"Be careful down in the valley, Tuva. I was a parent once and I have never lost the protective instinct. There are tales to be told and there are local curses here dating back centuries. Stay out of the shadows and watch your back."
Esseberg is a town surrounded by mountains. There is only one way in and out: a one-way tunnel running underneath one of the mountains which closes completely at night, cutting the town off from the outside world. When a deaf teenager goes missing in the town, journalist Tuva Moodyson feels she must join the search. More people disappear, and Tuva realises not only is there a killer in the town, but she's in danger herself.

I confess I was a little bored with this book. I struggled to connect with Tuva, who makes some really illogical decisions. I didn't pick up on any palpable tension and I was not invested in finding out who the killer was. At the same time, I felt like the revelation concerning Tuva's personal life came out of the blue (or maybe it's because I haven't read the previous books in the series) and didn't add much to the overall narrative.

I will say that the descriptions of the setting, a remote town in freezing weather, were vivid and I could almost feel the cold. But it just wasn't enough to save the book for me.

ONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT.
‘Deaf teenager goes missing in Esseberg. Mountain rescue are launching a search party but condition hinder their efforts. The tunnel is being kept open all night as an exception’.
Tuva Moodyson is back again for book number 6! Drawn into a search for a missing deaf teenager, Tuva doesn’t just how dangerous things are about to become. The destination to reach, Esseberg (ICE TOWN) where there is only one way in, same way out and at night time they are cut off from the nearest other town.

This was a dark thriller where the suspense just kept building up. The descriptions of the settings made me feel like I could actually be in the place and feel exactly what it was like to be there.

This was my first read by Will Dean and I'm now intrigued to go back to the start of this series and see what I have missed. I enjoyed this book from the first page through to the very last page.

Chilling and eerie read with an ending I didn’t expect!

I am excited to read more about Tuva in the future.
Thanks Netgalley

I've read a few books by this author which I have enjoyed. However, I did struggle with this book. After I finished, I saw that it was part of a series which I hadn't realised. I don't think that was why I didn't enjoy it as much though, and didn't feel there were any backstories which I'd missed out on (although perhaps there were and I just haven't realised!). The storyline felt slow and complicated and I just couldn't get into the characters stories at all.

I’ve read a couple of Will’s books previously and really enjoyed them but this one was not for me.

I didn’t realise this book was part of a series, which is completely my own fault for not checking first, so while I understand it can be read as a standalone I think I would have benefited from reading the previous books.

In comparison to his other books I’ve read I found the writing style in this one to be clunky and not enjoyable to read at all. I tried multiple times but I just could not get in to the story and actually found myself not caring at all what happened so unfortunately it was a DNF for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc, I won’t be reviewing elsewhere as I didn’t finish the book.

I've never read a Tuva Moodyson book before but I will have to go back and read the others now as I loved it! However this a stand alone and fine to read without previous knowledge

She is a journalist and discovers that there's a deaf boy missing in Esseberg, which lies on the other side of a mountain tunnel and only one way in and out. Once it comes at night, the residents are left to look after themselves.

As she is deaf herself, she wanted to be there as she felt she could communicate with him.

Whilst Tuva is there investigating more people go missing and she quickly realises they are looking for a killer. Soon suspicion is everywhere and has no idea who to trust

A really gripping thriller and did not see that ending coming!!

Wow what a great and gripping read. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were great and at times I could picture myself in the snowy location. Would recommend this book

When journalist Tuva Moodyson learns that a young deaf man has gone missing in the isolated mountain town of Esseberg (literally translated as Ice town), she is determined to do what she can to help bring him home safely. Arriving in the tiny, inhospitable community, which is cut off from the rest of Sweden when the tunnel through the surrounding mountains closes for the night, Tuva is quickly drawn into the heart of an investigation which soon turns out to be about far more than one missing man.

Will Dean has accomplished something which is no mean feat in writing a mid-series novel - this is Tuva's sixth outing - which had this first-time reader gripped by the mystery and invested in the lead. Tuva, whose tragic history is referenced but not recapped in detail, is dogged, principled and flawed, and I will definitely be going back to read the earlier novels in the series in order to find out more about the people and experiences who shaped her character. Her deafness is a unique and integral element of her character, and Dean has certainly done due diligence in his research, working with a deaf sensitivity reader whom advises him how a deaf character might react to a particular situation and how their deafness might affect their perspective.

Since Tuva spends almost the entirety of Ice Town away from her forest hometown of Gavrik, we don't spend much time there or with her colleagues and chosen family, but the hints and references we do get made me look forward to reading a story set in Gavrik.

As a setting, Esseberg (inspired by its real-life counterpart Whittier, Alaska) is perfect: isolated, suspicious of outsiders and suffering bitterly from an economic downturn, the hostility is almost tangible when Tuva drives through the mountain tunnel and starts asking questions. Dean (a British immigrant to rural Sweden) writes vividly of the extreme cold and near twilight which afflicts the settlement, creating an ominous atmosphere from the start; even without a killer lurking amongst them, the town's residents must fight their perpetual enemy - winter - each year for their survival. Fredrik Backman fans will not be able to avoid drawing comparisons between Esseberg and that author's beautifully bleak Beartown.

Ice Town is a pacy, compelling novel, its many twists and turns evoking the ski tracks which slalom down the mountains outside Esseberg. There are plenty of viable suspects and plausible explanations, keeping the reader guessing till the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The last in the Tuva Moodyson series. I haven’t read any of the others but I will be getting the back library of this series after reading since Town.

It gave off chilling, creepy, eerie vibes from the start. I loved the location of the town in a valley which was closed off by a tunnel each night, giving the fear factor. Tuva is such a loveable character. I was left a little confused by the ending though, which seems to be a trait of Wills 🤣 overall, a brill all round excellent thriller

I received a copy of an e-Arc with thanks

It's Will Dean. He knows how to write a thriller. Chilling, earie, twists and turn aplenty. One to keep you hooked on cold winter's nights.

Ice Town will haunt me for a long time. Tuva, a partially deaf journalist, travels to a remote township where a deaf boy has gone missing. The situation soon escalates with more people going missing. An entire community, isolated and cut off from the world at large is living in terror. Everyone is a suspect, everyone is suspicious. The community shuts down under the oppression, then journalists arrive from the outside world bringing a spotlight. I've not met Tuva before, however, given hints in the book is one of a series. I will be going in search of the back story.
Tuva, is far from perfect, but she's tenacious, compassionate and Intelligent. Her persistence makes things happen.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of Ice Town.

While this is part of a well established series which i haven't read, I enjoyed much introduction to Tuva and the gang. The writing had me picturing the mountains, snow and tunnels while reading. I recommend Will Dean and I will be reading more books by the author.

I have read the Tuva Moodyson stories before but this one I thought this was a bit on the slow side to get going.
The author has set the scene very well and I have actually been to the Arctic Circle and although it can be bleak there and some great communities and there is life.
I did feel the author put too much emphasis on the deafness of Tuva, too many times, yes she wears hearing aids I too am deaf and wear hearing aids but to keep on about it could give you an inferiority complex, so Mr Dean don't keep on about it in your next book.
The story did lack excitement and I had to push myself to keep going as it did come to fruition in the end.
I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC copy to read.

Tuva, a journalist goes to Ice Town for a story about a young, deaf man, who has mysteriously disappeared. Tuva is deaf herself and she feels an allegiance with the missing man. Ice Town is a close-knit community in Sweden. Because of its isolation, there is only a one way tunnel in and out. The tunnel closes at night, effectively leaving the townsfolk isolated. Consequently, there exists a tight community. Some murders start happening and the perpetrator must be someone in the town.
Who can be the murderer? Suspicions fall on various people. Sometimes the reader is convinced that it’s one person, only to have their hopes dashed. In the end, it’s someone completely unexpected.

We join Tuva once more on the trail of another mystery. This time she is leaving home and heading to an isolated area to investigate the disappearance of a deaf boy. Soon it becomes far more complicated and Tuva isnt even sure she can survive this icy desolate area.

Another great mystery and story in the series. This is quite a dark story at times and Tuva is still dealing with events from earlier. The mystery itself is clever and left me guessing until just before the big reveal when I figured it out. There are many twists along the way leading to a heart stopping moment and a more poignant one which I think finished the story perfectly. I do love Tuva but there were times when I wanted to shout don't do that it can't go well. A brilliant ice-cold thriller.

Thank you for this ARC. I have never read anything by this author before. I will certainly be looking now. What a great read. I absolutely love scandi nor settings for books. This story follows Tuva who is a journalist following a story about a boy who has gone missing- they have a connection of being deaf. Great characters, very atmospheric, and the ending well…….. Would thoroughly recommend this.

This was my first book by this author and so my first Tuva Moodyson story. I must admit I did feel a bit left out of the loop as there were some references to Tuva's past which I didn't understand but which didn't spoil the flow too much. I loved the plot outline of being somewhere that you can't leave and the description of where it was taking place and how cold it was, but for me I couldn't get on with the book. I did like the ending though and wasn't expecting the killer to be who it was. Maybe if I'd read the other books in the series it might have helped me relate more to Tuva.

I am delighted to be part of the “influencer tour” for Will Dean’s latest book featuring Tuva Moodyson. Ice Town is the 6th book in this incredible series, but you can absolutely read this as a standalone because the series is so brilliant. So if you haven’t read any yet read this now and then immerse yourself in the back catalogue and follow Tuva from the beginning starting with Dark Pines, Red Snow, Black River, Bad Apples and then Wolf Pack.

For those who aren’t familiar with this series, Tuva Moodyson is the main character. She’s a deaf reporter working for a small-time local paper in a remote village in rural Sweden. The weather is always brutal. The landscape is harsh and unforgiving. The writing is always atmospheric yet claustrophobic. The crimes are complex and compelling in each book.

Ice Town is set in Esseberg, hundreds of miles away from Tuva’s home of Gavrik. A tiny town only accessible through a mountain tunnel shared by drivers and trains; this tunnel is closed at night. It is a place surrounded by snow and ice. It is cut off from the nearest town at night. The residents are left snowbound and in the dark. When a deaf teenage boy goes missing, she is compelled to drive for hours across Sweden to help find Peter because she feels a strong connection to him, being deaf.

I don’t want to give much away, but the missing deaf teenager isn’t the only crime as more residents start to go missing, bodies are discovered and Tuva finds herself in the middle of a very dangerous situation.

Ice Town is a very personal and painful journey for Tuva both physically and mentally. She has to confront her own emotions and feelings from past events.

Overall, this is a chillingly, atmospheric crime novel with a highly emotional element which is guaranteed to melt even the iciest hearts.

I absolutely loved this book by Will Dean. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but found it ok as a standalone. I will be reading the other titles in the series though. The plot had me totally intrigued and my guesses to who it was were completely wrong, I’m looking forward to starting the series from the beginning. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this copy *****

This was terrific. I have enjoyed other books in this series and this didn’t disappoint. It was well written and Tuva the main character is very strong. I liked the setting and the different characters. Recommended.

When a deaf teenager goes missing in the remote mountain village of Esseberg, journalist Tuva Moodyson knows she must go & try & help in the search. Being deaf herself, she knows that being able to communicate will be vital. Esseberg is not just remote, the only way in & out is through a tunnel that closes at night. Once there was a very upmarket hotel & ski resort there but it has fallen on hard times. When a body is found the teen becomes a suspect as much as a missing person.

I love this series of books & Tuva is such a great character. Will Dean is so good at creating his settings that you need an extra jumper to read him! This book could be read quite easily as a stand alone but it is well worth reading the series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.