Are you ready for the darkest case of Jessica Niemi's career?
A young woman's corpse washes up on a near-frozen beach.
Then, two famous Instagram influencers go missing.
All three have ties to a cult, famous for their cruel and violent worship.
But before Jessica can save the girls, an old enemy emerges and threatens to destroy her.
Soon, she is hunting for much more than just the truth . . .
It's my pleasure to be sharing my thoughts on The Ice Coven today. Many thanks to Max Seeck and to Maddie at Welbeck Publishing Group for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for my advance copy of the novel.
I'm always pleased to discover new-to-me Nordic Noir authors and although The Ice Coven isn't Max Seeck's first book featuring investigator Jessica Niemi, I loved the sound of it and decided to assume it could be read as a standalone thriller. I wasn't wrong, there is certainly no need to read The Witch Hunter first to thoroughly enjoy this gripping mystery. However, while there are helpful mentions of that recent case, there are also what I assume to be some significant spoilers and so you may prefer to read the series in order.
Jessica is as complex a protagonist as I can remember and in a novel which explores the very bleakest recesses of humanity, she is as touched by darkness as anybody. Her past, both recent and further back clearly affect her on a daily basis and although it's obvious she is widely regarded as a talented investigator, it also becomes evident that her previous mistakes mean not everybody in the department holds her in such high esteem. Still grieving the loss of her former boss and mentor, the enmity between Jessica and her new superior, Hellu seethes with tension and she realises she is given the lead on a case because she will take the blame if it goes wrong.
The high-profile case in question involves the disappearance of two Finnish social media stars, and the world of the hashtagged, image conscious world of these influencers provides a fascinating background for an investigation which throws up numerous suspects and red herrings. The team are helped and hindered by technology which unlocks important leads and yet is sometimes frustratingly obstructive for one reason or other.
It quickly becomes apparent that the Manga artwork that adorns the walls of Lisa Yammamoto's walls hold the key to her and her former boyfriend's disappearance, especially as a hauntingly similar photo to one of her paintings is posted on her Instagram feed, complete with a disturbing verse. That hunch is proven correct when the body of a seemingly unconnected young woman is pulled out of the water. The victim is dressed in an unsettlingly similar fashion to the girls that Lisa draws and Jessica has to figure out what the connection is.
With short, pacy chapters that zip from one character to the next and a plot which makes the most of Helsinki's dark winter days, The Ice Coven is a thoroughly contemporary thriller which explores the global criminal underworld. However, it's the increasingly agitated Jessica who is perhaps the most compelling part of the novel. Her tragic past affects her in a way that's both achingly poignant and chillingly troubling; without giving too much away, there are aspects of her personality which don't necessarily reflect reality...
The book has been translated into American English by Kristian London and although there are a few phrases which aren't used in British English - most noticeably, the old "I could care less", it all flows effortlessly and actually fits this Finnish successor to the flawed anti-heroes of classic American Noir perfectly.
The Ice Coven's intricately plotted, sinister storyline kept me engrossed throughout and I look forward to reading more immersive, intelligent crime fiction from this exciting author in the future.
The Ice Coven is published in the UK by Welbeck Publishing Group and can be purchased from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones and Amazon but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
About the Author
generation of Nordic crime writers. He lives in Helsinki.
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