When there’s a pack on the hunt, nobody’s safe…
After the traumatic events of the past year, Tuva is back as deputy editor reporting for the Gavrik Posten, but her world will never be the same.
A closed community
Rose Farm is home to a group of survivalists, heavily armed and completely cut off from the outside world.
A missing person
A young woman, Elsa Nyberg, goes missing within the perimeter of the farm compound. Can Tuva talk her way inside the tight-knit group to find her?
A frantic search
As Tuva attempts to unmask the culprit, she gains unique access to the residents. But soon she herself is in danger of the pack turning against her. Can she make her way back to safety and expose the truth?
Will Dean’s most heart-pounding Tuva Moodyson thriller yet takes Tuva to her limits, both professionally and in her personal life. Can she, and will she, make the right choice?
I'm thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for Wolf Pack today. Huge thanks to Will Dean, Point Blank Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel.
Just when I think the Tuva Moodyson series can't get any better, Will Dean proves me wrong and surpasses my expectations yet again. Wolf Pack is set after the devastating events in Bad Apples and I'd really recommend reading that book first if you can, as the fallout from what occurred there is an important part of the storyline here. It's not strictly necessary as the investigation Tuva becomes involved in this time is a standalone mystery but there will naturally be a greater emotional impact for readers who have followed her story so far.
The bloody opening may upset some readers but it's not a gratuitously violent scene and really serves to remind us just how wild this part of Sweden is. As tragic as this incident is, however, it's merely the precursor to the real mystery of the novel – the disappearance of a young woman, Elsa Nyberg. One of my favourite aspects of this series is the way in which Will Dean extends the list of characters with each new book. Having been introduced to the strange, quirky communities of Gavrik, Snake River and Visberg, it should come as no surprise that the residents of the quaintly named Rose Farm are more than mere landowners and farmers. The warning signs and CCTV cameras make it clear that this is a place which doesn't welcome outsiders but Tuva has a keen eye for a story and more poignantly, a lack of concern for her own safety.
She discovers the tragic historical reason which partly lies behind the farm's reputation, not helped by the insular nature of the current residents, whose unwelcoming stance inevitably attracts gossip and rumour from the surrounding communities. Nevertheless, Tuva is determined to make up her own mind and her willingness to listen means that although they remain guarded, she is able to find out more about their beliefs. While there have long been survivalists or 'preppers', they have attracted more attention in recent years, especially as so many are also heavily armed militias. There is an underlying current of danger throughout Wolf Pack but Will Dean also takes a more nuanced look at the people who choose to live this way. Although the more extreme elements of their ideology may be considered ridiculous or chilling, they are still quite ordinary in many ways and they struggle with many of the same issues which affect everybody – most notably what it means to belong.
However, a young woman who worked in the compound has still gone missing and the Gavrik police realise Tuva is their best chance to secure vital information. One of the most striking developments of the ongoing story arc is how Tuva's attitude to Gavrik and the surrounding area has changed over the course of the series. Whereas she once couldn't wait to leave the place she still describes as 'Toytown', it's obvious how much she has come to appreciate the warmth and support she receives from her friends and neighbours. Whether it's the calm response of the local bartender, the thoughtful remark by the Chief at a police presser or a shopkeeper telling her she can pay him back in the morning, she understands the benefits of living in a smaller community now. Despite this, her loneliness is almost palpable at times and this is the most melancholic book in the series so far. Will Dean evokes the complexities of her emotions with such sensitive empathy and there are some beautifully touching scenes exploring loss and regret but also hope and healing.
The stark remoteness of the countryside always make an impression but there's a real eye for detail when it comes to bringing the various establishments in Gavrik and Visberg to life too; from the rictus smile of the stuffed bear in Benny Björnmossen's hunt shop to the Visberg Grill which we learn sells 'every kind of pizza you'd never consider ordering, and a few you would', the sense of place is as impeccable as ever.
The creeping sense of foreboding and atmospheric setting is complemented by the character-driven plot where darkness is tempered by humour and despair relieved by love and hope. Wolf Pack is one of those special thrillers which explores some of the most hard-hitting contemporary issues and yet retains an emotional core which ensures it is as moving as it is thrilling. Very highly recommended.
Wolf Pack is published by Point Blank, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
Follow the tour, details are below.
About the Author
WILL DEAN lives in the middle of a vast elk forest in Sweden, where the Tuva Moodyson novels are set. He grew up in the East Midlands. After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden and built a wooden house in a boggy clearing, where he lives with his wife and son, and it’s from this base that he reads and writes. Will Dean is
the author of Dark Pines, Red Snow, Black River and Bad Apples in the Tuva Moodyson series. His debut novel in the series, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s Book Club and shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize. The second, Red Snow, won Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers' Awards and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2020, as was his third novel, Black River. The series is in development for television. Will is also the author of two stand-alone novels, The Last Thing to Burn, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2022, and First Born, both published by Hodder. Will Dean posts regularly about reading and writing on YouTube.
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