I've read a number of Will Dean's books but seems to have missed the Tuva Moodyson series as Ice Town is number 6 in the series. Much as I hate reading a series out of order I ploughed on and was glad I did. Based in Sweden in the middle of winter the size of the country is expressed when Tuva thinks nothing of driving 9 hours from where she lives in South mid Sweden to still be in North mid Sweden when she reaches Esseberg. The atmosphere of the book is very dark and dangerous. Just staying outside too long can kill you. It is only light for a few hours a day.The town of Esseberg is accessed by a tunnel which is closed at night effectively cutting off the town and it's residents. Added to this a serial killer is on the loose. Our main character Tuva herself is damaged. She is in mourning for her partner. She is deaf. She is more than a little self destructive. She will stop at nothing to get another good story for her newspaper to maintain her reputation. All things which add to the sense of menace and urgency in the book. And that ending! Wow! Definitely worth waiting for! I enjoyed the book enough to go back and read the previous five Tuva books as I really enjoy the authors talent for character and background description and narrative build up. Definitely a 5* recommendation from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the
publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been a fan of Will Dean’s for a while and read a few of his standalone novels. I wasn’t aware of the Tuva Moodyson series and although this is the sixth novel in the series, I felt it could be read as a standalone. Having said that, I would like to read the earlier novels in the series.

So what’s to like about this novel. Pretty much everything. The author has a way of conjuring a deliciously deep and dark atmosphere. From the first page you are transported to the cold landscape of a Swedish winter, as a deaf teenager goes missing in Esseberg. A search party has been launched but harsh conditions are hampering their efforts. When dead journalist Tuva reads the news alert, she knows she has to join in the search. If the teenager is found, she’ll be able to communicate with him. Esseberg has only one way in and one way out via a tunnel. But when the tunnel closes for the evening, the town is left to fend for itself and as more people go missing, it’s clear the killer is amongst them. This book had me hooked from the start. I really liked Tuva’s character and felt I was living and breathing the whole story with her. This plot unfolds at pace and keeps you guessing throughout. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

The first book I've read in this series and arriving late to the Tuva Moodyson novels I found it an easy pick up, so it can definitely be read as a standalone.

A news report about a missing teenager captures deaf news reporter Tuva Moodyson's attention and its not long before she's heading north to the remote mountain town of Esseberg known locally as Ice Town.

Superb scene setting really brought the town and its residents to life. Accessed via a single lane tunnel through the mountain with traffic restrictions, once the daylight disappears the barriers come down and the town is closed off from the rest of the world.

This book is all about atmosphere and the author provides it in bucketloads. What starts as a missing teenager quickly progresses to a way more newsworthy situation and reporter Tuva finds herself caught up in a dramatic and dangerous murder mystery.

I loved the characters, I loved the tension and I loved the chills, can't wait to go back and start at the beginning.

Book 6 in the Tuva Moodyson Mystery Series and this time journalist Tuva leaves her home in Gavrik, Sweden to travel to Esseberg to help with the search and report on a missing deaf teenager. Just in case this is your first Tuva read Tuva is herself deaf so she feels some empathy for the missing teen. This reads well as a stand-alone but why would you! It’s such a good series. Well written with a great plot that kept me guessing until the end.

Briefly, Esseberg is accessed via a tunnel which is closed at night leaving the locals cut off. There is only one hotel accessible only by chair lift and a B&B (no breakfast) with just two rooms one of which Tuva moves into. When a body is found everyone expects it to be the teenager but it isn’t. Then over the next few days more people go missing and more bodies are found - the teenager is now a suspect!

The way the town is closed off makes this claustrophobic and creepy. There is nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Tuva is one of my favourite fictional characters and she is struggling after loosing her partner, but despite her emotional state she is going to do her job and she is about to get a shocking revelation that knocks her for six. A compelling, exciting and tense read. Loved it.

I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series which I think had me at a bit of a disadvantage. There were references to people and events in the past that I knew nothing about and would probably have enhanced my reading of the book. Luckily, it had no bearing on the main storyline which I did enjoy but found that it went on just a bit too long. I also found the ending unsatisfactory in terms of why the person did it. Overall, a decent read in a creepy environment.

This is my first read of Will Dean, although Ice Town is book six in the series, it can also be read as a standalone thriller. I loved the main character of Tuva – she’s determined. The setting of the village of Esseberg was so atmospheric with the below freezing temperatures. The author made me suspect every character . Overall it's a good thriller. I thank netgalley and hodderbooks for the eArc copy.

This one was not for me unfortunately. I never really got ‘into it’ which is a shame as I’d heard good things about a couple of Will’s books, in particular The Chamber and the Last thing to burn.

Tuva Moodyson returns in this great thriller by Will Dean. Tuva takes up the story of a missing deaf teenager in a northerly town only accessible via a tunnel through the mountain. Dean creates a super sense of encroachment and compression with the story as the town reacts to the discovery of dead bodies and the search for the killer. In a town where you think you know everyone how can this happen? This continues to develop into a great series.

3.5 🌟


Things have obviously been too quiet in Gavrik for the last few years, and Tuva must be looking for excitement.
I can think of no other good reason she's rushing off to a place where there's only one single way in and out. I'm already in slight panic mode just thinking about it... even before any bodies showed up.
As usual Tuva sticks herself in the middle of everything, and at one point I believed anyone could be the murderer.
Thankfully my own detective skills managed to narrow it down before the speedy reveal.
I enjoy the murder mystery aspect of these stories but also the human connection, the friendships central to Tuvas life, and I don't mind admitting the ending got me.

On a lighter note, we may need to have words about the appalling diet going on if it continues though

Last night I've finished the new addition to Tuva Moodyson series by Will Dean called "Ice Town". I was approved to get the eArc by Netgalley which I'm extremely grateful for. Back to the book.
First of all - despite being next part in the series this book can be read as a standalone. Our main character Tuva is a deaf journalist, who after hearing about a deaf teenager going missing, decided to drive for hours to follow the story and give it a justice. She ends up in a small town accessible by the tunnel that gets closed at night. The village has a diverse characters and each and every one of them can be a villain in the story. Action develops quite quickly and as usual, good few red herrings are to be found to confuse us, mere readers.
I love Will Dean's books but it's so hard to give them a justice, without spoiling it by describing the plot. Let me tell you one thing. It is good. Chillingly good ❄️🌨️ and with amazing description of the scenery, that makes you feel like you've been there before. Be aware as once you start it - you might end up reading until 4am 😂 The extra surprise at the end makes you thrive for more immediately and it makes it even more exciting.
To sum it up - Chilling, clever with the twist you won't see coming.
5 of 5

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.
I requested this book on the basis of having read ‘The Last Thing to Burn’. I didn’t realise Ice Town was the 6th in a series, with a lot of passing references to Tuva’s past. A bit distracting, but the novel still worked okay as a first-time read.
Told in the first-person present tense.
Tuva, a talented, deaf reporter, is drawn to a small, isolated Swedish town in the depths of winter, to investigate the disappearance of a young deaf man. Then someone else goes missing….
The story is a bit of a slow burn, with a lot of descriptive and introspective musing on Tuva’s part, interspersed with bursts of action, some centred on Tuva’s herself. The slow/fast repetition for me gave a gradual increase of tension and anticipation that I really liked.
The descriptions of the town and surroundings are very atmospheric and I could get a sense of what it was like to live in an isolated, tiny community in the darkest part of winter near or within the Arctic Circle. Living in Scotland, I’m used to very short December days, but this was Next Level!
The characters, for me, were more understated, not as well fleshed-out as the settings; I find this can be a feature of stories told from a single POV.
Like an Agatha Christie, clues and red herrings are sprinkled throughout the story, and as usual I missed most of them!
The climax of the story didn’t quite ring true for me, though that didn’t stop it being tense and scary.
There were also a few events that remained unaccounted for; but they may be part of the groundwork for the next book.
Overall a very satisfying read, from a very good author.

Will Dean’s Ice Town offers a unique twist on his signature style, diverging from the gripping narratives that fans might expect from his previous works. While it didn’t quite reach the heights of his earlier novels, it still provides an engaging read filled with atmospheric tension and compelling characters.

Set against the backdrop of a snow-blanketed landscape, the story unfolds with enough context to keep newcomers engaged, even though it is part of a series. Dean skillfully weaves in backstory, ensuring that readers are not left in the dark, which allows the plot to flow smoothly despite any prior gaps in knowledge.

The narrative pacing felt different from Dean’s usual thrilling tempo. While some may find this a refreshing change, others might miss the heart-pounding suspense that characterizes his previous books. Nonetheless, Ice Town captivates with its richly developed setting and layered character dynamics, providing an immersive experience that showcases Dean’s talent for creating mood.

In conclusion, while Ice Town may not have met all expectations set by Dean’s earlier novels, it still stands as an intriguing installment that highlights his versatility as a writer. Fans and newcomers alike may find enjoyment in this frosty tale, even if it takes a slightly different route than expected.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC

As much as I enjoy Will Dean's tense and gripping standalone thrillers, I feel it is in the Sweden-based Tuva Moodyson series that he excels. The Swedish scenery is excellent for building a dramatic mood, especially in the depths of winter, Tuva's deafness adds to the feeling of fear, and the plotting is always spot-on. When a young deaf man goes missing in a remote town, Tuva feels compelled to go and investigate. As the body count rises, she works with the police to seek a breakthrough. Tremendous!

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

The Chamber was my first introduction to this author, which has a good but slightly 'stodgy' plot, and I found the characters difficult to engage with. I felt much the same about this. Disappointingly, it's in present-tense narrative, something I dislike intensely, and it hampered the story's field of vision. Esseberg or Ice Town as it's known, is reachable only by one tunnel…and that's what present-tense narrative is: a claustrophobic blind alley of tunnel darkness.

The ending is a tad overdramatic and lacks credibility. Whilst this is #6 in the Tuva Moodyson series, it's pretty much stand-alone, and I didn't feel stranded by back-story gaps, but I found it difficult to feel very much for Tuva, a deaf and, by all accounts, successful, journalist…she came over as a bit wooden.

Despite all that and some bad grammatical errors, I didn't find it totally unenjoyable. I can't subscribe to the 'unputdownable' it claims to be, but I did find myself compelled to get to the conclusion.

Will Dean is fast becoming one of my favourite authors – I really enjoyed The Last Thing to Burn and The Chamber, although I haven’t read any of the other books in the Tuva Moodyson series.

When deaf journalist Tuva Moodyson learns that a deaf teenager has gone missing in the town of Esseberg – a remote village which can only be accessed via tunnel, she feels compelled to go and investigate. However, when citizens start turning up dead, it seems there may be more to this case than meets the eye.

Although Ice Town is book six in the series, it does work really well as a standalone thriller, although there’s lots of shocking developments of the overall arc to satisfy fans of the series. The end few pages made very little sense to me, not knowing the full story, but I’m sure will be very shocking to those in the know. This didn’t stop my enjoyment of it though, and if anything, made me want to pick up the others in the series as well.

I loved the main character of Tuva – she’s flawed but determined, and the fact that she is deaf added some real vulnerability to certain situations. The setting of the village of Esseberg was so atmospheric, with the below freezing temperatures really adding to the stakes of the book and the fact that the tunnel was the only way in or out turned it into a locked room thriller at times. The chapters when a character is stuck on a snow lift or trying to ski down the mountain at night were truly scary (particularly for someone like me who tried skiing for the first time this year with disastrous results!). I also really enjoyed the final showdown at the end – you got even more of an insight into Tuva’s character, but I was constantly changing my mind about who the perpetrator could be!

Overall, Ice Town is an atmospheric thriller in a great setting and with brilliant characters. Although it’s part of a series, it makes for a great standalone and a perfect introduction to Tuva Moodyson. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Will Dean has written another absolute blinder in the Tuva Moodyson thrillers. Tuva is back again and embarks on a trip to report on the disappearance of a deaf boy. The descriptions of how Tuva deals with her own deafness absolutely resonate with me being deaf myself. However Tuva’s disability does not let it stop her. She throws herself into the investigation, which being in a different town to her own throws up its own issues.

Tuva meets some very interesting characters and some fairly unpleasant ones as well.

If you’ve not read any of his books in this series, I would highly recommend.

An interesting murder mystery. A partially deaf reporter investigate the events in a small town above the artic circle only accessible by a tunnel through the mountains. It is winter with little or no daylight. Several atmospheric and tense chapters where you can really feel the extreme cold and isolation. The tension and palpable fear racks up.

Tis the year's midnight, and it is the day's,
Lucy's, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks;
The sun is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;
The world's whole sap is sunk...

- John Donne

Two years on from the shocking events that rounded off Book 4 in this series, Bad Apples, Tuva is keeping on keeping on. She fell back into binge drinking, but has come through that with the support a good friend - though she is still not looking after herself very well as we see with her diet. Life in Toytown is though quiet, and perhaps Tuva needs the atmosphere of a major evolving story - so she seizes the chance to drive 20 hours north to cover the search for a missing Deaf teenager in a VERY remote town.

Esseberg is something else, even among the strange locations that Dean has given us so far in this series. Entirely surrounded by mountains, it's accessible only through a single-lane tunnel that is shared between road and rail. One must wait for a time slot to drive through and, once inside, there is no escape when the tunnel shuts down for the night.

This place is then even more isolated, inward looking and suspicious than Gavrik - and Tuva has no standing here, no relationship with the police, and no base to operate from (she's staying at a B&B that doesn't serve breakfast, and that is also the town's tanning salon, popular in the Winter months).

As Tuva goes about her work, against a background of severe cold and short days, trying to establish what has happened to Peter even as bodies begin to turn up, Dean exploits a real vein of the gothic in portraying how this remote community reacts to the tragedy unfolding. Several times Tuva is put in danger - visits to the creepy hotel accessible only by chairlift are especially skin crawling. St Lucy's Day, the shortest day (and the subject of Donne's poem which I've quoted above, because that last line, The world's whole sap is sunk, just seems to me to sum up the atmosphere here) is approaching but the mood is hardly celebratory as the villagers begin to go out only in pairs and the local biker gang patrol the streets as vigilantes.

As ever, it is great to meet Tuva again. This stubborn, lonely and, often, suffering, woman has been through a lot but she still reaches out to help others, whether it's the missing Deaf young man or her neighbour's kid (and at the moving climax of this book we hear of another). Strictly she's our of her own domain and has no business here but she sets about unpicking the threads of life in a small town, allowing us encounters with many interesting characters - whether it's the ex-con ski lift manager, the self-absorbed true crime podcaster, or creepy Eric at the hotel. As ever Tuva has to balance the need to push these people for info, to go further than the police can, with her position as a stranger, an outsider in Ice Town.

The writing here is good - one senses a warmth from Dean for his protagonist - and we learn more about her complicated early life, but while unexpected the details don't come as just dropped in, it all makes sense in the context of the character. Billed as a standalone episode in the series, presumably because it's set "away", this book nevertheless feels fully integrated with what's going before and sets up plotlines and hints for the future.

It's great to this series powering forward so strongly and I am eager to hear more about Tuva Moodyson.

I loved the atmospheric landscape and claustrophobic isolation of the Nordic town Esseberg (or IceTown) accessible only by a single track tunnel that closes at night. This was my introduction to Tuva Moodyson, the deaf journalist who sidelines in being a brilliant detective. Cleverly plotted and engaging and even though this was book 6 of the Tuva series I lapped it up and will be returning to fill in the missing gaps from earlier books. That said this one does still read well as a stand-alone.