Dark Pines by Will Dean

I have to admit to really loving book covers as there are times when a book cover just screams at you and with the debut thriller Dark Pines by Will Dean it really does just encapsulate everything this exciting debut is all about.

Journalist Tuva Moodyson is sent to investigate a series of murders in the small Swedish town of Gavrik, being a reporter here mean you generally report on small town issues for Tuva who moved back to Gavrik from London to be closer to her mother who is very ill. Being a reporter in a big city meant being on call for major news stories happening all the time but in Gavrik not much was happening until now that is. Now with the discovery of a mutilated body deep in the pine woods all that changes for Tuva. A killer is out there and could strike again.

This could be such an important break for Tuva is she can find a link between this murder and three other murders from years back then she could be on to finding clues to the killer and if there is a link then the killer could strike again. But there is one thing about Tuva that you should know. Tuva is deaf and in the bid expanse of the woods this could pose a real danger to her. As soon as I realised this my pulse rate rocketed as you can almost realise and sense the danger that she could find herself in. What a real character Tuva is she is now one of my favourites in crime novels.

There is something about how she goes about investigating the murder and the local communities close to the scene of the crime. She uncovers some strange locals including two creepy sisters. Add into the mix a series of red herrings as the police move closer to their potential ‘target’.

This is going to be a massive hit with any reader who loves Nordic crime noir as this is a dark and at times foreboding tale. How Will Dean describes the locality and the dark pine forest is totally bang on. I really could not put Dark Pines down and when I did I just wanted to go straight back as I felt I was missing something.

A gripping and haunting debut crime novel and I just hope Will Dean is now busy writing book two with Tuva at its heart. I want to read more of our new heroine.

Dark Pines is a must read Winter fireside crime novel and launches 2018 with a bang. I have a feeling this is already one of my big hits for this year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

336 Pages.

Dark Pines by Will Dean is published by Point Blank and was published on 4^th January 2018 and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.