Series: Tuva Moodyson Mystery #2
Published by Oneworld Publications on January 10 2019
Genres: Mystery, Crime
Pages: 400
Goodreads
Also by this author: The Last Thing to Burn, First Born
TWO BODIES
One suicide. One cold-blooded murder. Are they connected? And who’s really pulling the strings in the small Swedish town of Gavrik?
TWO COINS
Black Grimberg liquorice coins cover the murdered man's eyes. The hashtag #Ferryman starts to trend as local people stock up on ammunition.
TWO WEEKS
Tuva Moodyson, deaf reporter at the local paper, has a fortnight to investigate the deaths before she starts her new job in the south. A blizzard moves in. Residents, already terrified, feel increasingly cut-off. Tuva must go deep inside the Grimberg factory to stop the killer before she leaves town for good. But who’s to say the Ferryman will let her go?
Make sure you check out the amazing Jo and her review over at My Chestnut Reading tree today who I get to share the day with!
✮ My Review ✮
It is my first outing with Tuva properly, I tried to squeeze Dark Pines in but only got 10% in before I had to get cracking on Red Snow. Now I will admit, I have not completely finished the book due to my poor scheduling skills and some personal things going on, but I am near the end and for that, I am sorry both to Anne and Will. So whilst I am in the dark about the ending I can still comment on the book.
I related a lot to Tuva, she did make me smile with her slight obsession with the new cop! She always seems to have trouble following her, but despite the #ferryman out there she still followed the scent for the story and stayed true to herself. There is a part of the book that resonated with me, a loss of a loved one, and she spent a lot of her time reevaluating what she would have done differently and said. To me this rung true, losing my dad I always sit back in my quiet moments and think about what I wish I had said to him and what I would say now. To me, this fleshed Tuva out and made her most realistic! Plus her love for Ronnies bar! I must admit I did crush on her a bit, she was such an interesting character to be able to be privy to.
Red Snow also reminded me of two things, one being the TV show Fortitude. Ok maybe extreme, where Gavrik isn’t completely isolated and there is no psycho parasite breeding but you get my drift. All there is snow, the nothingness, the feeling of isolation. The panic of being stranded in a car not knowing if what you might do and if in fact, you would survive. Not sure I could live that much on the edge. The other thing that it reminded me of is when I go skiing, now if this was a place I could go and ski I would, I have been on a mountain sometimes and been the only person. Nothing but you the snow and the peace and it is something rather beautiful and idyllic but also something quite sinister and unsettling if something went wrong!
This is how I feel about Gavrik, the only thing keeping this town of nine thousand people going is the liquorice factory. When you have an apparent suicide, a clear homicide and a couple of what the hell coincidences you do question what is going on! Is Tuva safe? Or is she becoming embroiled into something she needs to step away from?
Plus the snow skalle were just damn right terrifying, and were they a warning to Tuva?
I was worried when you pick up a book that has so much hype about it whether it would live up to expectations but BOY IT DID. This book will not throw you around a hundred miles an hour, Mr Dean sets the scene for you. He instils into you just how cold the town is, just how isolating it can be, how each look out for their own. All to reinforce how shocking these deaths are and to shroud the town in more mystery. If you sit there quietly reading Red Snow you can imagine that you can hear the crunching of the snow, the spinning of the tyres on the roads. You can hear the sounds of the factory and smell the bitter caramel. All of this town building, the little details are needed in this book. It is needed to show Tuva is not a native here, and with the need for her hearing aids, just amplifies how silence can be brutal for people.
I will be finishing this book and devouring it at the weekend. The plot is has been woven so tightly I really can not guess who or what is behind everything, no inkling. I love this suspense and mystery, it has made the reading for me intensify and it will not be my last winter with Mr Dean and Tuva for sure. It has however made me want to get my skies on and get down a mountain and refresh myself with a hot chocolate before moving on to Ronnies for a few drinks before bed! Now to find me this bar!!
Check out some of the fab reviews so far in the bloggersphere
Books of all kind says
Dark, twisted, atmospheric, and compelling, RED SNOW by Will Dean is the perfect page-turner for thriller and domestic noir fans alike. The characters are truly unique, some strange and disillusioned, some blunt and more likeable, and the setting is a character in its own right that comes alive in the harsh conditions and makes you look over your shoulder around every turn. There are plenty of twists and turns, secrets that come to the surface, and feelings of uncertainty and doubt, and all of this combines to make this story completely unputdownable.
It’s witty, eccentric and down-to-earth, and I thoroughly enjoyed the sarcastic quips. Instead of presenting the surroundings as the romanticised version most people have of Sweden or Scandinavian countries in general, the author presents a more realistic image of the living conditions and the population.
Hair Past A Freckle says
I thought Dark Pines was a gripping debut but in Red Snow, Will Dean has really honed his writing skills to produce a sequel which I think is even better than its predecessor. This is a beautifully crafted and engrossing novel which drew me in from the very first page and kept me riveted until the startling and intense finale. I’m fascinated to see what new challenges await Tuva as she embarks on the next chapter of her life – although I’ve just realised I now have a while before I can read the next book. I have no doubt at all that it will be well worth the wait!
The setting for this book couldn’t be more perfect, a small town, completely snowed in, and temperatures so far past freezing I can’t even imagine. All these factors combined made for a very chilling atmosphere as Tuva attempts to investigate and report on the suicide and murder. The sense of isolation and the way the people in this town must have to live and adapt their lives is brilliantly portrayed by the author. I actually found myself wondering how I would cope if I ever lived in a place like Gavrik.
Novel Deelights says
Nothing is quite what it seems in Red Snow. With intriguing and complex characters and a deliciously intricate plot, this novel had me staying up way too late in a desperate attempt to finish it. But I just had to know what was going on. I didn’t count on Will Dean’s devious mind though, which meant that the final pages came at me like a knockout punch to the gut that left me winded but also caused so much adrenaline to course right through me, I felt like I could have gone out and run a marathon!
Rae Reads says
Red Snow had the ability to hook me and completely capture my attention and whenever I had to put this book down it was playing on my mind until I could pick it back up again! Everything in this book worked so well from the mystery and the setting to the tension that simmered and then burst through catching me unaware. Dark Pines was one of my book picks of 2018 and I can guarantee that Red Snow is firmly on my list for 2019!
So I know the final pages are going to be a treat! I can not wait!!
Until next time xxx
Thank you so much to Anne at Random Things Tours for the tour invite and the author and publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest and unbiased review
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
annecater says
Thanks so much for supporting the Blog Tour Zoe x
Zoe says
You are always so welcome! x
jenchaos76 says
I would definitely like this.
Zoe says
I have never read any Sweden noir before so for my first outing I am loving it! I do need to read the first one though lol