Happy publication day to Will Dean for Black River, the third book in his Tuva Moodyson series set in Sweden. A big thank you to Margot Weale at Oneworld for sending me a proof copy to read.

 

The Blurb

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?

My Review

At the end of Red Snow, I was cheering a little bit for Tuva. She was finally going to escape the clutches of Gavrik and its very creepy inhabitants. She even managed four months away from the place before it lured her back. But her best friend, Tammy, has gone missing. Tuva has to find her. But the locals aren’t all that keen to help. Tuva wonders if it’s because Tammy’s of Thai origin even though she’s Swedish or because no one wants to disrupt the Midsommar festival.

Finally, after the freezing temperatures and thick snow, summer has come with its almost endless days. Great. This sounds like the kind of Sweden I’d like. Except summer brings its own tribulations in the form of insects, especially mosquitoes and ticks, and there are snakes. Hmm, beginning to lose its appeal. And then there are the people that Tuva meets. A small community at Snake River Salvage who appear even weirder than the troll-carving sisters. But Tammy has a connection with someone who lives there. Tuva has no choice but to head in.

The great thing about Will Dean’s writing is that you don’t actually have to go to Sweden to experience the snow or Midsommar. You can enjoy it all in the comfort of your own home as Dean’s wonderful descriptions transport you to the fictional town of Gavrik. I read Black River over Christmas/New Year and despite the cold darkness outside, my imagination was flooded with sunshine, warmth and, yes, insects.  But more than that, we’re back with Tuva whom I adore. She’s grown a lot since Dark Pines and I love seeing a more settled and assured Tuva. There’s the old adage of write what you know. Certainly, Will Dean knows about living in a Swedish forest but a female, deaf, bisexual journalist? Dean blasts that myth out of the water with his creation of Tuva Moodyson. She’s gutsy but vulnerable. A truth-seeker who won’t let anyone get in her way, despite the danger. For me, she’s one of the best female characters in crime books currently. And the good news, there’s more to come.

Black River is out today and you can buy it here.

 

 

 

The Author

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands and lived in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden, where he built a house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s Book Club, shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize and named a Telegraph book of the year. The second book in the series, Red Snow, is available in paperback with Black River out in hardback in March 2020.