Known as ‘the forest author’ due to moving from the UK to live with his family in a log cabin deep in a swampy Swedish forest, among the moose and wild boar, Will Dean has been entertaining readers for several years now with some terrific standalones alongside his superb series starring deaf reporter Tuva Moodyson, a city slicker working for a small newspaper in Gavrik, an isolated town surrounded by an ominous, dense spruce forest.

Dark Pines, Dean’s first Tuva tale, is set for screen adaptation, with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis set to star as the relentless reporter uncovering secrets and solving crimes. But before then we can all enjoy Ice Town, a sixth instalment that takes Tuva out of her usual haunts, a page-whirring ‘Scandi Noir’ and a ‘locked town’ mystery, if you will.

In Ice Town, Tuva is drawn to Esseberg, a mountain village cut off each night when its access tunnel is closed, after an alert goes out that a deaf teenager goes missing. Tuva understands how dangerous being lost in the wilds could be for someone who can’t hear searchers calling for them. Then more people vanish. A body is found. Is the deaf teen a victim or a killer? Esseberg may be even creepier than Gavrik. Dean delivers a fabulous, highly engaging mystery that is as chilling as its hypothermia-inducing climate.

[This review was first written for Good Reading magazine in Australia, to be published in an upcoming issue]

For me this was just about average.
I have been very invested in this story whilst never having read any previous in this series.

I felt there was a lot in this book that drew me in, the setting and atmosphere was great and lured me into the lives of each individual on the mountain. I spent pages learning about circumstances and situations which had little relevance to what the story came down to. I was so disappointed with the ending and felt there was a lot left unsaid.

The depth of the story was not justified with the ending leaving me feeling short changed.

Im a huge fan and absolutely loved The last passenger. However this may now be my favourite will Dean read.
Unusual premise, tight plotline and an utterly readable format it held me captive, fully invested snd engaged from start to finish . I highly recommend this one!

This is the first book I have read by this author and although it’s the sixth book in a series it can be read as a stand alone story.
It’s very atmospheric and chilly. A search is on for a deaf teenager lost in the mountain and a killer at large.
An enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ice Town - Will Dean

A novel of two halves I think!

Being a fan of Will’s work, I was really looking forward to getting into this - as the premise promised quite a lot.

A remote icy town accessible only through a tunnel through a mountain - and developments a plenty with some mysterious bodies being found.

Sadly for me, the first half of the book didn’t seem to rocket along like some of Will’s other books - so I did personally find it a little lacking in pace.

However, having said that, I found the second half so much better and engaging - and the story was brought to a satisfyingly dramatic conclusion.

So definitely a tale of two halves with the latter half being a corker!

Read all the Will Dean books with Tuva as the main character and the latest one is as good as the previous ones. Strange location through a mountain…. A hotel at the top of it… a wide range of local characters and murder…. All add to another page turned.
Read the series and read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed both the setting and the plot of this book. The concept of a town with only one access point which cannot always be trusted had me hooked from the get go.

At first I found it difficult to connect with the main character, Tuva, however I think this may be because I haven’t read the previous books in the series. The references to prior events and characters made it clear that this book is a part of a series, but at no point did it feel as though I had to have read those to appreciate this. By the end of the book I did feel connected to Tuva and now I am eager to read the rest!

The plot involving a cold blooded killer on the loose was enhanced by the constant inclusion of the danger of the literal cold. The setting was described fantastically and the knowledge that the killer was one of many dangers in this part of the world was conveyed very smoothly.

I did find the book quite slow in terms of plot continuation, and a couple of events now appear irrelevant or left as loose ends, which is why I have dropped a star. Overall, however, this doesn’t take away from the fact that this was a very enjoyable read.

I would be intrigued to see if I view this book differently once I’ve read the rest of the series, but for now I look forward to reading more by this author!

Will Dean has written another atmospherically chilling novel that raised my anxiety levels once again. I don't know why I punish myself! I am so claustrophobic I will not go in a lift and even having the duvet over my head will cause a mild panic, but the writing is just so good I can't help myself.
I didn't realise when I picked up this book that it is number 6 in the Tuva Moodyson Mystery series and although I haven't read any previous books in this series it can be read as a standalone without presenting any problems. After finishing it I went straight to Amazon to get the back catalogue.
Fantastic book and highly recommended!

How wonderful to be back with one of my favourite characters in a read the brilliant Tuva Moodyson. This was a pure genius of a story as apart from the search for pepper spray killer we also learn so much about Tuva and I loved that. The book is mainly set in the very insular Ice Town that every evening is cutoff from civilisation by a tunnel that is only opened the following morning and this was such a claustrophobic setting it raised the level of creepiness sky high!
I really thought that in the book we got to the heart of Tuva and her ability to deal with the grief of losing someone close to her and I really applaud Will Deans ability to do that so very well.
The hunt for a killer was excellent and had me fooled completely and with a fabulous ending that broke me into little pieces then put me together again albeit sobbing my heart out this was a read that deserves more than the 5 stars I can give it.
So please don’t miss this one it’s a joy of a read and highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another good thriller from Will Dean. As usual Wills writing transports you to the heart of the action, this time in snowy Sweden. Tuva a journalist jumps at the chance to cover an ongoing story where a deaf boy has gone missing in the remote mountains of Esseberg aka Ice Town. This is in the vast wilderness with a tunnel to enter and exit which is often closed off at times. You really felt the claustrophobic elements when reading this and the writing was spot on. When more and more people are discovered dead its a race against time to try and find the killer. I enjoyed this book and will be recommending

Journalist Tuva Moodyson sees a news alert that a deaf teenager has gone missing in the town of Esseberg which lies on the other side of a mountain tunnel - a tunnel which is closed at night and which is the only entry and exit point for the town. Tuva, is who also deaf, decides she must go and help the search - but when she arrives it soon becomes clear that there's a killer in the town as bodies start turning up in the snow.

This is a page-turning thriller. Although it's one of a series about Tuva Moodyson, it's described as a standalone and it worked as such (I've not read any of the others) until I got to the end, where there's a scene that probably means a lot more to people who've read the other books. That's just a tiny thing though.

There's a lot of detail about the weather - how freezing cold it is, which did rather make me wonder how come so many people were wandering about in areas of the town where it was possible for them to be murdered without the murderer being seen at any point. But for me anyway, there was a twist I definitely didn't see coming so if you like a psychological thriller, this is a good one.

Tuva Moodyson is a journalist who lives in Gavrik. She read about a deaf boy who has gone missing in Essberg a town with only one way in and one way out, through a tunnel that is closed at nighttime, effectively locking all the residents in until the morning. The tunnel is also one way only as it’s too small to have 2 lanes of traffic. Tuva is also deaf which is what draws her to the story along with the unusual setting. Her editor allows her to travel to the town to cover the story.

There is also a hotel above the town, in the mountains. It’s run down and used to have a train to go up to it but it’s no longer working. The only access is by chair lift which makes it difficult to get supplies. The owner is rather creepy along with his hotel.

The book is very atmospheric with its setting and story and it’s a pleasure to read another book featuring Tuva. I’ve only given it 4 stars as I think the ending was rushed and the killer unmasked too soon.

I love a good Will Dean novel and when I got accepted for Ice Town, I was super excited.

Apparently this is in a series of novels but I found it was fine for me to read as a standalone.

We meet main character Tuva, who is a journalist and also deaf.

When a young boy goes missing in Esseberg, Tuva knows she has to go and help find him and with him being deaf she knows she can communicate with him. Ice Town is such a great read, I loved how Will Dean writes his novels, they never disappoint.

Wow, this book captivated me and held my attention - and now I am going to go back and start the whole series from book number 1.

I loved Tuva, such a feisty character and written so well.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a long time Will Dean fan so I was delighted to be able to read the latest Tuva book ahead of publication.
Reuniting with Tuva felt like reuniting with a long lost friend, I so love her strength and spirit.
And as always I was gripped.
The descriptive writing made me feel as if I was there with Tuva, and I felt everything along with her. Especially when it came to the beautiful ending - what a way to finish ❤️

My thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of “ Ice Town “ for an honest review.

I hadn’t read any of the “ Tuva” series of books before but I’ve read Will Dean’ s last few novels .” The Last Passenger” being a particular favourite that I’ve recommended to many people.
Maybe it’s because I enjoyed his other books so much I had high expectations for this one.Sadly it left me a little underwhelmed.Although it states the book is a standalone, I feel I would have got more from the story if I’d read the previous in the series .
Enjoyable but not my favourite Will Dean book

I was so pleased to be given the opportunity to read and review this as I have been a HUGE fan of Will Dean for a long time! The premise of the novel really appealed to me and Will creates brilliant characters - I mean, who wouldn't be rooting for someone like Tuva?! The setting, pace, themes all come together nicely in another gripping thriller. I can't wait for the next Tuva novel already!

An exceptional thriller equally as chilling as the setting.

Twisting, compelling and dark, as the body count rises you try desperately to connect the dots and ultimately fail as you reach the terrifying conclusion.

Brilliantly written and crafted by the author. Will Dean knows how to lure you in and keep you there.

Highly recommended but undeniably worth leaving the bedside light switched on.. just in case.

Will Dean always writes books that terrify me, they are usually claustrophobic and so plausible.
In the 6th book in the Tuva Moodyson series we have a small Swedish town, Esseberg that is only accessible by a tunnel and the tunnel is shut at night cutting the town off from the outside world. In this town a young deaf boy, Peter has gone missing. Tuva, a journalists, thinks there is a good story in this and she also wants to help look for him as being deaf herself she feels she understands how he must be feeling.
From the start there is a brooding sense to the town, with its feeling of isolation under the mountains and the grand hotel that sits at the top of the mountain accessible only by a chairlift now the road has closed to there.
Soon more bodies are found in the snow and as Peter hasn’t been found, he becomes the main suspect along with Ingvar Persson the man who operates the chairlift for the skiers, and has had past convictions.
It’s a great story with the place and atmosphere playing a big part in the thrill of the book.
There are quite a few red herrings and I was completely wrong in who I thought the murderer was. It’s a page turning read.

#IceTown #NetGalley

As a first time reader of Will Dean, I did not realise I was walking into book 6 of the Tuva Moodyson world... however, this book can 100% be read as a standalone thriller! This story was such as easy read, I really found myself saying ‘one more chapter’ way too many times before bed as Will’s writing was extremely captivating. The chapters were kept short and engaging, leaving me seriously on the edge of my seat after each one was over. Some aspects of this book I felt were unnecessary, but not unsatisfying and that’s what made this book less that 5 stars for me. I would of really enjoyed delving into some of the things that were kind of swept over in this book. I will definitely be reading more of Will’s writing !

I enjoy Will Dean's Tuva Moodyson books because she's a unique character - profoundly deaf 30 year old journalist on a local paper who wins prizes for her writing - usually about helping to crack murder cases she's gone to report on. This time, still grieving the loss of her lover she takes off to an enclosed town where a deaf boy has gone missing - her instincts tell her something's up. soon the bodies start piling up and everyone in the town is afraid for their life, Tuva included. If the murderer doesn't get her the minus thirty temperature has a chance too. Lots of twists and a dramatic and bloody conclusion.