October 11

Wolf Pack – Will Dean

When there’s a pack on the hunt, nobody’s safe

A closed community

Rose Farm is home to a group of survivalists, completely cut off from the outside world. Until now.

A missing person

A young woman goes missing within the perimeter of the farm compound. Can Tuva talk her way inside the tight-knit group to find her story?

A frantic search

As Tuva attempts to unmask the culprit, she gains unique access to the residents. But soon she finds herself in danger of the pack turning against her – will she make her way back to safety so she can expose the truth?

Will Dean’s most heart-pounding Tuva Moodyson thriller yet takes Tuva to her absolute limits in exposing a heinous crime, and in her own personal life. Can she, and will she, do the right thing?

My thanks to Point Blank Crime for the review copy of Wolf Pack and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this spot on the Wolf Pack blog tour.
A Tuva Moodyson book from Will Dean means a return to the wilds of Sweden, and stories which are set in a small town which feels lost in a big landscape. Despite the miles and miles of woodland which surround Tuva’s home town Mr Dean always manages to make these stories feel claustrophobic.
If you are new to these stories then you’ve missed some great books and I would highly recommend taking some time to catch up on the earlier titles. But if Wolf Pack is your introduction to Tuva’s world then you can rip straight into this book and not worry too much about what has gone before as the story is a self contained thriller. There is one significant incident in the previous books which casts a long shadow over Tuva’s situation but it is addressed in depth during Wolf Pack so you get all the information you need to follow the story. Beyond that Tuva is a journalist in a small town. She is deaf, tenatious, persistent and one of the best new protagonists to enter crime fiction in the last few years.
The story in Wolf Pack begins with a missing girl: Elsa Nyberg. She is twenty years old and works at Rose Farm which is an isoloated community where visitors are not welcomed and the residents are survivalists with no time or interest for things beyond their walls. Rose Farm has a dark history too which only serves to give the community and their settlement a dark vibe – it’s best avoided. Tuva, however, is not looking to avoid Rose Farm. She has been asked to look out for the Elsa and that will involve going to Rose Farm and asking questions.
As Wolf Pack is such a tight story it is hard to give too much detail about how the story unfolds without getting too far into spoiler territory. Suffice to say Tuva’s questions will start to uncover incidents and events which some people would prefer did not become common knowledge. She will put herself into danger in a pursuit for the truth but as Tuva doesn’t know who presents a danger to her it keeps her (and the reader) in a tense state as events unfold.
Will Dean always delivers with his Tuva Moodyson books and Wolf Pack is no exception. Once you step back into Tuva’s world there is no getting out until the author has told his story – it will shock, thrill and entertain. More of these please, always such fun.
Wolf Pack is available from Point Blank Crime in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09XN8GBBB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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March 25

Black River – Will Dean

Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.

FEAR

Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim is 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?

 

Huge thanks to publishers Point Blank for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Black River blog tour

 

Black River brings another very welcome return for journalist Tuva Moodyson. Tuva has appeared twice before but if you haven’t had a chance to read any of Will Dean’s previous books (both highly recommended) the good news is that Black River works great as a stand alone title.

Returning readers will be delighted to learn that Tuva has achieved career progression and moved South, away from Gavrik and it’s deep, dark forests to take up a new role. However, Tuva receives a call to advise all is not well in Gavrik as her best friend Tammy has disappeared and the police do not seem to be treating the matter as a crime.  Tuva immediately gets into her car and drives North – she will find her friend.

The Gavrik police point out that Tammy is an adult and has not been gone for long, they make it clear adults drop off the grid for no reason all the time.  Tuva is not convinced – Tammy’s mobile food hut hasn’t been properly closed down, her bag and purse remain and there is a small drop of blood found at the place she was last seen. Tammy wouldn’t just vanish and leave behind all her possessions.  Tuva is soon back doing what she does best, asking questions, probing and leaving no stone unturned.

I found it very poignant when Tuva was interviewing people she didn’t previously know and they painted her a picture of her best friend’s life – a girl Tuva no-longer recognized.  Tammy is described as lonely, she was “missing a friend who moved away” and was using dating apps and going out with guys that Tuva didn’t feel were good matches for her friend. Guilt only increases Tuva’s worry for her friend.

Circumstances will soon change and the police will take a much more active role in searching for Tammy.  But Tuva has her own suspicions and her investigations will bring her back into contact with some of Will Dean’s wonderfully unusual and quirky characters.

The Tuva Moodyson books are already one of the new releases I look forward to each year. Will Dean is building a cracking series and Black River only enhances the collection thus far. Highly recommended.

 

Black River is published by Point Blank and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-River-Will-Dean-ebook/dp/B07XYD9HKN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1584720019&sr=1-1

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January 7

Red Snow – Will Dean

TWO BODIES

One suicide. One cold-blooded murder. Are they connected? And who’s really pulling the strings in the small Swedish town of Gavrik?

TWO COINS

Black Grimberg liquorice coins cover the murdered man’s eyes. The hashtag #Ferryman starts to trend as local people stock up on ammunition.

TWO WEEKS

Tuva Moodyson, deaf reporter at the local paper, has a fortnight to investigate the deaths before she starts her new job in the south. A blizzard moves in. Residents, already terrified, feel increasingly cut-off. Tuva must go deep inside the Grimberg factory to stop the killer before she leaves town for good. But who’s to say the Ferryman will let her go?

 

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the chance to join the blog tour.

 

We first met Tuva Moodyson in Dark Pines – a book I included in my Top Ten Reads of 2018.  Tuva’s debut appearance was a shining example of how to make your lead character instantly memorable and entirely likeable. I have been really looking forward to her return in Red Snow and I was not disappointed with Will Dean’s latest release.

Tuva is leaving town, she is counting down the days left at work, has agreed the end of the lease on her car and is saying her farewells to colleagues and friends.  However, Tuva is not going to get the chance to slip away quietly. She finds herself outside the large liquorice factory (the business which employs most of the townsfolk) just as the factory owner leaps to his death from the highest chimney of his plant. He dies at Tuva’s feet.

Tuva will find herself drawn back to the Grimberg liquorice factory and while being taken on a tour of the facility she makes a shocking discovery.

To uncover the truth Tuva will need to get close to the owners of the factory, however, they are notoriously secretive and are not keen to have Tuva disrupting the workings of their factory…too many jobs rely upon business as usual.

I loved Red Snow. The small town in what w to be a perpetual ice block gives the story a cold, atmospheric feel which is perfect for the sinister tale Will Dean is spinning. Tuva is a delight to read about, her determination and focus delightfully balanced by wobbly nerves when she gets flustered by a new crush.

Will Dean is creating wonderful stories, you really should read them as I know you will enjoy them.

 

 

Red Snow is published on 10 January 2018 by Point Blank and will be available in hardback, digital and audiobook.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Snow-Tuva-Moodyson-Mystery/dp/1786074796/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1546790529&sr=8-1

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January 4

Dark Pines – Will Dean

An isolated Swedish town.

A deaf reporter terrified of nature.

A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest.

A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.

It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.

 

My thanks to Margot at One World Publications for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

 

I have been looking forward to sharing my review of Dark Pines, when I read I book which I absolutely adored I want to share my review immediately!

Dark Pines is an atmospheric murder tale which takes the readers to a remote Swedish town and sees much of the action taking place in the dark, claustrophobic woods. The lead character, Tuva Moodyson, is a reporter working at the small local paper but the murder deep in the woods (during hunting season) may give her the opportunity to report on one of the biggest stories the region has ever seen.

Tuva is a terrific character and I loved reading her story. Her deafness is depicted really well by Will Dean, it is an issue she deals with and ensures other characters adapt to her requirements. She has a strong personality and tenacious attitude and this serves her well as her reporting of the deaths in the woods will become problematic for the residents of her home town.

The murder story is chilling too.  Twenty years prior to events in Dark Pines a killer stalked the woods, removing the eyes of their victims. The killer became known as “Medusa” but was never caught and, without explanation, the murders ceased. Spinning forward to present day the latest murder is causing the townsfolk significant concern – when it become apparent that the victim has had his eyes removed their concern intensifies.

Dark Pines is a storming read. One of those books which can wholly consume your attention and pull you entirely into the story.  A five star review for a book which I will be recommending to everyone.

 

Dark Pines is published by Point Blank and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Pines-Tuva-Moodyson-Mystery/dp/1786073854/ref=la_B0759QS537_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1515062614&sr=1-1

 

 

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