unique characteristic, her profound deafness, is also acknowledged in Black River but it’s given less emphasis this time than in before. It’s a part of her character but not the defining aspect of her personality. Again, it’s handled with considerable care; explained, understood and accepted. If only all of life’s interactions could be so well-managed. Similarly, Tuva’s ongoing struggle with her own identity, her relationships with her friends and lovers, are quietly and respectfully drawn, as is her increasingly unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

If all these aspects of Black River are so excellent, then why didn’t I enjoy it so much? I suspect the storytelling was weighted too much towards people and place; there were definitely moments where the narrative slowed to the point of stalling. The environment was perhaps too familiar – it’s tricky with a series to maintain the established scenarios without actually repeating yourself. I certainly experienced some déjà vu when Tuva fell for the same old sucker punch again. Nor did I find the finale particularly satisfying; it stretched credibility a tiny bit too far.

Like I say, this is far from being a bad book and it’s definitely one which Tuva’s established fans will enjoy. But if you’re new to the series then this wouldn’t be the best place to start. Go back to Dark Pines for a truly extraordinary experience.

7/10

I love this Swedish mystery series, which is a kind of cross between Twin Peaks and Midsomer Murders, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of Black River.

Journalist Tuva Moodyson thought she'd seen the back of rural and decidedly creepy Gavrik, where she used to be a reporter on the local newspaper. But as her best friend has gone missing, and no one seems to be taking the disappearance seriously, Tuva returns to investigate. She has plenty of suspects to choose from (the inhabitants are decidedly...eccentric, to say the least) but someone seems determined to sabotage her efforts. Then a second girl vanishes...

Tuva is utterly brilliant. I love her! She's one of my favourite 'detectives'. The Swedish setting is incredibly atmospheric, although all those bugs and insects are a little too authentic, and the part where Tuva heads into the deep dark woods is just like a Grimm fairy tale. We meet some of the kooky characters from the previous books and a whole lot of new ones (hello, Snake Lady!). Every time I thought I was one step of Tuva, the clue would turn out to be a red herring. I hadn't a clue who the villain was, although I was rather hoping it might be - but no, I mustn't spoil it for you!

Black River puts a modern and slightly surreal spin on the traditional murder mystery. You don't need to read the other books in this series but you would get more from the story if you do. With the weird and wonderful characters, I can certainly see it appealing to fans of Midsomer Murders and Twin Peaks. Thoroughly recommended!


Thank you to Will Dean and Point Blank for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Brilliantly written. This is a dark, gritty and gripping read. The setting and the characters are all really well described and easy to visualise. I hope there is more to come in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is #4 in the series featuring journalist Tuva Moodyson. It can be read as a stand-alone but you are missing out on a great series.

Tuva has moved away from Garrick, stopped drinking, has a new job and a fresh start. But when she hears her friend, Tammy, has gone missing she races back.

It’s the height of Midsommar and in the middle of a heatwave too….

Exhausted, Tuva starts her investigation with the help of Lena and Thord, but then another woman, Lisa, goes missing. Can Tuva find her friend?

Oh my nerves!!! Will Dean’s incredible writing literally had my skin itching and crawling…I could feel those bugs. Oh dear lord, the bugs…..moths, wolf spiders, midges and the nightmare that is flying ticks! Oh and there’s snakes…..a lot of snakes!

The brilliantly odd characters, the breeder and the ‘cousins’ are so scary, it reminded me of the movie Deliverance, without the banjos…..

So well plotted, perfectly paced, with the creepy oddness and almost stifling tension make this a read in one sitting thriller. Fantastic and a must read.

Thank you to The publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Black River for free . This is my honest, unbiased review.

Will Dean’s writing is a thing of such beauty that he makes even the most bleak, depressing thrillers seem deliciously tasty. Black River is no exception, and I can’t wait for book 4 in the Tuva series.

This is the 3rd book in the Tuva Moodyson series and whilst it can be read as a stand-alone, personally I think you should read Dark Pines and Red Snow first to get a better and deeper understanding of the characters and the atmospheric town of Gavrik.

Black River takes us back to Tuva, the feisty, brave and intriguing journalist who left the Toytown of Gavrik after her mother’s death, leaving her friends and job behind to start afresh in a new town several months ago. Receiving a phone call to let her know that her best friend Tammy has gone missing in Gavrik, Tuva drops everything to return to Gavrik and find her friend.

Arriving back in Gavrik, the reader is once again reminded of the brilliant characters, claustrophobic and atmospheric surroundings of this quirky town and introduced to some utterly odd and strange new townsfolk. From beekeepers to snake breeders; car component part dealers to shoe shop sellers with foot fetishes, everyone becomes a suspect in the abduction of Tammy. When another young woman goes “missing” the town folk come together in a show of unity and against the backdrop of Midsommar, it was so easy to imagine yourself in the midst of the town, slapping the mosquitoes away and sweltering in the heat.

This book is dark and creepy, like the forest, with some very disturbing scenes. The characters are all brilliant, although some are absolutely crackers, and the author is able to bring to life this dark, often foreboding town with such perfect clarity.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves a character driven thriller, but remember to pack the insect repellent!

With thanks to NetGalley and OneWorld for the ARC.

Tuva Moodyson has been living in southern Sweden for four months, sober and trying to start over when she hears that her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.

She immediately drops everything and heads back to Gavrik to help find her.

Will Dean evokes small town Sweden so well I feel that I've visited the places in this novel.
The atmosphere, the weather, the small town idiosyncrasies and local customs are so well written I really want to visit.
Maybe the Swedish Tourist board should hire him.

The story is brilliantly well written, tense and imaginative.
The characters are fascinating, some larger than life, some like the guy next door, but all very well drawn.

I loved this book, one of my favourites of the year so far.

The third tale in the Tuva Moodyson saga and by far the most dynamic. After her long dreamed of escape from Toytown followng the death of her mother, Tuva finds herself back there under the most horrific of circumstances.

With Tammy missing and a search underway it's Tuva leading the charge driving the Toytown into action. Black River is an incredibly well paced book with a continual momentum that makes it hard to put down.

The one sticking point is still Tuva's relationship with Noora, hopefully with future adventures this will become more fleshed out rather than feeling look an afterthought.

With Tuva's biological family gone, will she return to Toytown once more and return to her newly formed family? Hopefully the next book is not too far away!

This book was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another triumph from the excellent Will Dean. The Tuva Moodyson series always impresses; it is very well written and the evocation of Sweden is superb. At the end of the second novel Tuva left Gavrik for pastures new but here she returns when her best friend Tam goes missing. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

Once more more Will Dean has totally nailed it with this third book in the Tuva Moodyson series and I loved it. Tuva who has relocated to Malmo trying to clear her head and get her life in some kind of order returns to Gavrik when she gets the news that her best friend Tammy Yamnim is missing with no clues as to why or where she could have gone. Tuva is not convinced that Tammy would just leave with no word to anyone and is desperately trying to find out what has happened to her when another girl also goes missing and from then on in we are thrust headlong into a a gripping story that is an unputdownable read.
As with all of the other books this is a read full of atmosphere and Tuva is such a brilliant character and so damn believable. I can’t fault the book I loved it and can’t wait for the next in this excellent series.
100% recommended and if you haven’t read the previous novels then do yourself a big favour and read them all !!
My thanks to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications, Point Blank for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Black River by Will Dean is the third book featuring deaf reporter Tuva Moodyson. At the beginning of the story Tuva returns to Gavrik after finding out that her best friend Tammy is missing. She is disappointed that the local police and the people in the community aren’t doing more to find her so makes it her mission to investigate and find Tammy herself. It is only when a second woman goes missing that the search is amplified, and what follows is a race against time to find the two missing women before it is too late.

This was a slow burner for me. I found the first third of the book quite difficult to get into but I think that was mainly because I hadn’t read the previous two novels. It took me a while to work out the different characters and how they all fit together and there were a lot of references to events that had happened previously that I wasn’t fully aware of. However, as I continued to read, the characters really started to grow on me and the tension started to build up page by page. I flew through the last third of the story, desperate to find out what was going to happen. For me, part of the appeal with crime/detective novels is the challenge to work out who the perpetrator is, so as an added bonus, I thought I had worked out the ending, and I was completely wrong. There were lots of twists and turns and several different ways the plot could have been going at any point.

I have read a lot of Scandi Crime and even though I love the genre, they can sometimes be quite intense. They tend to have a lot of intricate plot details and lots of characters to keep track of. I’m not sure if Black River counts as a Scandi Crime – it is a crime/murder novel set in Sweden, but it is written by a British author and you can see the differences in the writing style. However, if you are a fan of this genre but are looking for something a bit lighter then this is definitely worth a read.

Some series are like spending time with old friends and a return trip to Gavrik with Tulsa, for her third outing, was very welcome.

Will Dean is superb at understated slow burn thrillers. The tension builds throughout Black River albeit the reveal was a bit of a stretch. The backdrop, town and main protagonists are a highlight of crime fiction in the last few years. My one issue is the inclusion of extremely odd characters in each book - I’m not sure they positively add and indeed detract from the realism. Overall, I would thoroughly recommend and would put this at level pegging with Dark Pines.

With thanks to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the advance copy in consideration of an honest review.

This is my favourite so far in this series. Having read all three recently I really enjoyed getting to know Tuva.
At the end of Red Snow Tuva was leaving to take a job down South and we join her four months afterwards.
She gets a phone call telling her that her best friend, Tammy is missing, so she heads back to Gavrik to help to find her.
Lena is on hand to offer her somewhere to stay and they work together trying to find Tammy.
Tuva catches up with Thord and he knows how close she was to Tammy so gives her any new leads as they come in.
One of these lead to Snake River where it’s safe to say, there’s a few interesting characters living.
Tuva starts making enquiries but knows deep down that she’s not really welcome there.
Searches of the forest take place as another girl goes missing and soon a body is discovered.
Despite this discovery Tuva is desparate to find her friend and knows she’s hidden close by.
This is a gripping crime thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Thanks to Oneworld Publications and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

Tuva is back!
After moving away from Gavrik, she is trying to settle in to her new job when she gets a worrying phone call that makes her drop everything and head straight back there. It's like she has never been away when she slots straight back in with Lena at the Posten offices and constantly harrassing poor Thord at the police station! But this time she is even more determined as it is her best friend that has gone missing and the rest of the community don't seem to be taking it as seriously.
I do love this series and I really enjoyed the Midsommar setting to this one after the previous two books being all set in snow. The cast of characters is excellent with some new people as well as some old favourites, but Tuva is probably the main reason I love this series so much. She is an excellent character whose tenacity and bull-headedness make her someone I would definitely want on my side, but who I also want to grab hold of and give her a good shake for some of the situations she gets herself in!
Can't wait to see what she will get up to next!

Tuva is back and better than ever as she returns to Gavrik to join the hunt for her missing friend Tammy.

But Tammy isn’t the only person to have gone missing, another young woman has also disappeared escalating the man hunt to desperate levels. With no clues to go one apart from a small splatter of blood found outside Tammy’s work place the community comes together to search the inhospitable Utgard forest.

Packed to the brim with some of the shadiest characters in recent fictional history and some of the most spectacular settings, this book is jam-packed full of atmosphere and tension. On top of that it has one of my favourite female protagonists in recent history.

This has been one of my favourite books in the whole of 2019 and a brilliant book to mark the start of a new year.

My review maybe lacking but the book most certainly is not!

Be prepared to enter the dark, creepy depths of Utgard forest and come face to face with some characters that match their surroundings.

If you have read the first two books in this series then you will know what to expect with the knowledge that this is his best book so far, but if you are new to this series then don’t fear, there is enough backstory to make this read just as well as a standalone novel. However, saying that, I can not recommend all three books highly enough and all three need to be on everyones tbr pile!

Black River is due to be published on 12 March 2020 and is available to preorder now from the link below or your local bookshop.

A massive thank you to the author Will Dean, publishers Oneworld Publications and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Will Dean does it again, with an explosive opening he drew me into his pages and the life of Tuva Moodyson and lost me there until the very last page!
There is something strangely hypnotic about Dean’s writing, something a little bit addictive, I reckon he bottles up some magical forest substance and laces the pages of his books with it...or more likely he’s just a bloody good writer who hooks us into the heart of his stories.
Who would have thought a prickly deaf reporter living in the back of beyond surrounded by a moose Forrest in Sweden would have captured the hearts of so many. Yet captured our hearts she has. Tuva is a kind of jaggy thistle sort of character, there is something quite brusque about her, she is made of many sharp edges, yet in her, Will Dean, has created a well-rounded and multi layered character who will take you by the hand and lead you into her world.
On the outside she is a tough and tenacious little cookie but peel away some of those layers and you will discover a vulnerable and often insecure young woman. In Dark River, her best friend Tammy goes missing and it is impossible not to feel all of Tuva’s emotions as she is determined to find her friend. But everywhere she turns there seems to be a sense of resistance and an sinister touch of inherent racism from residents of the small town of Gavrik, when a second woman goes missing, Tuva’s suspicions are confirmed as all efforts are focused on her, with Tammy’s disappearance takes a back seat.
I always feel like a spooky soundtrack should be provided with Will’s books. Creepy, atmospheric and dangerous are all words I associate with his writing. I’ll bet there isn’t one reader who hasn’t got a picture of Gavrik painted as clear as a photograph inside their head. Will Dean nails the setting in his books and I think Dark River tops the lot! It is impossible to describe the atmospheric fear he creates in this novel, he takes the small town setting and he twists it to a whole new level! A small town where secrets and lies appear to be its very foundations. A town where urban myths are perhaps not always myths.
This book takes place in the summertime and you’d be mistaken if you think this makes it less atmospheric, endless daylight can be just as creepy as the darkness and the dangers are just as prevalent too. God, I’m actually shivering with a little fear writing this review! Especially when I remember my trip to Snake River, the land time seems to have forgotten with residents who step out the pages like extras from a horror movie, Sally the “snake-woman”; the uber creepy cousins Alexandra and Axel and the EBay seller Karl-Otto, believe me, when you read this you are going to be totally creeped out. And Freddy the shoe seller…if he ever tries to sell me a pair of shoes I am so running for the hills!
Filled to the brim with the creepiest of characters I really had no clue as to who to trust. Obsessions with snakes, with feet and all sorts of strange things, it felt like being in the midst of some bizarre horror movie. The tension was palpable, the pace ramped right up to the point that if I could have read from behind a cushion over my face I would have, the words played out a chilling movie in my head.
Will Dean weaves a wonderful story in Black River, it is more than just a story of two missing women, it is an exploration of relationships, of bonds, the value of life, small town attitudes and it is laced with so much emotion I felt I was totally wrung out by the end. His descriptions are intense but enthralling, they draw you into the pages, into the setting and into the characters themselves. Black River will take you and squeeze you into the pages and it will never let you go.
My review will be on my blog as part of the blog tour

It so good to catch-up with Tuva again. It’s like getting together with a good friend you haven’t seen for a while. Having read Will Dean’s previous two novels with Tuva as the lead it feels so comfortable to pick up his third novel and off you go straight into the action from the beginning like she’s never been away.

Tuva is now living and working in the south of Sweden when she gets an urgent call saying her best friend has gone missing. Tuva rushes back to Gavrik and won’t stop up her friend Tammy is found.

This is the best one in the series so far, I got to about half way and I just couldn’t stop until I had finished. There was a point when I thought I might lose interest but then along came the ending and I wasn’t disappointed.

Tuva is a great lead character imperfectly perfect with all her flaws but the setting of this series shouldn’t be underestimated and plays an important role, from the small town atmosphere, to the great pine woods all playing their part in creating a great story. Definitely a recommended read.

This is the third book in the Tuva Moodyson series, and I swear each one is getting better than the last! Tuva finds herself back in Gavrik when her best friend Tammy goes missing, driving the search when it looks like no one else is interested - being Midsommar, everyone is more distracted by the heat and mosquitoes and getting a day off to celebrate the special day.

With the first two being set in the cold of winter, it was unusual having it be daylight nearly 24 hours a day & there being no barrier to Tuva's investigations, weather-wise! That being said, the weather gave it an oppressive feel and really racked up the tension with all the heat and bugs. The new areas of Gavrik that are explored along with the new characters introduced are really interesting, and feel well fleshed out alongside the characters we already know & love (or find extremely creepy, naming no names), I hope we get to see more of them in future books. I really thought I knew whodunnit, but I was completely wrong and I am not disappointed in that at all.

When I saw this available for review I jumped at the chance to read it, having enjoyed the previous two titles in the series, but this can be read as a stand-alone. I would definitely recommend picking up the first two books in the series though!

Another brilliant title from Will Dean!

I would like to thank OneWorld Publications and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.