Nordic Thriller Mini Reviews: THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck & THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock
Two New Nordic Thrillers to Add to Your Fall TBR
THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck
Berkley; 9/28/21
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: Dark, thrilling Finnish crime fiction
Max Seeck’s Investigator Jessica Niemi series is one of my favorite new-to-me crime fiction discoveries of the past year. Seeck’s debut thriller The Witch Hunter hit US bookstores last winter, and blew me away with its dark, page-turning storytelling, all set against the chilling backdrop of wintry Finland. This fall, Seeck returns with his next series installment THE ICE COVEN, another standout crime novel that delivers a worthy follow-up to his excellent debut. In THE ICE COVEN, Jessica Niemi finds herself drawn into an intricate web of corruption and danger when two of Finland’s biggest Instagram influencers go missing. In Seeck’s capable hands, this dark Nordic thriller twists and turns from one shocking plot reveal to the next, culminating in a jaw-dropping finale that, cliché as it may sound, I genuinely did not see coming. Fans of page-turning Nordic thrillers like Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna books and Søren Sveistrup’s The Chestnut Man will want to add Seeck’s Jessica Niemi books to their TBR list immediately—these crime novels deliver all the page-turning, dark storytelling that fans of the Nordic serial killer thriller could hope for. You can read THE ICE COVEN as a stand-alone, but I would encourage readers to go back and start with The Witch Hunter—that story is so good, you won’t want to miss it.
THE ICE COVEN all begins with two seemingly unrelated crimes. A woman’s body washes up on the frigid shores of Finland bearing bizarre, inexplicable markings; meanwhile, two of Finland’s biggest Instagram influencers have gone missing, and one of their accounts seems to hint that their disappearance might be linked to foul play. Investigator Jessica Niemi and her colleagues in the homicide squad are tasked with solving both cases—assignments which lead them down the rabbit hole and into the crosshairs of a shadowy organization at work within Finland. What do these seemingly disparate crimes have to do with one another? And who will be the next victim of a mysterious man known as “Phantom” who appears to be at the heart of this complex mystery? Max Seeck weaves an engrossing tale that blends elements of police procedure with the dark, brooding atmosphere of Scandinavian crime fiction and page-turning plotting that will keep readers hooked. THE ICE COVEN shines thanks to its endearing, vividly-crafted characters and its accessible plotting. At the heart of this story is Jessica Niemi, a troubled and complex character who embodies the tortured spirit of so many fictional Nordic detectives without falling victim to genre clichés. Jessica is a woman who is (quite literally) haunted by the ghosts of her traumatic past; having lost her family at a young age, Jessica now lives her life with the ever-present spirit of her mother at her side. (Yes, there are tiny moments of supernatural touches embedded in this book, which makes it all the better for the Halloween season!) Jessica is a deeply private person, keeping much of her life carefully guarded from those around her—even from her friends and colleagues in the police force. Reeling from the recent death of her longtime mentor and dear friend, Jessica finds herself at a crossroads in her personal and professional lives when THE ICE COVEN begins. With a spiteful new boss in charge of the homicide squad who seems hell-bent on destroying Jessica’s career, Jessica soon finds herself fighting not only to solve the story’s gruesome central mysteries, but also to preserve the life she has worked so hard to build for herself. Jessica Niemi is the kind of protagonist I love to read: smart, ambitious, independent, strong, and also grappling with personal demons. Readers will love spending time with Jessica in THE ICE COVEN.
One key element of this book that is also worth noting is its page-turning pacing. Where traditional Nordic Noir tends towards a more slow-burning, densely layered plot structure, Max Seeck’s thrillers seem to follow more in the tradition of writers like Lars Kepler, writers who blend traditional Nordic crime inspiration with accessible, just-one-more-chapter pacing. Short chapters and plenty of action and reveals sprinkled throughout THE ICE COVEN (and throughout Seeck’s previous book The Witch Hunter, for that matter!) make this book an excellent choice for readers who want a thrilling crime story that embodies the dark mood and atmosphere of Nordic Noir while also delivering an easy-to-devour reading experience. Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi books are an excellent choice for crime fiction newcomers and longtime genre fans alike; these dark, gripping thrillers deliver on many levels, from their sinister plots to their endearing characters and gripping pacing.
THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock
Crooked Lane Books; 10/12/21
CBTB Rating: 4/5
The Verdict: Gritty and dark Nordic suspense
Danish crime writer Anne Mette Hancock has already made a name for herself in Scandinavia and across Europe, where her debut crime novel was awarded the Danish Crime Academy’s debutant prize. This week, we American readers are in for a treat, as Anne Mette Hancock’s debut THE CORPSE FLOWER hits US bookstores! This (very) dark, gritty crime novel delivers a blend of sinister psychological suspense and good, old fashioned Nordic crime fiction—a tantalizing combination that drew me in and kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. THE CORPSE FLOWER centers around Danish journalist Heloise, who finds herself drawn into an intriguing-yet-dangerous mystery when she begins receiving cryptic letters from a woman who is believed to have committed a brutal murder, and has been on the run from police ever since. Unable to resist investigating, Heloise finds herself on the trail of this woman… and, in the process, uncovers horrible secrets with ties to her own dark past. THE CORPSE FLOWER is a dark, gritty crime novel that lays bare unthinkable abuses of power and horrific crimes. Due to this book’s disturbing content, this one might not be for everyone—readers should keep in mind that this book tackles themes including abuse of children. Anne Mette Hancock delivers an unflinching crime story that pulls no punches as it tackles the evils of humanity, and follows one woman as she faces down the horrific truths about her own past.
THE CORPSE FLOWER embodies so many qualities that I love about Nordic Noir, including complex character development, gritty mood and atmosphere, and an unflinching approach to writing about the dark side of human nature. In THE CORPSE FLOWER, readers follow protagonist Heloise Kaldan as she finds herself drawn into a mystery with deep ties to her own personal history. Heloise Kaldan is, when we meet her, facing a setback in her own career: a source she relied on to break a major news story has been caught lying, and as a result, Heloise’s hard-earned reputation as a journalist is on the line. Heloise is off-kilter and on-edge, and things take a turn for the worse when, one day, she opens her mail to discover a cryptic letter has been delivered to her, and it appears to have been sent by an alleged killer. Three years earlier, a woman named Anna Kiel was the prime suspect in the brutal, bloody murder of a prominent lawyer. Anna fled the country, and hasn’t been seen since… so why is she now contacting Heloise? With her career on the line, Heloise decides to risk it all and pursue this mystery with the help of a trusted police officer, homicide detective Erik Scháfer. But the deeper Heloise and Erik dig, the more afraid Heloise becomes that the mystery of Anna Kiel and her letters might have ties to a piece of Heloise’s personal history that she has desperately tried to leave in the past. Solving the mystery of Anna might just mean going back to a place in her memory that Heloise swore she would never return, and confronting a person from her past whom Heloise never wanted to see again. THE CORPSE FLOWER takes readers on an unflinching and truly dark journey into the darkest corners of humanity, exposing true evil along the way.
Readers who will best enjoy THE CORPSE FLOWER are those who relish a slow-burning mystery, and readers who don’t mind (and, more importantly, enjoy!) crime stories that grapple with truly dark, disturbing content. THE CORPSE FLOWER is a gripping story, but it’s a story that takes its time to sink its teeth into readers; the story begins in a measured fashion, slowly but surely ratcheting up the tension and suspense until it reaches a jaw-dropping denouement. Readers who enjoy slow-burns as I do will love the time and care author Hancock takes in establishing her book’s characters and setting, a quality which pays off in spades at the book’s tense and thrilling conclusion. If you are looking for a really fast-paced, action-packed thriller, you may be better off searching elsewhere—THE CORPSE FLOWER simply isn’t that kind of book. If, on the other hand, you love stories that draw you bit by bit into their dark worlds, THE CORPSE FLOWER will be well worth your consideration. Dark, gritty, and unflinching, THE CORPSE FLOWER is a compelling series launch for Hancock, one that takes readers into the darkest, ugliest corners of humanity following a protagonist searching for her own kind of redemption. I am already looking forward to seeing what Anne Mette Hancock writes next—the Kaldan & Scháfer series is one that I will look forward to following closely in years to come.
Book Details:
THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck
Publisher : Berkley (September 28, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 464 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593199693
ISBN-13 : 978-0593199695
THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books (October 12, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1643858289
ISBN-13 : 978-1643858289
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