Looking for a serial killer thriller with an extra-chilling edge this winter? Look no further than Finnish crime writer Max Seeck’s US debut, THE WITCH HUNTER. In this thoroughly entertaining—and thoroughly chilling—serial killer tale, a shadowy group is bringing the horrific crimes of a bestselling trilogy of books to life, and it’s up to a detective with secrets of her own to crack the case. Roger Koponen has made his fortune writing the Witch Hunter trilogy, a gruesome and terrifying fiction series. When Roger’s wife is found brutally murdered, her body displayed in a manner eerily similar to one of the crimes depicted in Roger’s books, investigator Jessica Niemi is assigned to the case. But the deeper Jessica digs into the murder, the more unusual the case becomes. And when more bodies start piling up, and it becomes clear there must be more than one villain responsible for these brutal acts, Jessica finds herself drawn into a web of conspiracy and sinister intrigue. THE WITCH HUNTER is a page-turning, entertaining Nordic thriller with plenty of appeal for fans of Nordic Noir and serial killer thrillers alike. Laced with elements of witchcraft and the occult, THE WITCH HUNTER delivers a seriously chilling read perfect for the winter months ahead. Max Seeck’s US debut has positioned him as an author to watch.
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Book Review: THE KINGDOM by Jo Nesbø
Where to begin with this book review? If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for more than a couple days, you’ve probably already picked up on the fact that Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbø is my all-time, hands-down favorite author. I could go on and on about my long standing love of Nesbø’s books. I could tell you about the moment I was recommended his books while on my first trip to Norway years ago; I could share how his books got me through heartbreak, a cross-country move, job changes, health challenges, and a whole lot more; I could tell you about the time I spent a day in Oslo, Norway retracing the most significant locations from his bestselling crime fiction series. But (contrary to how it seems so far!) this blog post isn’t actually about me. It’s about Nesbø’s outstanding new standalone novel THE KINGDOM—a book that captivated me and swept me up in its gritty, tragic tale of love and betrayal. In THE KINGDOM, Nesbø departs from his beloved Harry Hole series with a standalone novel that trades serial killers and police procedure for long-buried interpersonal secrets and the fallout of their resurrection. THE KINGDOM is a masterful work of rural noir, a story that will pluck you up from wherever you are sitting and bring you to a small (fictional) town nestled in the mountains of western Norway. Slow-burning yet propulsive, THE KINGDOM showcases a new side of Nesbø’s crime writing talent. With THE KINGDOM, he has delivered another outstanding work of crime fiction, a story that explores themes of family, love, and loyalty, all wrapped up in a gritty, slow-burning, rural noir package.
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Book Review: THE NESTING by C.J. Cooke
Gothic suspense gets a Nordic makeover in C.J. Cooke’s beguiling and bone-chilling 2020 release THE NESTING. In this inventive suspense novel, there’s more than just wildlife lurking in the woods of Norway, and an unsuspecting young woman is about to realize that her new home isn’t just slightly creepy… it’s flat-out dangerous. When I first learned of C.J. Cooke’s book THE NESTING, I could hardly believe my good luck. It felt like one of those rare moments when an author somehow managed to craft the exact right combination of things you personally love as a reader—for me, in this case, a combination of Gothic suspense and a Norwegian setting—and I could hardly wait to dive in. I’m happy to report that Cooke’s latest release more than met my (high!) expectations. THE NESTING puts a modern spin on a classic Gothic suspense premise, and wraps it all up in the atmosphere of Scandinavia. Fans of Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor and Ruth Ware’s THE TURN OF THE KEY (both of which pay homage to Henry James’ classic THE TURN OF THE SCREW, I would be remiss not to add!) will adore the immersive Gothic tale Cooke spins in her latest novel, while readers who love stories set in Scandinavia will sink effortlessly into the dark forests of Norway in which THE NESTING is set. As we enter the colder, darker months of the year, C.J. Cooke’s THE NESTING is the perfect spine-tingling story to add to your TBR list.
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Book Review: INVISIBLE GIRL by Lisa Jewell
Queen of the just-one-more-page thriller Lisa Jewell is back with what is undoubtedly my favorite book of hers yet: INVISIBLE GIRL, available this week in the US. INVISIBLE GIRL is a perfect encapsulation of the delicious blend of dark intrigue and entertainment value that I’ve fallen in love with in Jewell’s writing. It’s a story of chance encounters, intersecting lives, and sinister secrets, all of which plays out against the seemingly innocuous backdrop of a high-end neighborhood in London. There is no one sole protagonist in Jewell’s latest novel, but rather a cast of characters whose intersecting fates provide the sinister drama central to this engrossing, unputdownable psychological thriller. Behind closed doors, everyone has something to hide, and none of Jewell’s characters are spared having their darkest secrets laid bare in INVISIBLE GIRL. Readers looking for a fresh take on domestic suspense will find Jewell’s INVISIBLE GIRL an irresistible blend of juicy drama and razor-sharp thriller writing. INVISIBLE GIRL is one of the best psychological suspense novels I’ve read this year, and a must-read for any suspense aficionado’s fall reading list.
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Book Review: ONE BY ONE by Ruth Ware
Never has there been a more perfect time to read a “locked room mystery” than in 2020. This summer, while holed up in my house during lockdown, I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Ruth Ware’s chilling new mystery, ONE BY ONE—a book that puts a fresh, modern spin on the classic crime fiction “locked room” structure. The premise of Ware’s newest: a group of employees on a corporate retreat to a picturesque ski lodge in the French Alps find their getaway horribly disrupted when an avalanche cuts off their access to the outside world. In the claustrophobic confinement of the lodge, the group finds tempers rising, personalities clashing, and long-buried secrets threatening to reappear. Confined spaces and isolation, you say? If that doesn’t sound like 2020, I don’t know what does. Now, (thankfully!) my lockdown experience has been nowhere near as dramatic and sinister as the experiences of Ware’s ill-fated characters in ONE BY ONE, but if there ever were a moment when a “locked room mystery” rang especially true for me… this year is it. Ruth Ware’s newest suspense offering delivers a deliciously dark and dramatic tale of a group of individuals whose egos, secrets, and personal motivations clash in sinister and deadly ways when they find themselves isolated in close quarters with one another. Replete with red herrings a plenty, multiple narrators who will keep you on your toes, and an ever-intensifying sense of dread, ONE BY ONE is another outstanding crime novel from the writer who has rightfully been dubbed a modern-day Agatha Christie.
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