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Tuva Moodyson Mystery #3
Black River
Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.
FEAR
Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.
SECRETS
Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?
LIES
Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?
FEAR
Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.
SECRETS
Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?
LIES
Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 12, 2020
About the author
Will Dean
15 books1,321 followersWill Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. He is the author of Dark Pines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
January 19, 2020
Will Dean returns us to the creep-fest that is the remote Swedish town of Gavrik with his intriguing protagonist, the deaf reporter Tuva Moodyson, this time she races against time to find her missing best friend, Tammy Yamnim, practically a sister to her. It begins with Tuva working in Malmo on the Sundhumn Enquirer, doing all that she can to impress her new editor, Anders. She has been living a clean life, no drink, but what with refusing all social invitations, she is lonely, filling her time with her demon gaming. So when Lena contacts her to inform her of Tammy's disappearance, Tuva drops everything immediately to drive to Gavrik, knowing that no-one will be as committed as her in finding Tammy. Tammy's food van has drops of blood that terrify Tuva, who has taken her and why? The police are reluctant to look for her just yet, despite the concerns of Lena and Tuva.
Lena offers Tuva the friggebod guest hut with its compost toilet to stay in, and the two of them organise flyers for distribution, whilst utilising social media and the press. However, not everyone is happy, they have no desire to put off potential tourists at the height of midsommar with stories of missing women, and besides to many, despite Tammy being Swedish, her Thai background makes her a suspect foreigner. However, everything changes when another local woman, Lisa, a minor celebrity, galvanises townsfolk to join search parties with hunt dogs in the menacing and dangerous Utgard forest with its torrents of mosquitos, snakes and other dangers. Flyers on Lisa now virtually eclipse those on Tammy, and nothing underlines the difference in the way the two missing women are valued when a huge reward is offered for Lisa. Tuva relentlessly looks for Tammy, certain the weird, sinister strange folk by the Snake river, such as the snakewoman Sally, ebay trader Karl-Otto and the odd cousins, Alexandra and Axel have answers. Will she be able to find Tammy before it is too late?
Dean excels when it comes to portraying the horrors of the forest, akin to the darkest of fairytales where the worst nightmares hang heavy in the air. The storytelling practically drips with atmosphere, Dean gives us a town populated with a host of suspicious and freakish characters, not to mention the scary animals, reptiles and insects, that fit right in with the terrors, fears, evil and monsters of myths, folklore and fairytales. This is a disturbing and unsettling read, particularly given the ending when it becomes clear what happened to Tammy and the dangers faced by Tuva. I found this a compulsive and intense read, I love the character of Tuva and her female friendships that take precedence in the novel with Lena, Tammy and Constable Noora. I am curious as to where Dean will go next as it looks as if Tuva will return to the area where those who care for her live, something she would not have envisaged previously. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
Lena offers Tuva the friggebod guest hut with its compost toilet to stay in, and the two of them organise flyers for distribution, whilst utilising social media and the press. However, not everyone is happy, they have no desire to put off potential tourists at the height of midsommar with stories of missing women, and besides to many, despite Tammy being Swedish, her Thai background makes her a suspect foreigner. However, everything changes when another local woman, Lisa, a minor celebrity, galvanises townsfolk to join search parties with hunt dogs in the menacing and dangerous Utgard forest with its torrents of mosquitos, snakes and other dangers. Flyers on Lisa now virtually eclipse those on Tammy, and nothing underlines the difference in the way the two missing women are valued when a huge reward is offered for Lisa. Tuva relentlessly looks for Tammy, certain the weird, sinister strange folk by the Snake river, such as the snakewoman Sally, ebay trader Karl-Otto and the odd cousins, Alexandra and Axel have answers. Will she be able to find Tammy before it is too late?
Dean excels when it comes to portraying the horrors of the forest, akin to the darkest of fairytales where the worst nightmares hang heavy in the air. The storytelling practically drips with atmosphere, Dean gives us a town populated with a host of suspicious and freakish characters, not to mention the scary animals, reptiles and insects, that fit right in with the terrors, fears, evil and monsters of myths, folklore and fairytales. This is a disturbing and unsettling read, particularly given the ending when it becomes clear what happened to Tammy and the dangers faced by Tuva. I found this a compulsive and intense read, I love the character of Tuva and her female friendships that take precedence in the novel with Lena, Tammy and Constable Noora. I am curious as to where Dean will go next as it looks as if Tuva will return to the area where those who care for her live, something she would not have envisaged previously. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
March 20, 2020
4.5 stars.
This is a gripping, intense thriller set in a small, remote Swedish community of Gavrik which is surrounded by dense, dark forests. It is the third book in the series featuring the relentless, courageous deaf reporter, Tuva Moodyson. The atmosphere is eerie, intense and suspenseful.
The author draws us into the setting with his vivid description of the town where most inhabitants are related and everyone is acquainted with the other town folks. It is mid-summer and the light during the night is unsettling robbing people of sleep. The town is preparing for Midsummer celebrations. The dangerous forest with its biting and stinging insects, the snakes and large game animals was spine-tingling and so well described I could feel the dread and the bites.
In the past books Tuva was afraid of entering the forest. She disliked working in the small town, except for her friendship with three women. One was Tammy whom she regarded as a sister. She seemed glad to be leaving for the city of Malmo for a position as a reporter for a big-city newspaper. She was lonely there, was quitting a drinking habit, playing video games in her spare time.
After four months of working in the city, the news that her best friend, Tammy was missing sent the worried Tuva hurrying back to Gavrik. There were blood drops outside Tammy’s food van which heightened Tuva’s concern for her friend’s life, but the police did not seem to take the disappearance seriously. Tammy’s parents were Thai, and although she was born in Sweden was regarded as a foreigner by many. When another woman with minor celebrity status, Lisa, also vanishes, her wealthy parents push the police to get on the case immediately. The townspeople organize search parties with hunting dogs to search in the creepy forest. There is a huge reward for finding Lisa, a lesser one for Tammy. Tuva is appalled that someone is tearing down or defacing the missing posters of Tammy.
Tuva is relentless in her search, overcoming her dread of the woods and her great discomfort from the stinging and biting insects in her determination to find her friend.
Suspicion falls on a weird man working in a shoe store with a foot fetish. He dated Tammy for awhile. Tuva tries to avoid the taxi driver who made a pass at her when she worked in Gavrik. Her search takes her past the home of the strange troll carving sisters, and the hoarder’s house, eccentric characters we met in previous books. She now enters an area previously unknown to her called Snake River and meets characters even weirder. There is Sally, the snake breeder and taxidermist, who makes ornaments out of dead snakes and fashionable accessories from their skin. There is Otto, an eBay trader, and two freakish cousins who convert and remodel containers. Nearby in the forest are two rough woodcutters. Tuva is convinced one of these quirky characters know something about the missing women.
She has put herself in great danger during her investigation. Will Tammy be found alive? Will Tuva be killed without learning what happened to her friend? The conclusion was shocking and completely unanticipated. This can be read as a stand-alone, but the two previous books are also exceptional, atmospheric books in the category of Scandinavian Noir and shouldn’t be missed.
This is a gripping, intense thriller set in a small, remote Swedish community of Gavrik which is surrounded by dense, dark forests. It is the third book in the series featuring the relentless, courageous deaf reporter, Tuva Moodyson. The atmosphere is eerie, intense and suspenseful.
The author draws us into the setting with his vivid description of the town where most inhabitants are related and everyone is acquainted with the other town folks. It is mid-summer and the light during the night is unsettling robbing people of sleep. The town is preparing for Midsummer celebrations. The dangerous forest with its biting and stinging insects, the snakes and large game animals was spine-tingling and so well described I could feel the dread and the bites.
In the past books Tuva was afraid of entering the forest. She disliked working in the small town, except for her friendship with three women. One was Tammy whom she regarded as a sister. She seemed glad to be leaving for the city of Malmo for a position as a reporter for a big-city newspaper. She was lonely there, was quitting a drinking habit, playing video games in her spare time.
After four months of working in the city, the news that her best friend, Tammy was missing sent the worried Tuva hurrying back to Gavrik. There were blood drops outside Tammy’s food van which heightened Tuva’s concern for her friend’s life, but the police did not seem to take the disappearance seriously. Tammy’s parents were Thai, and although she was born in Sweden was regarded as a foreigner by many. When another woman with minor celebrity status, Lisa, also vanishes, her wealthy parents push the police to get on the case immediately. The townspeople organize search parties with hunting dogs to search in the creepy forest. There is a huge reward for finding Lisa, a lesser one for Tammy. Tuva is appalled that someone is tearing down or defacing the missing posters of Tammy.
Tuva is relentless in her search, overcoming her dread of the woods and her great discomfort from the stinging and biting insects in her determination to find her friend.
Suspicion falls on a weird man working in a shoe store with a foot fetish. He dated Tammy for awhile. Tuva tries to avoid the taxi driver who made a pass at her when she worked in Gavrik. Her search takes her past the home of the strange troll carving sisters, and the hoarder’s house, eccentric characters we met in previous books. She now enters an area previously unknown to her called Snake River and meets characters even weirder. There is Sally, the snake breeder and taxidermist, who makes ornaments out of dead snakes and fashionable accessories from their skin. There is Otto, an eBay trader, and two freakish cousins who convert and remodel containers. Nearby in the forest are two rough woodcutters. Tuva is convinced one of these quirky characters know something about the missing women.
She has put herself in great danger during her investigation. Will Tammy be found alive? Will Tuva be killed without learning what happened to her friend? The conclusion was shocking and completely unanticipated. This can be read as a stand-alone, but the two previous books are also exceptional, atmospheric books in the category of Scandinavian Noir and shouldn’t be missed.
September 24, 2020
4.5 stars - Very good
Tuva is much more vulnerable and distraught here, and dispossessed as she's only back in town to search. As always, Dean's characters are fascinating, distinct and memorable, it's perhaps the best quality of the Tuva series. Pacing is quite good throughout most of the book, although some sections drag a bit.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Full size image here
Tuva desperately searches for her friend, suspecting several people to no avail, following leads and eventually stumbling upon something totally unexpected.
The climax is intense, and superb. A wonderful addition to the Tuva Moodyson series.
Tuva's new Toyota Hilux
Full size image here
Quotes and notes:
There’s a strawberry stall in the lay-by outside McDonald’s. Two girls who can’t be older than fifteen wearing cotton dresses and bored faces, two girls sitting on fold-up camp chairs behind a fold-up decorator’s table, two girls selling overpriced Swedish strawberries to Swedes who crave them and will pay almost anything to get them. Swedes buy Swedish. The table is red and the girls are dressed in white and the sky behind is a powder blue. The whole thing looks like the horizontal block-stripes of an artist; the kind some swear is a philistine and others laud as a genius.
-
I brush my teeth and feel about a hundred times better. Strange how toothpaste can lift your mood. I made an effort to brush Mum’s teeth right up until the end. Softly. Hardly any pressure at all. Her lips were dark by then and they were sore. Her gums were prone to bleeding. But the toothpaste perked her up a little each time. That’s mint for you. And it was one tiny thing I could do for her. Not medical, just a simple everyday human routine. One of my hands supporting the back of her head, the other brushing as gently as I could manage. Me and her. Mother and child.
-
I leave my bag by the door, blow out the candle and climb into bed. I have no pillow alarm so I sleep with my phone under my pillow and set the alarm for seven and make sure it’s on vibrate mode. I remove my aids. I have no desiccant but they’re dry. It’s June. Everything’s dry. Dark rooms are unsettling. Especially once I’ve removed my hearing aids. I don’t think of myself as a vulnerable person, but that only applies to daytime. The darkness is not my friend. I fear it.
-
A group of kids wait in an orderly Swedish queue to have bloodsucking ticks removed from behind their ears and their necks and their ankles by a short-haired woman wielding a pair of steel tweezers and a magnifying glass.
-
The area they’ve already felled is clear. There is no forest here. But that doesn’t make it easy to navigate without falling and breaking my pelvis. There are trunks everywhere. Trunks and dead branches stripped weeks ago from freshly cut pine and discarded like cut hair in a salon. The stacks of branches are a metre deep in places. Hidden traps. Imagine all the snakes down there. Vipers. Rats as big as furry newborn babies. Streamlined, rabid, with fur and sharp protruding teeth and tails as long as violin bows. Arachnid nests right under my boots. Spiders and centipedes, the Jurassic variety that could swallow your cocker spaniel in the depths of the night. I try not to stumble. I couldn’t imagine being stranded out here. Injured and helpless.
-
There are treetops in the distance. I can’t see the Norwegian spruce trees themselves but I can see their tops. They shake. A treetop moves and chainsaws scream. I hear the sound of living wood cracking, and then the treetop sways to one side and disappears. Like this whole place is a church on a Sunday morning. Everyone standing for a hymn and then, at the far end of the nave, during the most climactic part of the song, an elder faints from the heat. You don’t see him fall, just his head sway, and then he disappears from view.
-
The door swings open. ‘Shit,’ I say. ‘What is it?’ asks Sally. There’s a horizontal table with thick leather loops at each corner and a hole in the centre. There’s a stainless steel chair on the left with chains hung over the back of it. Integrated built-in phallus. A camera bolted to the wall on a pivoting arm. On the far wall is a rack of whips and riding crops all neat in a row like a gardener might store her rakes and hoes. ‘It’s…’ I pause. ‘Some kind of sex room. A dungeon.’ ‘A sex what?’ she says, snatching the binoculars from me. ‘Hey, now…’ I say. ‘Holy shitting mother of a godless age,’ says Sally. ‘What kind of perversions…’
Will Dean
Full size image here
.
Tuva is much more vulnerable and distraught here, and dispossessed as she's only back in town to search. As always, Dean's characters are fascinating, distinct and memorable, it's perhaps the best quality of the Tuva series. Pacing is quite good throughout most of the book, although some sections drag a bit.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Full size image here
Tuva desperately searches for her friend, suspecting several people to no avail, following leads and eventually stumbling upon something totally unexpected.
The climax is intense, and superb. A wonderful addition to the Tuva Moodyson series.
Tuva's new Toyota Hilux
Quotes and notes:
There’s a strawberry stall in the lay-by outside McDonald’s. Two girls who can’t be older than fifteen wearing cotton dresses and bored faces, two girls sitting on fold-up camp chairs behind a fold-up decorator’s table, two girls selling overpriced Swedish strawberries to Swedes who crave them and will pay almost anything to get them. Swedes buy Swedish. The table is red and the girls are dressed in white and the sky behind is a powder blue. The whole thing looks like the horizontal block-stripes of an artist; the kind some swear is a philistine and others laud as a genius.
-
I brush my teeth and feel about a hundred times better. Strange how toothpaste can lift your mood. I made an effort to brush Mum’s teeth right up until the end. Softly. Hardly any pressure at all. Her lips were dark by then and they were sore. Her gums were prone to bleeding. But the toothpaste perked her up a little each time. That’s mint for you. And it was one tiny thing I could do for her. Not medical, just a simple everyday human routine. One of my hands supporting the back of her head, the other brushing as gently as I could manage. Me and her. Mother and child.
-
I leave my bag by the door, blow out the candle and climb into bed. I have no pillow alarm so I sleep with my phone under my pillow and set the alarm for seven and make sure it’s on vibrate mode. I remove my aids. I have no desiccant but they’re dry. It’s June. Everything’s dry. Dark rooms are unsettling. Especially once I’ve removed my hearing aids. I don’t think of myself as a vulnerable person, but that only applies to daytime. The darkness is not my friend. I fear it.
-
A group of kids wait in an orderly Swedish queue to have bloodsucking ticks removed from behind their ears and their necks and their ankles by a short-haired woman wielding a pair of steel tweezers and a magnifying glass.
-
The area they’ve already felled is clear. There is no forest here. But that doesn’t make it easy to navigate without falling and breaking my pelvis. There are trunks everywhere. Trunks and dead branches stripped weeks ago from freshly cut pine and discarded like cut hair in a salon. The stacks of branches are a metre deep in places. Hidden traps. Imagine all the snakes down there. Vipers. Rats as big as furry newborn babies. Streamlined, rabid, with fur and sharp protruding teeth and tails as long as violin bows. Arachnid nests right under my boots. Spiders and centipedes, the Jurassic variety that could swallow your cocker spaniel in the depths of the night. I try not to stumble. I couldn’t imagine being stranded out here. Injured and helpless.
-
There are treetops in the distance. I can’t see the Norwegian spruce trees themselves but I can see their tops. They shake. A treetop moves and chainsaws scream. I hear the sound of living wood cracking, and then the treetop sways to one side and disappears. Like this whole place is a church on a Sunday morning. Everyone standing for a hymn and then, at the far end of the nave, during the most climactic part of the song, an elder faints from the heat. You don’t see him fall, just his head sway, and then he disappears from view.
-
The door swings open. ‘Shit,’ I say. ‘What is it?’ asks Sally. There’s a horizontal table with thick leather loops at each corner and a hole in the centre. There’s a stainless steel chair on the left with chains hung over the back of it. Integrated built-in phallus. A camera bolted to the wall on a pivoting arm. On the far wall is a rack of whips and riding crops all neat in a row like a gardener might store her rakes and hoes. ‘It’s…’ I pause. ‘Some kind of sex room. A dungeon.’ ‘A sex what?’ she says, snatching the binoculars from me. ‘Hey, now…’ I say. ‘Holy shitting mother of a godless age,’ says Sally. ‘What kind of perversions…’
Will Dean
Full size image here
.
January 17, 2022
Modern gothic would be the best description of this eerie, dark read for me.
Black River is the third book in the series but a much slower burn than the first two. Reporter Tuva Moodyson is a tenacious, fearless and persistent character who seems to be the only one who fears for her missing best friend, Tammy Yamnim.
Tension builds and builds alongside the fear and desperation of the stunning Swedish backdrop. Secrets and lies abound during the heights of Midsommar in Garvik. Tuva's search was so desperate it crept into my psyche, and suddenly I found myself fearing the dark pine forest, the weird and sinister residents of Snake River (and some old nemeses). The endless light and the shortest night of the year created some of the creepiest scenes I've read in a while!
Something different!
Black River is the third book in the series but a much slower burn than the first two. Reporter Tuva Moodyson is a tenacious, fearless and persistent character who seems to be the only one who fears for her missing best friend, Tammy Yamnim.
Tension builds and builds alongside the fear and desperation of the stunning Swedish backdrop. Secrets and lies abound during the heights of Midsommar in Garvik. Tuva's search was so desperate it crept into my psyche, and suddenly I found myself fearing the dark pine forest, the weird and sinister residents of Snake River (and some old nemeses). The endless light and the shortest night of the year created some of the creepiest scenes I've read in a while!
Something different!
November 22, 2020
Another fabulous instalment in the Tuva Moodyson series! This one brings me up to date, but I do hope the author plans to continue. In this story, the mystery is very personal to Tuva, which gave it a slightly different tone to the previous books, and I might have rated it higher but for a feeling of déjà vu about the climax.
It's almost Midsommar and Sweden is once again hot and insect-y, with too many hours of daylight. Tuva has been down south for a few sober months now, and is out on a job when she gets a frantic call from her old boss in Gavrik. Lena tells Tuva that her closest friend, Tammy, has gone missing and that she needs to get back to Gavrik ASAP. Without even returning to her apartment, Tuva hits the highway for the long drive back to her old hometown. When she arrives, she finds the local police are trying to keep things pretty low-key, as it's been less than a day since Tammy disappeared, but rumours are rife all over town, Tammy's food van is in disarray, and they've found something that could be droplets of blood. Naturally Tuva is beside herself and wants an urgent search to begin, but apart from a handful of her allies - mainly Lena and her former colleagues at the Gavrik Posten - there is a sense of inertia. That is, until another young woman, a daughter-of-Gavrik, also goes missing.
The author has really expanded his fictional Värmland universe in this book, showing us that forest-bound Mossen Village isn't the only place in the region where the weirdos live! The search for Tammy quickly focuses in on the Snake River settlement, on the other side of Utgard Forest, where we are introduced to an unnerving, skilled taxidermist/snake-breeder as well as a pair of cousins who may or may not be closer than society approves. Then there's baby-faced Freddy Bom, back in Gavrik town itself, with an almost unnatural interest in small, human feet... Will Dean draws these oddball characters so well, taking as much care with those that turn out to be little more than window dressing, as he does with those who become central to the plot.
Another thing I really enjoyed was learning about Midsommar in Sweden. It totally frustrates Tuva because the public holiday puts the brakes on the investigation, and also threatens her sobriety vow at times, but the scenes involving all the families heading out to the reservoir to eat, drink and merrily celebrate, were really vivid.
Once again I chose the audio version of this book to enjoy Maya Lindh's superb narration.
Highly recommended.
It's almost Midsommar and Sweden is once again hot and insect-y, with too many hours of daylight. Tuva has been down south for a few sober months now, and is out on a job when she gets a frantic call from her old boss in Gavrik. Lena tells Tuva that her closest friend, Tammy, has gone missing and that she needs to get back to Gavrik ASAP. Without even returning to her apartment, Tuva hits the highway for the long drive back to her old hometown. When she arrives, she finds the local police are trying to keep things pretty low-key, as it's been less than a day since Tammy disappeared, but rumours are rife all over town, Tammy's food van is in disarray, and they've found something that could be droplets of blood. Naturally Tuva is beside herself and wants an urgent search to begin, but apart from a handful of her allies - mainly Lena and her former colleagues at the Gavrik Posten - there is a sense of inertia. That is, until another young woman, a daughter-of-Gavrik, also goes missing.
The author has really expanded his fictional Värmland universe in this book, showing us that forest-bound Mossen Village isn't the only place in the region where the weirdos live! The search for Tammy quickly focuses in on the Snake River settlement, on the other side of Utgard Forest, where we are introduced to an unnerving, skilled taxidermist/snake-breeder as well as a pair of cousins who may or may not be closer than society approves. Then there's baby-faced Freddy Bom, back in Gavrik town itself, with an almost unnatural interest in small, human feet... Will Dean draws these oddball characters so well, taking as much care with those that turn out to be little more than window dressing, as he does with those who become central to the plot.
Another thing I really enjoyed was learning about Midsommar in Sweden. It totally frustrates Tuva because the public holiday puts the brakes on the investigation, and also threatens her sobriety vow at times, but the scenes involving all the families heading out to the reservoir to eat, drink and merrily celebrate, were really vivid.
Once again I chose the audio version of this book to enjoy Maya Lindh's superb narration.
Highly recommended.
August 1, 2024
“I was never one of these girls; my deafness was so isolating at that age. I stayed indoors much of the time. Out and about I always stayed close to Dad’s leg. When I was the same page as these weed-clad carefree girls, I was still trying to make sense of the world. Nothing much has changed.” P.212
Will Dean is a master of the Scandi Noir genre. For a non-native Scandinavian, growing up in the East Midlands, Dean now lives in rural Sweden in a clearing in the centre of a vast elk forest, and clearly he draws on this location and his life there to create a story and series that has every element of the genre that gets my juices going.
Tuva Moodyson is back in Gavrik after leaving (at the end of book 2) to pursue a new place and space. She is drawn back urgently at the news that her best friend, Tammy Yamnesen has disappeared. Tuva seems to have a sixth sense or perhaps it’s a pessimistic outlook that seems to convince her that this disappearance is no innocent thing.
Tuva is deaf and uses hearing aids to access sound. She became deaf at a young age and I love how Dean maintains consistency of this attribute and defining feature throughout. Deaf identity is critical and deafness is isolating as Tuva reiterates in a range of ways over and over. The opening paragraph lifted from the book resonated with me.
One of the things I love about Dean’s writing is the mosh mash of eclectic characters he creates. The first two books took us to the outskirts of the Utgard Forest and introduced us to some wild characters, who still feature in this book. However, in Black River we meet a cast of crazies who inhabit the tiny hamlet of Snake River (new name for the Black River area), a makeshift community who live in all manner of shipping containers. It’s kind of like Scandi hillbilly central and these eclectic individuals play front and centre roles in this slow burn, page turner.
Black River is set in the Midsommar week in Sweden where summer solstice is celebrated, revered, with all of Scandinavia in the great outdoors to honour the sun and revel in days of maximum light. Dean makes full use of this time of the year in creating an atmosphere of intrigue through every page.
Excellent book. Great third instalment. 4 midsommar stars.
Will Dean is a master of the Scandi Noir genre. For a non-native Scandinavian, growing up in the East Midlands, Dean now lives in rural Sweden in a clearing in the centre of a vast elk forest, and clearly he draws on this location and his life there to create a story and series that has every element of the genre that gets my juices going.
Tuva Moodyson is back in Gavrik after leaving (at the end of book 2) to pursue a new place and space. She is drawn back urgently at the news that her best friend, Tammy Yamnesen has disappeared. Tuva seems to have a sixth sense or perhaps it’s a pessimistic outlook that seems to convince her that this disappearance is no innocent thing.
Tuva is deaf and uses hearing aids to access sound. She became deaf at a young age and I love how Dean maintains consistency of this attribute and defining feature throughout. Deaf identity is critical and deafness is isolating as Tuva reiterates in a range of ways over and over. The opening paragraph lifted from the book resonated with me.
One of the things I love about Dean’s writing is the mosh mash of eclectic characters he creates. The first two books took us to the outskirts of the Utgard Forest and introduced us to some wild characters, who still feature in this book. However, in Black River we meet a cast of crazies who inhabit the tiny hamlet of Snake River (new name for the Black River area), a makeshift community who live in all manner of shipping containers. It’s kind of like Scandi hillbilly central and these eclectic individuals play front and centre roles in this slow burn, page turner.
Black River is set in the Midsommar week in Sweden where summer solstice is celebrated, revered, with all of Scandinavia in the great outdoors to honour the sun and revel in days of maximum light. Dean makes full use of this time of the year in creating an atmosphere of intrigue through every page.
Excellent book. Great third instalment. 4 midsommar stars.
July 31, 2023
In doubt between 3.5 stars or 4 stars..
Gosh I hate snakes, almost stopped reading because their are so many of them in this book. Yikes!
Not as strong as the previous parts. To say, my least favorite Tuvabook.
After finishing the second book, I kept thinking of the Tuva serie. I really wanted to know what would happen next in this small deserted Swedish Town. I could only get an copy of this book in my hands by ordering it online. My local library didn't have it yet, so I bought it. Being véry enthusiastic about it. While reading it, I really got put off by the many snake references. If there is one thing I do not like - it is snakes - not in real life, not in Photographs, and not in the books I read. Forced myself to read past it and dive in the plotline. It was okay, the middle of the book a bit weak. But I still enjoyed the vibe.
I do hope book 4 will woosh me away again though.
Gosh I hate snakes, almost stopped reading because their are so many of them in this book. Yikes!
Not as strong as the previous parts. To say, my least favorite Tuvabook.
After finishing the second book, I kept thinking of the Tuva serie. I really wanted to know what would happen next in this small deserted Swedish Town. I could only get an copy of this book in my hands by ordering it online. My local library didn't have it yet, so I bought it. Being véry enthusiastic about it. While reading it, I really got put off by the many snake references. If there is one thing I do not like - it is snakes - not in real life, not in Photographs, and not in the books I read. Forced myself to read past it and dive in the plotline. It was okay, the middle of the book a bit weak. But I still enjoyed the vibe.
I do hope book 4 will woosh me away again though.
October 11, 2021
This is the first book in this series and by this author I’ve read. English-born but now living in Sweden where his novels are set.
Reporter Tuva Moodyson returns to her hometown of Gavrik in northern Sweden when she hears her best friend Tammy Yamnim has disappeared. Soon after the search for Tammy begins, another young woman, Lisa Svennson goes missing. Much to Tuva’s chagrin, the search party seems far more focussed on finding blonde, blue-eyed Lisa than Tammy, whose parents came from Thailand. The search mainly centres around a area north of Gavrik consisting of Snake River and the enormous Utgard forest. An area teeming with venomous reptiles and dangerous microfauna. It also contains an encampment which is home to Sweden’s equivalent of hillbillies; a woman who breeds snakes and a pair of cohabiting “cousins” among them.
This was a story I was hoping to like more than I eventually did. It was easy to warm to the feisty, loyal Tuva – a woman with hearing difficulties and a past drinking problem. The cast of unusual creepy characters and ominous locations were also a plus. However, the story seemed to get bogged down midway and it was only towards the end that the plot began to develop.
Reporter Tuva Moodyson returns to her hometown of Gavrik in northern Sweden when she hears her best friend Tammy Yamnim has disappeared. Soon after the search for Tammy begins, another young woman, Lisa Svennson goes missing. Much to Tuva’s chagrin, the search party seems far more focussed on finding blonde, blue-eyed Lisa than Tammy, whose parents came from Thailand. The search mainly centres around a area north of Gavrik consisting of Snake River and the enormous Utgard forest. An area teeming with venomous reptiles and dangerous microfauna. It also contains an encampment which is home to Sweden’s equivalent of hillbillies; a woman who breeds snakes and a pair of cohabiting “cousins” among them.
This was a story I was hoping to like more than I eventually did. It was easy to warm to the feisty, loyal Tuva – a woman with hearing difficulties and a past drinking problem. The cast of unusual creepy characters and ominous locations were also a plus. However, the story seemed to get bogged down midway and it was only towards the end that the plot began to develop.
October 2, 2021
After really enjoying the first 2 in this series by Will Dean, I was disappointed to find that this 3rd instalment became a CNF :(
Nothing seemed to happen except the blatantly obvious, and the story telling was repetitive.
I struggled on to 40%, believing it would get better, sadly it didn’t.
I’ve got the 4th instalment on my kindle ready to read but in all honesty, the Tuva Moodyson series has come to an end for me.
Nothing seemed to happen except the blatantly obvious, and the story telling was repetitive.
I struggled on to 40%, believing it would get better, sadly it didn’t.
I’ve got the 4th instalment on my kindle ready to read but in all honesty, the Tuva Moodyson series has come to an end for me.
May 5, 2020
I found this one pretty hard work. There are things to enjoy - the disabled protagonist not defined by her disability; the refreshing twist of the pastoral as horrific, rather than beautiful, and Tuva's visceral disgust and terror at nature; the spotlight on Sweden's xenophobic side. But overall this lacked structure and narrative thrust. It felt like Tuva wandering from place to place, searching and questioning in a fairly erratic manner, revisiting the same people again and again - and with nearly every other person in the town a freakish creep, the sense of menace became dulled rather than pervasive.
There are many red-herrings but none of them feel substantial enough to raise any real interest, and I felt both irritated and bored at times. Often it seemed that characters were just mentioned all the time (like 'the bee man') but without any more substantive development they felt like set-dressing rather than real people. And Tuva's endless internal monologue of questions directed at her missing friend felt like a heavy-handed device to remind readers what was at stake, and to up the tension. There are some more gripping moments towards the end but the conclusion didn't feel at all satisfying or credible.
I wanted to like this more but found it contrived, dull and extremely implausible. I don't think I'll read another.
There are many red-herrings but none of them feel substantial enough to raise any real interest, and I felt both irritated and bored at times. Often it seemed that characters were just mentioned all the time (like 'the bee man') but without any more substantive development they felt like set-dressing rather than real people. And Tuva's endless internal monologue of questions directed at her missing friend felt like a heavy-handed device to remind readers what was at stake, and to up the tension. There are some more gripping moments towards the end but the conclusion didn't feel at all satisfying or credible.
I wanted to like this more but found it contrived, dull and extremely implausible. I don't think I'll read another.
March 3, 2020
If ever I dreamt of moving to a small village near a big forest in Sweden, Black River would seriously make me reconsider that.
Four months ago, Tuva Moodyson left Gavrik and moved down south. But now, her best friend Tammy has gone missing and Tuva races back to Gavrik, fearing for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her and why? Where is she? When another woman goes missing, the small police force of Gavrik finds itself spread too thin. But if there is one thing we’ve learned about Tuva, it’s that she’s fiercely stubborn and determined and she will stop at nothing to find Tammy. Even if that means getting into dangerous situations herself.
The creepy factor is high in Black River. You’d think the long summer days and the upcoming event of Midsummar would lift the doom and gloom that seems to hover above the small town of Gavrik. But no. If anything, it seems worse. Not only are there the multitude of seriously aggressive bugs all over the place, flying in your face, getting stuck in your hair, biting and stinging like you��re some delicious buffet … but the residents. Goodness me, the residents. To define them as creepy almost seems like an understatement. Many of them have secrets they are desperately trying to hide, some act suspicious and some just make you feel so uncomfortable and dirty you’d like to take a really long, hot shower. Quirky and eccentric, yes. Also, just plain weird.
Despite the fact that it’s Summer, Black River manages to keep that extremely claustrophobic feeling Will Dean’s previous books had. Somehow the town seems to be getting smaller and smaller, the forest bigger and darker, this feeling of impending doom growing ever stronger and all the while that chimney of the liquorice factory looms over the town like some harbinger of bad things to come. I may have had some suspicions as to who was responsible for the women going missing but I was completely on the wrong track (I mean, let’s face it, the list of potential suspects is long for such a small town!) and even now, while I’m writing this review, I’m still unable to decide how the ultimate conclusion made me feel. I can say I didn’t see it coming! I was shocked and horrified but also, sad.
Black River is a creepy and chilling story with plenty of characters that will make your skin crawl. Gripping and compelling, yet not fast-paced, which you might expect. Black River doesn’t need the fast pace. It wouldn’t work. Slow and steady does the trick perfectly; allowing the reader to soak up the atmosphere, which is every bit as important in this story as the plot and the characters are. It isn’t until the last few chapters that your heart may be pounding out of your chest and you may be left gasping for breath, when the race against the clock amps up tenfold.
I’ve been saying it a lot lately but it’s not my fault with these authors who constantly raise the bar, so wait for it, here it comes …. best one in the series! I’m not entirely sure what’s next from Will Dean but I DO know I will be there with bells on! And you should be too!
PS : Mind the snakes.
Four months ago, Tuva Moodyson left Gavrik and moved down south. But now, her best friend Tammy has gone missing and Tuva races back to Gavrik, fearing for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her and why? Where is she? When another woman goes missing, the small police force of Gavrik finds itself spread too thin. But if there is one thing we’ve learned about Tuva, it’s that she’s fiercely stubborn and determined and she will stop at nothing to find Tammy. Even if that means getting into dangerous situations herself.
The creepy factor is high in Black River. You’d think the long summer days and the upcoming event of Midsummar would lift the doom and gloom that seems to hover above the small town of Gavrik. But no. If anything, it seems worse. Not only are there the multitude of seriously aggressive bugs all over the place, flying in your face, getting stuck in your hair, biting and stinging like you��re some delicious buffet … but the residents. Goodness me, the residents. To define them as creepy almost seems like an understatement. Many of them have secrets they are desperately trying to hide, some act suspicious and some just make you feel so uncomfortable and dirty you’d like to take a really long, hot shower. Quirky and eccentric, yes. Also, just plain weird.
Despite the fact that it’s Summer, Black River manages to keep that extremely claustrophobic feeling Will Dean’s previous books had. Somehow the town seems to be getting smaller and smaller, the forest bigger and darker, this feeling of impending doom growing ever stronger and all the while that chimney of the liquorice factory looms over the town like some harbinger of bad things to come. I may have had some suspicions as to who was responsible for the women going missing but I was completely on the wrong track (I mean, let’s face it, the list of potential suspects is long for such a small town!) and even now, while I’m writing this review, I’m still unable to decide how the ultimate conclusion made me feel. I can say I didn’t see it coming! I was shocked and horrified but also, sad.
Black River is a creepy and chilling story with plenty of characters that will make your skin crawl. Gripping and compelling, yet not fast-paced, which you might expect. Black River doesn’t need the fast pace. It wouldn’t work. Slow and steady does the trick perfectly; allowing the reader to soak up the atmosphere, which is every bit as important in this story as the plot and the characters are. It isn’t until the last few chapters that your heart may be pounding out of your chest and you may be left gasping for breath, when the race against the clock amps up tenfold.
I’ve been saying it a lot lately but it’s not my fault with these authors who constantly raise the bar, so wait for it, here it comes …. best one in the series! I’m not entirely sure what’s next from Will Dean but I DO know I will be there with bells on! And you should be too!
PS : Mind the snakes.
November 28, 2019
Visit the locations in Black River
I tried to hold on and read this after Xmas but who was I kidding? Could I stay away from Gavrik? Not at all and I was so happy to be back.
This isn't a full review. Not even close. Just enough to say put it on your wish list, buy it, devour it.
The setting is stunning - Gavrik yet but a new part that we haven't seen before - Snake River and the business that goes on there. A forest so vast and unfriendly that you can feel every branch of the tree scratching your face as you read. The dampness gets into your fingers as you turn the pages. Boy is this atmospheric or what.
Tuva is back in Gavrik looking for her best friend. So, a new impression of the town and surroundings. Still as strong a character as ever. Love the way she tuts and back answers people for wondering if she can do things as she's deaf. My ears don't work she says but my legs etc are fine.
Characters are top notch - on my god - some of the CREEPIEST people in this book. One of them is ...well.. . rather artistic with snakes. With that and the bugs in the forest, I swear I was scratching reading this. The guy from the shoe shop make my skin crawl.
TOP NOTCH scene setting, a sense of impending doom, missing friend and is that another one gone missing? A closed community with a deadly sense of loyalty. This book gave me the shivers and then BANG towards the end, although I was already a nervous wreck, I was floored by developments. Aaargh! I yelled. Not a good idea when in a public place.
I had a strong Swedish style coffee when I finished. Partly to recover and partly to toast another success in the Tuva series.I have learnt a lot about Swedish/forest habits in this book. Lots of fun snippets about language and forest environments. Might try and cook some roadkill with hog fat now. Never going to play snakes and ladders again though.
I tried to hold on and read this after Xmas but who was I kidding? Could I stay away from Gavrik? Not at all and I was so happy to be back.
This isn't a full review. Not even close. Just enough to say put it on your wish list, buy it, devour it.
The setting is stunning - Gavrik yet but a new part that we haven't seen before - Snake River and the business that goes on there. A forest so vast and unfriendly that you can feel every branch of the tree scratching your face as you read. The dampness gets into your fingers as you turn the pages. Boy is this atmospheric or what.
Tuva is back in Gavrik looking for her best friend. So, a new impression of the town and surroundings. Still as strong a character as ever. Love the way she tuts and back answers people for wondering if she can do things as she's deaf. My ears don't work she says but my legs etc are fine.
Characters are top notch - on my god - some of the CREEPIEST people in this book. One of them is ...well.. . rather artistic with snakes. With that and the bugs in the forest, I swear I was scratching reading this. The guy from the shoe shop make my skin crawl.
TOP NOTCH scene setting, a sense of impending doom, missing friend and is that another one gone missing? A closed community with a deadly sense of loyalty. This book gave me the shivers and then BANG towards the end, although I was already a nervous wreck, I was floored by developments. Aaargh! I yelled. Not a good idea when in a public place.
I had a strong Swedish style coffee when I finished. Partly to recover and partly to toast another success in the Tuva series.I have learnt a lot about Swedish/forest habits in this book. Lots of fun snippets about language and forest environments. Might try and cook some roadkill with hog fat now. Never going to play snakes and ladders again though.
October 19, 2022
For about 4/5 of this book, I'd say it was as good, even if not better , than the previous ones (so a cert 5/5 stars!). But, I must say I found the ending rather underwhelming and disappointing. I think the author, in his effort to throw the readers off predicting who the killer was, went a bit too far and the ending is not very well connected at all to the rest of the story.
Nevertheless, still such a fun read and I will certainly read the next book in the series too!
Nevertheless, still such a fun read and I will certainly read the next book in the series too!
January 4, 2020
As always, Will Dean creates a very atmospheric book that just draws you in from beginning to end. Tuva fascinates me and I love the other recurring characters. This is dark and creepy and I loved reading it in the dark and looking out at my woods and feeling like I was in the story. Thanks to the author and publisher for this early copy for review:)
March 20, 2020
Very atmospheric ... Doesn't sound like a town I'd like to visit anytime soon . Weird characters ... Good storyline if a bit predictable . Really like Tuva ... Have to say though I'd still prefer Dark pines as regards storyline but good read
April 19, 2020
Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series has been one of my favourite series since Tuva first made her appearance in DARK PINES, making BLACK RIVER one of my most anticipated books this year!
Dean knows how to write an atmospheric, dark and claustrophobic thriller, and whilst each one of his books is set in the same place, he manages to bring a new perspective into his setting with every story. So whilst we first met Tuva in a wintry Gavrik, which was chilling in every way, the events in BLACK RIVER are taking part around midsommar, the time of 24 hour daylight around the Nordic summer solstice. It’s a credit to Dean’s skill as a crime writer to make this happy, light and summery period as dark and chilling as his wintry settings!
The best thing about a good series is the ability to get closer to your characters with every instalment, and I have enjoyed finding out more about Tuva’s life as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time Tuva has a lot more emotional involvement in her investigation, as it’s her best friend Tami who has disappeared into the dark and sinister forest around Gavrik. Apparently Dean lives in a cabin in the woods, where he writes his books – and his intimate knowledge of the dark Swedish forest really shows. Fans of the series will be pleased (or terrified) to see some of the forest’s more sinister inhabitants back, such as the creepy wood carving sisters and the sleazy paramedic who once locked Tuva in his car. There are many more odd characters that make an appearance here, ranging from slightly off-centre to downright scary. You will even find some other forest critters here that may haunt your nightmares long after you have turned the last page. To put it simply: I loved it!
Whilst Dean relies heavily on his claustrophobic setting and his characters to set a scene that is loaded with an undercurrent of danger and menace which never totally lets up, I also found his observations of Swedish culture and custom that pepper the story interesting. Tuva, with her eye for detail and her sharp, often cynical sense of humour, gives a good social commentary that added a lot more depth to the story than found in many other contemporary crime novels.
In summary, BLACK RIVER is another unputdownable instalment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Unsettling, dark and tense, it makes for a perfect crime read with a protagonist who does not fit any stereotype. With her indestructible sense of justice, her courage and her determination, Tuva is one of my favourite fictional amateur detectives. Complimented by a rich cast of characters ranging from oddball to downright creepy, and the type of dark atmospheric setting that has become Dean’s hallmark, this series remains one of my all-time favourite Nordic crime series. I can’t wait to see more of Tuva in future!
Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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Dean knows how to write an atmospheric, dark and claustrophobic thriller, and whilst each one of his books is set in the same place, he manages to bring a new perspective into his setting with every story. So whilst we first met Tuva in a wintry Gavrik, which was chilling in every way, the events in BLACK RIVER are taking part around midsommar, the time of 24 hour daylight around the Nordic summer solstice. It’s a credit to Dean’s skill as a crime writer to make this happy, light and summery period as dark and chilling as his wintry settings!
The best thing about a good series is the ability to get closer to your characters with every instalment, and I have enjoyed finding out more about Tuva’s life as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time Tuva has a lot more emotional involvement in her investigation, as it’s her best friend Tami who has disappeared into the dark and sinister forest around Gavrik. Apparently Dean lives in a cabin in the woods, where he writes his books – and his intimate knowledge of the dark Swedish forest really shows. Fans of the series will be pleased (or terrified) to see some of the forest’s more sinister inhabitants back, such as the creepy wood carving sisters and the sleazy paramedic who once locked Tuva in his car. There are many more odd characters that make an appearance here, ranging from slightly off-centre to downright scary. You will even find some other forest critters here that may haunt your nightmares long after you have turned the last page. To put it simply: I loved it!
Whilst Dean relies heavily on his claustrophobic setting and his characters to set a scene that is loaded with an undercurrent of danger and menace which never totally lets up, I also found his observations of Swedish culture and custom that pepper the story interesting. Tuva, with her eye for detail and her sharp, often cynical sense of humour, gives a good social commentary that added a lot more depth to the story than found in many other contemporary crime novels.
In summary, BLACK RIVER is another unputdownable instalment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Unsettling, dark and tense, it makes for a perfect crime read with a protagonist who does not fit any stereotype. With her indestructible sense of justice, her courage and her determination, Tuva is one of my favourite fictional amateur detectives. Complimented by a rich cast of characters ranging from oddball to downright creepy, and the type of dark atmospheric setting that has become Dean’s hallmark, this series remains one of my all-time favourite Nordic crime series. I can’t wait to see more of Tuva in future!
Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
May 25, 2020
Deaf reporter Tuva Moodyson has been living in southern Sweden for the last four months, thinking she has left the remote town of Gavrik behind her for good.
She is working well with her new editor Anders at the Sundhumn Enquirer, and she has quit drinking.
When she finds out her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing, she hurries back to help find her.
Her former employer Lena offers Tuva her friggebod guest house as a place to stay while she's there.
It is tiny and primitive, but she is grateful for Lena's hospitality.
The two print up flyers to put around the area and visit Tammy's abandoned food van, where she was last seen. A small amount of blood is found on the grass close by.
When another girl goes missing soon after, the police begin to take things more seriously.
Search parties are formed and the vast Utgard forest is combed.
It is Midsummer and the relentless daylight is almost punishing.
As Tuva investigates, she gets a lead on the disturbing and secretive folks at nearby Snake River. She pokes around the isolated area, putting herself in danger to pick up clues.
Will she be able to find Tammy alive?
This atmospheric Swedish mystery/thriller has the most strange, unique and sometimes creepy characters. Many of them really made my skin crawl!
Tuva is such an intriguing heroine, you can't help but lose your heart to her.
One of my favorite series, you can read this as a stand alone, but you really should start at the beginning.
She is working well with her new editor Anders at the Sundhumn Enquirer, and she has quit drinking.
When she finds out her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing, she hurries back to help find her.
Her former employer Lena offers Tuva her friggebod guest house as a place to stay while she's there.
It is tiny and primitive, but she is grateful for Lena's hospitality.
The two print up flyers to put around the area and visit Tammy's abandoned food van, where she was last seen. A small amount of blood is found on the grass close by.
When another girl goes missing soon after, the police begin to take things more seriously.
Search parties are formed and the vast Utgard forest is combed.
It is Midsummer and the relentless daylight is almost punishing.
As Tuva investigates, she gets a lead on the disturbing and secretive folks at nearby Snake River. She pokes around the isolated area, putting herself in danger to pick up clues.
Will she be able to find Tammy alive?
This atmospheric Swedish mystery/thriller has the most strange, unique and sometimes creepy characters. Many of them really made my skin crawl!
Tuva is such an intriguing heroine, you can't help but lose your heart to her.
One of my favorite series, you can read this as a stand alone, but you really should start at the beginning.
October 23, 2019
I'm excited to be the FIRST to review this extraordinary book here on Goodreads. And to be able to give it a glowing, wow, devoured-it-in-days FIVE stars. What a finale to the trilogy! (Suddenly now thinking, maybe there will be more, so maybe not a trilogy...) My favourite of the three, without a doubt. Dean's writing is on form here. The final few chapters, I couldn't breathe. This will be every bit as successful as the first two. I can't recommend it enough.
June 23, 2020
Despite seeing Tuva head off to the city at the end of the last book, it’s great to find her back in Gavrik, the small town with the big crime rate. So it’s “ hej again” to Lena, Thord and Noora but not Tammy, because Tammy has gone missing!
This is the third in the series and I’ve come to expect weird and fascinating characters and a detailed and believable setting. Will Dean writes a very convincing Swede - the only way you know that this isn’t a translated novel is because he takes the trouble to explain Swedish culture. The previous books were set in the seemingly interminable winter but, in Black River, it’s summer, with round-the-clock light and a Midsommer festival full of folklore.
My only gripe is that there always seems to be some unresolved mysteries in the story.
I rarely read series’ but I’ll stick with this one despite the unresolved plotlines, rather than because of them.
This is the third in the series and I’ve come to expect weird and fascinating characters and a detailed and believable setting. Will Dean writes a very convincing Swede - the only way you know that this isn’t a translated novel is because he takes the trouble to explain Swedish culture. The previous books were set in the seemingly interminable winter but, in Black River, it’s summer, with round-the-clock light and a Midsommer festival full of folklore.
My only gripe is that there always seems to be some unresolved mysteries in the story.
I rarely read series’ but I’ll stick with this one despite the unresolved plotlines, rather than because of them.
March 15, 2020
Crime thriller set in rural SWEDEN
Black River is the third book in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson / Gavrik crime thriller series. I had very much enjoyed the first two – Dark Pines and Red Snow – and was looking forward to the third. I was in no way disappointed.
Tuva (the deaf reporter on the local paper) had moved to Southern Sweden at the end of Red Snow, but she returns to Gavrik in the middle of the country at the beginning of Black River when her best friend from Gavrik, Tammy, goes missing. The book is about the search for her and another missing girl. The assumption is that they have been kidnapped.
Red Snow was set in the depths of winter and the bitter cold was seeping through on every page. Black River is quite different. The book is set around Midsommar and the heat is stifling. Super sized mosquitoes and bugs are thick in the air… It never really goes dark. Familiar places and familiar characters from the first two books are there – even if some are only in cameo roles. But Will builds on both the locations and the people. Utgard Forest – the scene of much of the action in Dark Pines – is as foreboding as ever. But adjacent to the Forest a new location is created. Snake River is a sort of encampment on the edge of the Forest. It is populated by strange people in strange occupations. There is a lady who breeds snakes (some of them quite large and scary), there is a yard where wrecked cars can be sorted through and spare parts bought, there are two odd cousins running a business that converts shipping containers into living accommodation. Will is very clever with his characters – the cousins are not at all nice. They brought back into my memory the two troll carving sisters from Dark Pines… sinister people whose place in the plot you are never quite sure of.
There are lots of false leads and tricks before the eventual denouement. Will weaves a complex plot.
Black River will transport you to a remote part of Sweden – a long way from the lights of Stockholm or Malmö. Will himself (incidentally a Brit brought up in the Midlands) lives with his wife and son in a forest clearing ‘close to’ fictional Gavrik. It is easy to see where he gets his inspiration – but not perhaps so easy to see how he survives the extreme cold of winter and the mosquitoes of summer!
Very definitely recommended.
Black River is the third book in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson / Gavrik crime thriller series. I had very much enjoyed the first two – Dark Pines and Red Snow – and was looking forward to the third. I was in no way disappointed.
Tuva (the deaf reporter on the local paper) had moved to Southern Sweden at the end of Red Snow, but she returns to Gavrik in the middle of the country at the beginning of Black River when her best friend from Gavrik, Tammy, goes missing. The book is about the search for her and another missing girl. The assumption is that they have been kidnapped.
Red Snow was set in the depths of winter and the bitter cold was seeping through on every page. Black River is quite different. The book is set around Midsommar and the heat is stifling. Super sized mosquitoes and bugs are thick in the air… It never really goes dark. Familiar places and familiar characters from the first two books are there – even if some are only in cameo roles. But Will builds on both the locations and the people. Utgard Forest – the scene of much of the action in Dark Pines – is as foreboding as ever. But adjacent to the Forest a new location is created. Snake River is a sort of encampment on the edge of the Forest. It is populated by strange people in strange occupations. There is a lady who breeds snakes (some of them quite large and scary), there is a yard where wrecked cars can be sorted through and spare parts bought, there are two odd cousins running a business that converts shipping containers into living accommodation. Will is very clever with his characters – the cousins are not at all nice. They brought back into my memory the two troll carving sisters from Dark Pines… sinister people whose place in the plot you are never quite sure of.
There are lots of false leads and tricks before the eventual denouement. Will weaves a complex plot.
Black River will transport you to a remote part of Sweden – a long way from the lights of Stockholm or Malmö. Will himself (incidentally a Brit brought up in the Midlands) lives with his wife and son in a forest clearing ‘close to’ fictional Gavrik. It is easy to see where he gets his inspiration – but not perhaps so easy to see how he survives the extreme cold of winter and the mosquitoes of summer!
Very definitely recommended.
April 24, 2020
From the early pages of his first novel starring deaf Swedish journalist Tuva Moodyson, Will Dean showed an assured hand with a great touch for atmospheric, absorbing storytelling.
Known in Europe as ‘the Forest Author’ as he swapped London city life for a wooden cabin in a boggy Swedish forest, Dean’s tales are filled with a host of unusual and kooky characters befitting small-town Nordic rural life.
Tuva Moodyson is a fascinating heroine – relentless yet prone to stumbles. In Black River she has escaped small-town Gavrik for clean living and a lonely life among the bright lights of Malmo, only to be drawn back home when her best friend Tammy, proprietor of the local Thai cuisine food truck, vanishes. It’s the height of Midsommar, and as locals and visitors sweat under the heat and sun few seem too concerned about Tammy’s absence, at first, until another woman goes missing. Someone who looks far more ‘Swedish’ than Tammy. Searches head into the Utgard Forest. Determined to find her friend, Tuva begins to investigate the creepy residents of Snake River, but where does the real danger lie?
Dean has crafted another tense, atmospheric tale that in a way blends the intrigue and social commentary of crime fiction with the deliciously scary soul of folk tales: vast and menacing forests offering both danger and adventure; stories full of memorable characters, heroic and grotesque. Tuva is an intriguing heroine and Dean does a fine job bringing her deafness into the story in an authentic way rather than creating a caricature. Tuva’s deafness is an intrinsic part of her character, but not all she is.
A very good read in a very good series.
Known in Europe as ‘the Forest Author’ as he swapped London city life for a wooden cabin in a boggy Swedish forest, Dean’s tales are filled with a host of unusual and kooky characters befitting small-town Nordic rural life.
Tuva Moodyson is a fascinating heroine – relentless yet prone to stumbles. In Black River she has escaped small-town Gavrik for clean living and a lonely life among the bright lights of Malmo, only to be drawn back home when her best friend Tammy, proprietor of the local Thai cuisine food truck, vanishes. It’s the height of Midsommar, and as locals and visitors sweat under the heat and sun few seem too concerned about Tammy’s absence, at first, until another woman goes missing. Someone who looks far more ‘Swedish’ than Tammy. Searches head into the Utgard Forest. Determined to find her friend, Tuva begins to investigate the creepy residents of Snake River, but where does the real danger lie?
Dean has crafted another tense, atmospheric tale that in a way blends the intrigue and social commentary of crime fiction with the deliciously scary soul of folk tales: vast and menacing forests offering both danger and adventure; stories full of memorable characters, heroic and grotesque. Tuva is an intriguing heroine and Dean does a fine job bringing her deafness into the story in an authentic way rather than creating a caricature. Tuva’s deafness is an intrinsic part of her character, but not all she is.
A very good read in a very good series.
February 20, 2020
Black River is the third book to feature reporter Tuva. Whilst you could read it as a stand alone, I do think readers would get more out of it if they have read previous books in the series.
I was quite sad to see Tuva leave Gavrik and her friends, so was intrigued as to what the author would bring us in his latest novel. Whilst I was glad that the story is set back in Gavrik, I wish it had been on better terms. Tuva’s fears for her good friend, whilst I was fearing for Tuva. She always manages to land herself in trouble in her relentless efforts to reveal the truth.
If you have had the pleasure of reading the previous novels, you will know how many unsavoury characters live in this town. The residents who Tuva comes across whilst digging for information, sent shivers down my spine. They really don’t come much weirder or scarier. Snake River also lives up to it’s name, making me want to hide behind my cushions.
Black River is another dark and tense read with a protagonist who I can’t get enough of. I’m sure I’ve said it before but this would make such a great crime series on the telly. Tuve is an unlikely hero as she is quite unassuming for someone in her line of work. She is like a dog with a bone though and her lines of enquiry wholly consume you. A page turner of a read that had me hooked.
My thanks to Anne Cater, NetGalley and Point Black for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
I was quite sad to see Tuva leave Gavrik and her friends, so was intrigued as to what the author would bring us in his latest novel. Whilst I was glad that the story is set back in Gavrik, I wish it had been on better terms. Tuva’s fears for her good friend, whilst I was fearing for Tuva. She always manages to land herself in trouble in her relentless efforts to reveal the truth.
If you have had the pleasure of reading the previous novels, you will know how many unsavoury characters live in this town. The residents who Tuva comes across whilst digging for information, sent shivers down my spine. They really don’t come much weirder or scarier. Snake River also lives up to it’s name, making me want to hide behind my cushions.
Black River is another dark and tense read with a protagonist who I can’t get enough of. I’m sure I’ve said it before but this would make such a great crime series on the telly. Tuve is an unlikely hero as she is quite unassuming for someone in her line of work. She is like a dog with a bone though and her lines of enquiry wholly consume you. A page turner of a read that had me hooked.
My thanks to Anne Cater, NetGalley and Point Black for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
February 7, 2022
Still a four-star read, but this is my least favourite of the Tuva books so far. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to have Tuva back, and she continues to feel like a real person. Similarly, Gavrik feels like a very real, very oppressive place. So, I’m not sure exactly what it was, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as Dark Pines or Red Snow. The outcome didn’t feel quite as satisfying, and some of the plot points relied on Tuva making uncharacteristically silly decisions.
Also - and I’ve mentioned this in reviews of other books - does anything get properly proofread these days? There have been errors and typos in most of the books I’ve read recently, and this one had a lot - certainly far more than I’ve noticed in any other Will Dean book. As well as missing words and misplaced apostrophes, there was ‘eek’ instead of ‘eke’, ‘who’s’ when it should have been ‘whose’, and the common mistake of referring to Gordon Ramsay as ‘Gordon Ramsey’. In a single chapter, over about six pages, there was ‘scold’ when it should have been ‘scald’, ‘desert’ instead of ‘dessert’ and a set of missing speech marks.
Overall, it’s still a page-turner, and still a cut above a lot of other thrillers I’ve read. Just, for me, didn’t reach the heights of the previous books.
Also - and I’ve mentioned this in reviews of other books - does anything get properly proofread these days? There have been errors and typos in most of the books I’ve read recently, and this one had a lot - certainly far more than I’ve noticed in any other Will Dean book. As well as missing words and misplaced apostrophes, there was ‘eek’ instead of ‘eke’, ‘who’s’ when it should have been ‘whose’, and the common mistake of referring to Gordon Ramsay as ‘Gordon Ramsey’. In a single chapter, over about six pages, there was ‘scold’ when it should have been ‘scald’, ‘desert’ instead of ‘dessert’ and a set of missing speech marks.
Overall, it’s still a page-turner, and still a cut above a lot of other thrillers I’ve read. Just, for me, didn’t reach the heights of the previous books.
January 21, 2020
I love the Tuva character and great to have her back on the pages.
Tuva has moved to Malmo, but news of her best friend Tammy's disappearance leads her to race back to Gavrik in order to join the search for her. We have a change of season from the first two books of this series, and summer brings mosquitoes, ticks, wasps, bees, midges... and snakes!
Another totally addictive read and I'll be surprised if you can pick where this story leads.
Tuva has moved to Malmo, but news of her best friend Tammy's disappearance leads her to race back to Gavrik in order to join the search for her. We have a change of season from the first two books of this series, and summer brings mosquitoes, ticks, wasps, bees, midges... and snakes!
Another totally addictive read and I'll be surprised if you can pick where this story leads.
March 21, 2020
It will come as no surprise that this book ranked HIGH on the Holy Shit Scale of Book Recommendations. Not just high. 10 out of 5 stars high.
I have been one of Will’s biggest fans from the early days of Dark Pines being quietly released into the world. I found Dark Pines (and Will) on book Twitter, where the book caught my interest and I figured I would just order a copy in from the UK and see what it was all about.
Cut to - we are on book three of the Tuva Moodyson series and this is now my SINGLE most recommended series that I demand people read, over and over and over and over. I LOVE THIS SERIES - LOVE IT. I could not say enough times how much I love it, and more, how the series just gets better and better as it goes.
For those who love the Tuva books as much as me, we are back in Gavrik this time around - the town Tuva swore off once and for all, luring her back with the one thing that truly matters to her: Tammy.
Let me tell you guys, the thing I love the MOST about Will’s books are his fierce, female, badass, flawed, wonderfully human characters in EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. Tuva is not only queer, but also deaf, and riddled with her share of personality flaws that make her equal parts lovable and relatable . I cannot get enough of this character.
I love that she is a journalist who is time and again, focused on digging out the truth of any story (despite some of her more dangerous decisions to get there), and I love that not one single thing that she ever does is really outside the boundaries of reality. She doesn’t possess amazing ninja fighting skills, she doesn’t pack a gun around with her, she doesn’t ever get herself magically out of trouble using some James Bond-level skills that appear out of nowhere. She is so believable because Will writes her as so terrifically human - she does what she can, with the skills she is best at - investigating and reporting.
And in this plot, I love that the one thing that gets her back to Gavrik, after finally escaping it, was the disappearance of Tammy. Tammy, being of course, yet another incredible female character that I love (and therefore was entirely mad at Will for putting her in danger). However it was a plot that not only made sense, but also opened up Gavrik to another suite of incredibly bizarre and wonderfully strange characters.
Because that is thing two I love the MOST about Will’s books - he writes the MOST INCREDIBLY STRANGE supporting cast of characters, who are STILL somehow entirely believable and seriously, this is a skill set that does not get enough applause. I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I love the Troll Sisters (creepiest characters EVER), but in this story I will take Sally, queen of snakes, as a close second. This terrifically strange woman who lives by the river and breeds snakes unapologetically. Who refuses to conform to what would be considered normal or even polite. Who gave me the heeby jeebies every time Tuva encountered her…..and somehow……you still end up with a bit of a soft spot for this completely insane woman. I wouldn’t mind having her as a friend, and I’m pretty sure she would know how to dispose of a body if needed (coughsnakefoodcough).
And that brings us to thing three I love the MOST about Will’s books - I defy you to find me another writer who can craft such stunningly atmospheric prose, that utterly TRANSPORTS you to the setting of the story. I feel like I have visited Gavrik in person, repeatedly. I feel like I KNOW that town. When I read these stories, I can smell the spaces, I can feel the heat, the rain, the damp, the fog. I can taste the food, it’s literally an echo of a dream that repeats in my mind. There are few writers that can truly paint a space for you to become fully immersed in, but Will is one of those writers. A talent to behold.
Ultimately the way Will weaves these characters around the missing persons plot is perfection - you never quite know what is coming next, but the tension is high page after page, the suspense chasing you and forever just out of reach of the answers. I am forever convinced I have the answer and Will forever proves me wrong. Three books in and three times over I had no idea where the story was going until it got there.
I could sit here and wax poetic about all the reasons I love the Tuva Moodyson series, but you don’t need me to tell you these things, you just need to get copies of all three books (Dark Pines, Red Snow and Black River) and join me on this bandwagon of some of the most incredibly satisfying reading you will ever do.
Go order them today - and thank me tomorrow.
I have been one of Will’s biggest fans from the early days of Dark Pines being quietly released into the world. I found Dark Pines (and Will) on book Twitter, where the book caught my interest and I figured I would just order a copy in from the UK and see what it was all about.
Cut to - we are on book three of the Tuva Moodyson series and this is now my SINGLE most recommended series that I demand people read, over and over and over and over. I LOVE THIS SERIES - LOVE IT. I could not say enough times how much I love it, and more, how the series just gets better and better as it goes.
For those who love the Tuva books as much as me, we are back in Gavrik this time around - the town Tuva swore off once and for all, luring her back with the one thing that truly matters to her: Tammy.
Let me tell you guys, the thing I love the MOST about Will’s books are his fierce, female, badass, flawed, wonderfully human characters in EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. Tuva is not only queer, but also deaf, and riddled with her share of personality flaws that make her equal parts lovable and relatable . I cannot get enough of this character.
I love that she is a journalist who is time and again, focused on digging out the truth of any story (despite some of her more dangerous decisions to get there), and I love that not one single thing that she ever does is really outside the boundaries of reality. She doesn’t possess amazing ninja fighting skills, she doesn’t pack a gun around with her, she doesn’t ever get herself magically out of trouble using some James Bond-level skills that appear out of nowhere. She is so believable because Will writes her as so terrifically human - she does what she can, with the skills she is best at - investigating and reporting.
And in this plot, I love that the one thing that gets her back to Gavrik, after finally escaping it, was the disappearance of Tammy. Tammy, being of course, yet another incredible female character that I love (and therefore was entirely mad at Will for putting her in danger). However it was a plot that not only made sense, but also opened up Gavrik to another suite of incredibly bizarre and wonderfully strange characters.
Because that is thing two I love the MOST about Will’s books - he writes the MOST INCREDIBLY STRANGE supporting cast of characters, who are STILL somehow entirely believable and seriously, this is a skill set that does not get enough applause. I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I love the Troll Sisters (creepiest characters EVER), but in this story I will take Sally, queen of snakes, as a close second. This terrifically strange woman who lives by the river and breeds snakes unapologetically. Who refuses to conform to what would be considered normal or even polite. Who gave me the heeby jeebies every time Tuva encountered her…..and somehow……you still end up with a bit of a soft spot for this completely insane woman. I wouldn’t mind having her as a friend, and I’m pretty sure she would know how to dispose of a body if needed (coughsnakefoodcough).
And that brings us to thing three I love the MOST about Will’s books - I defy you to find me another writer who can craft such stunningly atmospheric prose, that utterly TRANSPORTS you to the setting of the story. I feel like I have visited Gavrik in person, repeatedly. I feel like I KNOW that town. When I read these stories, I can smell the spaces, I can feel the heat, the rain, the damp, the fog. I can taste the food, it’s literally an echo of a dream that repeats in my mind. There are few writers that can truly paint a space for you to become fully immersed in, but Will is one of those writers. A talent to behold.
Ultimately the way Will weaves these characters around the missing persons plot is perfection - you never quite know what is coming next, but the tension is high page after page, the suspense chasing you and forever just out of reach of the answers. I am forever convinced I have the answer and Will forever proves me wrong. Three books in and three times over I had no idea where the story was going until it got there.
I could sit here and wax poetic about all the reasons I love the Tuva Moodyson series, but you don’t need me to tell you these things, you just need to get copies of all three books (Dark Pines, Red Snow and Black River) and join me on this bandwagon of some of the most incredibly satisfying reading you will ever do.
Go order them today - and thank me tomorrow.
March 12, 2020
This is the third book in the Tuva Moodyson series as she is again pulled back to Gavrik when she hears that her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing. The place doesn’t have good memories for her but the loyalty she has to her friend make her overcome her fears. The sweltering heat and holiday season work against Tuva as the investigation seems to be quite low key with little urgency about it until a second young woman disappears. A young woman with celebrity status and a family with money to fund publicity. With Tammy always seeming like an afterthought, Tuva presses on with her own searches.
Tuva knows that no-one will look for Tammy as keenly as her. Now I had already met some of the residents of Gavrik in a previous book, with some of them more than a little strange, well that was just the tip of the iceberg. The search reached out through the insect-infested woods and Snake River. Boy did I feel like I was there and the people who lived out there was a breed on their own. It was quite hypnotic, with the snakes and relationships that felt far from normal.
Tuva is deaf without her hearing aids which can be greatly affected by the environments that she goes in but her mind stays as sharp as ever. There were so many suspects that I kept jumping to conclusions on. A brilliant edgy storyline that ensured that I read the book in one sitting. Very highly recommended.
I wish to thank Aimee Oliver-Powell of Oneworld Publications for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Tuva knows that no-one will look for Tammy as keenly as her. Now I had already met some of the residents of Gavrik in a previous book, with some of them more than a little strange, well that was just the tip of the iceberg. The search reached out through the insect-infested woods and Snake River. Boy did I feel like I was there and the people who lived out there was a breed on their own. It was quite hypnotic, with the snakes and relationships that felt far from normal.
Tuva is deaf without her hearing aids which can be greatly affected by the environments that she goes in but her mind stays as sharp as ever. There were so many suspects that I kept jumping to conclusions on. A brilliant edgy storyline that ensured that I read the book in one sitting. Very highly recommended.
I wish to thank Aimee Oliver-Powell of Oneworld Publications for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
May 27, 2020
I'm really glad I left it a week before writing this review. There was so much that I didn't like: the unimaginative concept (disappearances of attractive young women), the flat-pack Swedish setting (bleak northern town), the plucky detective with the obligatory traumatic past and a quirky habit (wine gums) who takes on a case no one else is interested in. I found the protagonist, the journalist Tuva, irritating; she seems to believe that you've only got a right to exist if you've suffered as much as she has, and she's utterly self-absorbed. There were some typos in the Kindle edition, such as "as if my magic" and "it's hot and it'd scold you". They aren't all that serious, but there were enough of them to be annoying. Then there are a couple of tics, mini-cliffhangers on the ends of paragraphs along the lines of "and that's when I see it", or "and then I see him."
On the other hand... I'm still thinking about the book, a week or more later. The reason is the atmosphere. I could practically feel the bug bites, and the landscapes, townscapes and people are beautifully drawn, even if in themselves they are pretty ugly. That takes skill I think, in a thriller, where the story is usually plot and suspense-driven.
Most reviews of Black River are 4- or 5-star. Maybe you have to be a thriller fan to enjoy it, and that's not me really, I just picked the book up on the strength of a few opinions I'd seen. I think my curiosity's been satisfied. On to something more my line...
On the other hand... I'm still thinking about the book, a week or more later. The reason is the atmosphere. I could practically feel the bug bites, and the landscapes, townscapes and people are beautifully drawn, even if in themselves they are pretty ugly. That takes skill I think, in a thriller, where the story is usually plot and suspense-driven.
Most reviews of Black River are 4- or 5-star. Maybe you have to be a thriller fan to enjoy it, and that's not me really, I just picked the book up on the strength of a few opinions I'd seen. I think my curiosity's been satisfied. On to something more my line...
January 12, 2021
I have to process this story for a while, I must say the Will Dean was pretty good in telling his story.
Tuva Moodyson was living in Malmo when she got a call that her best friend Tam was missing. She didn't need to be told again, she left and went back up to Toytown (Gavrik) because someone heard screaming. We go on search parties and other pursuits in finding Tam and then another girl goes missing. Tuva stays with Lena who's her old boss at the paper she worked at and Will creates plenty of scary scenes that make his story much more interesting. Snake River seems to be the most worrisome place, but not the only one. Tuva has flashbacks to her living in Gavrik before and the people that worried her. She has reasons to be worried but not from the older people. She calls the other girls family and let them know that they haven't checked out Snake River and then lets the police know. Tams found after they search all the loading containers. And then Tuva goes to find the other girl because she can't see Tam because she's being question by the police. I won't tell you what happens next but you won't believe me anyway, it's good. Will did a good job of making the story full of turn arounds and doesn't let up for a second. I think it is so good I gave him 5 stars. There's plenty for you to read into the story and I hope you will read it.
Tuva Moodyson was living in Malmo when she got a call that her best friend Tam was missing. She didn't need to be told again, she left and went back up to Toytown (Gavrik) because someone heard screaming. We go on search parties and other pursuits in finding Tam and then another girl goes missing. Tuva stays with Lena who's her old boss at the paper she worked at and Will creates plenty of scary scenes that make his story much more interesting. Snake River seems to be the most worrisome place, but not the only one. Tuva has flashbacks to her living in Gavrik before and the people that worried her. She has reasons to be worried but not from the older people. She calls the other girls family and let them know that they haven't checked out Snake River and then lets the police know. Tams found after they search all the loading containers. And then Tuva goes to find the other girl because she can't see Tam because she's being question by the police. I won't tell you what happens next but you won't believe me anyway, it's good. Will did a good job of making the story full of turn arounds and doesn't let up for a second. I think it is so good I gave him 5 stars. There's plenty for you to read into the story and I hope you will read it.
May 1, 2021
Well someone has to say this, some honesty is needed with this fashionable author. Firstly, he’s high jacked Scandinavian noir, why, he’s a Midlander, and ticked every clique under the sun.
Writing in the first person, main character is female, bi sexual, couldn’t quite bring himself to make the character a full blown lesbian, disability ticked as she is deaf, ensuring the reader knows most of the town is racist. Awful book, where the main character is running around obsessing about her missing best friend, implausible and childish. How many times can you run around a forest and in and out of an area around a river. No respite, no change in storyline, so boring.
The whole book is loaded with hillbilly types dabbling in very masculine fantasies like snakes, car parts and shoe/ foot fetishes. If I was Swedish I would be furious at the way he depicts rural Sweden, as full of creepy inbread people. Even their Midsummer tradition, seems to me to be depicted not favourably nor as a celebration in a good way.
I won’t be reading anymore of this nonsense. You do not need every politically correct box on the planet ticked, nor practice such cultural misappropriation, if you are a good author. A lazy way to write a book, but good luck to him, cause it’s worked and everyone thinks his books are brilliant. Not.
Writing in the first person, main character is female, bi sexual, couldn’t quite bring himself to make the character a full blown lesbian, disability ticked as she is deaf, ensuring the reader knows most of the town is racist. Awful book, where the main character is running around obsessing about her missing best friend, implausible and childish. How many times can you run around a forest and in and out of an area around a river. No respite, no change in storyline, so boring.
The whole book is loaded with hillbilly types dabbling in very masculine fantasies like snakes, car parts and shoe/ foot fetishes. If I was Swedish I would be furious at the way he depicts rural Sweden, as full of creepy inbread people. Even their Midsummer tradition, seems to me to be depicted not favourably nor as a celebration in a good way.
I won’t be reading anymore of this nonsense. You do not need every politically correct box on the planet ticked, nor practice such cultural misappropriation, if you are a good author. A lazy way to write a book, but good luck to him, cause it’s worked and everyone thinks his books are brilliant. Not.
March 13, 2020
This third venture into the depth of the northern Swedish forest doesn’t quite live up to my (possibly unreasonably high) expectations. But that’s not to say this is a bad book, far from it.
The writing is as excellent as ever and the scenario initially engaging. Tuva is a natural investigator and she’s more than motivated to follow her suspicions into dangerous territory. She’s convinced that something horrific is happening to her friend – possibly amid the swampsnakes and trailer trash.
This story is set in a sweltering summer with mosquitos, wasps and angry elk infesting the overgrown forest. The narrative is full of traps and creeping things, both physical and metaphorical. Tuva stays in a tiny guest lodge, comfortable, but eerily similar to a prison cell, and haunted by a small bird which batters itself bloodily senseless against the window.
Will Dean is extremely adept at making commonplace, ordinary objects and situations extremely sinister. He ratchets up the anxiety to nerve-shredding levels… then leaves the reader in a soggy puddle of terrified tension when the next chapter reveals an entirely innocuous explanation.
Dean is also excellent at demonstrating the ever-present, unspoken sensations that many women experience; the sound of footfalls behind you on a sidestreet, the isolation of walking home after dark. Few men experience what is for many females an everyday occurrence.
Tuva’s ongoing struggle with her own identity, her relationships with her friends and lovers, are quietly and respectfully drawn, as is her increasingly unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
If all these aspects of Black River are so excellent, then why didn’t I enjoy it so much? I suspect the storytelling was weighted too much towards people and place; there were definitely moments where the narrative slowed to the point of stalling. The environment was perhaps too familiar – it’s tricky with a series to maintain the established scenarios without actually repeating yourself. I certainly experienced some déjà vu when Tuva fell for the same old sucker punch again. Nor did I find the finale particularly satisfying; it stretched credibility a tiny bit too far.
Tuva’s established fans will definitely enjoy this episode. But if you’re new to the series then this wouldn’t be the best place to start. Go back to Dark Pines for a truly extraordinary experience.
7/10
There are stacks more reviews of crime/thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net See you there!
The writing is as excellent as ever and the scenario initially engaging. Tuva is a natural investigator and she’s more than motivated to follow her suspicions into dangerous territory. She’s convinced that something horrific is happening to her friend – possibly amid the swampsnakes and trailer trash.
This story is set in a sweltering summer with mosquitos, wasps and angry elk infesting the overgrown forest. The narrative is full of traps and creeping things, both physical and metaphorical. Tuva stays in a tiny guest lodge, comfortable, but eerily similar to a prison cell, and haunted by a small bird which batters itself bloodily senseless against the window.
Will Dean is extremely adept at making commonplace, ordinary objects and situations extremely sinister. He ratchets up the anxiety to nerve-shredding levels… then leaves the reader in a soggy puddle of terrified tension when the next chapter reveals an entirely innocuous explanation.
Dean is also excellent at demonstrating the ever-present, unspoken sensations that many women experience; the sound of footfalls behind you on a sidestreet, the isolation of walking home after dark. Few men experience what is for many females an everyday occurrence.
Tuva’s ongoing struggle with her own identity, her relationships with her friends and lovers, are quietly and respectfully drawn, as is her increasingly unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
If all these aspects of Black River are so excellent, then why didn’t I enjoy it so much? I suspect the storytelling was weighted too much towards people and place; there were definitely moments where the narrative slowed to the point of stalling. The environment was perhaps too familiar – it’s tricky with a series to maintain the established scenarios without actually repeating yourself. I certainly experienced some déjà vu when Tuva fell for the same old sucker punch again. Nor did I find the finale particularly satisfying; it stretched credibility a tiny bit too far.
Tuva’s established fans will definitely enjoy this episode. But if you’re new to the series then this wouldn’t be the best place to start. Go back to Dark Pines for a truly extraordinary experience.
7/10
There are stacks more reviews of crime/thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net See you there!
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