Red Snow

Having loved Dark Pines by Will Dean, I was overjoyed to return to the isolated, intensely claustrophobic small town of Gavrik in Sweden. After the Medusa Murders investigation and the death of her mother, 26 year old bisexual and deaf since childhood reporter, Tuva Moodyson, has acquired the much desired ticket out of Gavrik, a journalist position in the bigger town of Malmo. However, plagued by guilt over her mother, the end days working at the Gavrik Posten and living in the town is a more bittersweet experience than Tuva expects as she finds herself on the scene of the apparent suicide of Gustav Grimberg as he jumps off the chimney of his factory. He is the chief of the liquorice company that Gavrik depends on, and which employs so many of its residents. The unjustly maligned pariah, the strange, hairy ghostwriter David Holmqvist with his decidedly odd culinary tastes, is writing a history of Grimbergs Liquorice and its family members that the company is depending on raising much needed revenue.

Holmqvist is experiencing difficulties getting close to the remaining women in the family, intent on and adept at maintaining their privacy. Tuva, being financially strapped, persuades him to hire her to address this issue as she has the emotional skills to get closer to Anna-Britta, the widow, the goth daughter Karin and the grandmother in the attic, Cecilia aka Cici. As Tuva finds herself on the gruesome scene of a murder at the factory, with the victim's eyes covered by black liquorice coins, referred to as the Ferryman killing, she wonders if there is a connection with the suicide. The Grimbergs have had more than their share of tragedies, additionally burdened by their responsibilities to the town, continuing obsolete and uneconomic working practices in their efforts to meet their duties to the many they employ. In the desperately cold, freezing, snowy, dark and deadly February, a challenge to be endured, it is barely surprising that so many of the locals turn to alcohol. Matters are exacerbated as danger, fear and menace begin to stalk the town, with the Ferryman at large, his sights set firmly on Tuva. Will she survive?

Will Dean excels in creating a strong sense of chilling menacing atmosphere and evoking the location so superbly, the gloom, the culture, such as the local traditions of making snow skulls, his rich descriptions ensure that you are immersed in this place with its wide cast of weird and odd characters. The author's abilities in compelling and gripping characterisation ensure that the reader's attention is held with ease. The bizarre Grimberg family, living in splendid isolation have unusual protection practices, and prove to be a remarkable mix of the vulnerable, offbeat and the courageous. Tuva feels the loss of those she has become so close to Gavrick, Lena, Tammy, not to mention her new love interest, as life moves on for her. I eagerly await the next in the series as she embarks on a new life in Malmo. This is a fantastically appealing series with a wonderful addition that I recommend highly to crime fiction fans. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.

My thanks to Net Galley, OneWorld Publications and Will Dean for giving me the opportunity to read RED SNOW..
I absolutely hate being cold, so heaven forbid I ever end up in Gavrik, a place where the normal temperature is below...everything. I haven't read Dark Pines yet, (on my TBR list) but it didn't detract from this story which could be read as a standalone. I love Tuva, the main character. She's feisty, braver than me, and willing to stick her nose into things to get to the truth. After witnessing the apparent suicide of the owner of the local liquorice factory, (who knew?), Tuva begins to investigate his death when the local police force ask her questions about what she saw and whether there was anyone with him when he jumped off the tower. This sparks something in Tuva, who as a reporter for the local rag, the Posten can't let it go until she gets to the bottom of the story. And the story is a big one. Red Snow is the perfect name as other bodies are found, the murders seemingly linked to the first. There are some references to the previous case, (the Medusa murders), from the previous book, but I'm pretty sure reading it after Red Snow won't spoil my enjoyment. I hope Will Dean writes another novel about Tuva. I'm curious about her new job in Malmo and whether it will take her back to the characters I really liked. I hope so. A really good read in an unusual setting with brilliant characters, but get a blanket and something warm to drink. You'll need it.

As soon as I opened this book I was immediately plunged into sub-zero temperatures and I got the feeling that this was going to be a chilling read in more than just one way! It is Tuva Moodyson's last week in the town of Gavrik and she is preparing to escape from the claustrophobia of the small town to the bright lights and bustle of the city. But when the local liquorice factory owned by the Grimberg family becomes the focus of something very dark, it soon becomes clear that Tuva's escape may not be as clear-cut as she once thought. Will Tuva be able to escape the town or is there someone there who is targeting her too? The plot is dark and compelling as Tuva begins to uncover a series of quite unfortunate coincidences. Something bad is happening in this small town
I mentioned at the start of my post that I hadn't read Dark Pines, so did this spoil the second in the series for me? Not at all. While there is no doubt that having a knowledge of the case before and the characters would have added a little extra to my reading experience, the plot was such that it could be read as a standalone with enough back information to ensure I was involved in the book
This is one of those books where the town is as much of a character as the people are. There is a very real sense of isolation both in terms of its location, cut off from the rest of the world, but also in relation to the individuals who live and work there. It is almost like a little micro-culture of its own with characters so entrenched in their own way of living, it would feel very much like stumbling into another world should you arrive there by accident. The scenes in the forest were terrifying; I could actually feel myself there in the darkness.
There was something so darkly straightforward about the characters. There was a refreshing honesty about them, a real directness in their approach. Relationship dynamics were fascinating to read and it helped me form a very clear picture inside my head. Tuva made me "hmmm" at times. I can’t quite make up my mind if I like her or not but one thing is for sure she has engaged me and drawn me into her life.
The deeply intense and atmospheric prose paint a picture so crystal clear that it is easy to get lost within the pages and find yourself in the middle of Gavrik, wandering the streets with the town's residents. It provides a sense of place so realistic that you will be piling on the layers to keep yourself warm just to read it! Will Deans certainly brings the pages alive for the reader. Perhaps the most disturbing sense of realism for me came from food! Now not much makes me shudder and in Red Snow, it wasn't the gory deaths or scary stuff oh no, it was the vivid description of the meal prepared for Tuva by David Holmqvist that had my stomach doing somersaults! Seriously, Will Dean, I'm gagging at it still!
The dark beauty of the narrative will immerse you in the plot and indeed in the location, with a sense of claustrophobia as winter takes a grip of this small town and your senses.
Outstanding read!
This will be on my blog as part of the Blog tour

I absolutely loved Dark Pines, starring the wonderful Tuva Moodyson, when I read it about the same time last year and I would definitely recommend reading that series opener before starting this book.
In Tuva we have one if the best characters I have read in a long while. She is a reporter for her local paper and is also deaf which, as well as all the troubles that would cause the average person, she also has to contend with the atmospheric challenges that come from living in a very cold, snowy place. But she's a gutsy girl and takes everything in her stride, moreso in this book than the first as you will find out as you read on...
After her report of what happened in book one starts to gain interest, Tuva has managed to catapult herself into a new job. She only has a couple of weeks to go in her adopted small town home of Gavrik and is nearly finished getting sorted for the big move south. But things conspire against her when she witnesses a suicide when the owner of the liquorice factory, Gustav Grimberg, jumps from his own chimney. Tuva takes full advantage of her attendance and starts to ask questions of people. And then another person dies, this time in suspicious circumstances, with Tuva front and centre once again. As she continues her investigation, she discovers that her old adversary David Holmqvist is writing a book about the Grimberg family, well actually dynasty and, to cut a long story short, Tuva joins up with him with the task of talking to the widow and daughter, both assisting with David's book and her article on the murder.
Along with great characters and a brilliant plot, this series delivery one of the best settings in the small Swedish town of Gavrik. It's not the most hospitable of places to visit, let alone live, as the air is dry and cold, they get snowed in, and just popping outside, for even a few moments, is a military manoeuvre. All brilliantly described in context with what is going on along the way. The setting, almost a character in its own right, adds a dark, claustrophobic feel to what is going on for the characters.
Tuva is just as I remembered her, with her amazing and often very funny observations on not just life but what is going on with her reporting. Some of her descriptions had me in stitches!
As well as Tuva, we also hear more from the familiar faces we met in the first book. Tuva's colleagues, the police, and various other characters inhabiting the town. There are also a few new characters to meet and all of these are just as well defined as the rest of the cast.
And the plot, well, what a tangled web that turned out to be! I definitely had to have my wits about me whilst reading the book as I tried to cut through all the noise, secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour that the author delivered. And when all was revealed. Oh My! Well done once again Mr Dean.
All in all, a cracking follow up to Dark Pines. With Tuva moving to Malmo soon, I am a bit worried I will miss the old faces, but at the same time, excited to see what happens next for our intrepid reporter. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My Review: As mentioned above I absolutely LOVED Dark Pines and decided to keep Red Snow until the week before the #blogtour so it’s fresh in my mind. I started reading this book on a Friday and had the entire weekend to savour and devour the book, but for some reason it was taking me ages to read it and I didn’t understand why. The storyline was gripping, the characters fascinating, the writing was beautiful and brilliant but what would normally take me 5-6 hours took me almost 10-12 hours to read and then I worked out WHY?

The book was too bloody atmospheric, set in the snowy, freezing cold town of Gavrik, every time I tried to read the book I went to bed and switched on my heated blankets and 20 mins later fell asleep – like clockwork. The book was so descriptive and authentic I could literally feel the icy wind, see the snow falling and landing on the floor and for some odd reason I needed to be warm and snuggled up in my bed to face The Ferryman and read about The Grimberg Liquorice Factory.

There were several absolutely BRILLIANT sections of writing in the book, that I wish I had the foresight to highlight so I can share them with you, but alas I was too engrossed in the story (and my afternoon naps) to do that. The tongue/penis meal made me laugh; the relationship between Tuva and Tams is wonderful, the strength and dedication behind the Grimberg ladies is incredible.

If you enjoyed Dark Pines you will LOVE Red Snow. If you haven’t read Dark Pines – then do yourself a huge favour and read it now.