Publisher: Berkley Books
Published: September 28, 2021
Source: Netgalley via Publisher
Summary:
Investigator Jessica Niemi is in a race against time to find the link between a body with strange markings that has washed up on a frigid shore in Finland and two mysterious disappearances in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Witch Hunter.
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious serial-killing coven of witches and the death of her mentor Erne. Her nightmares about her mother and the witchcraft that undid her have only gotten worse, but she’s doing what she can to stay focused. Her homicide squad, now under new leadership, has been given a murder case and a new series of disappearances to investigate. A young woman’s corpse has washed up on an icy beach, and two famous Instagram influencers have gone missing at the same time.
The missing influencers and the murdered woman all have ties to a sinister cult. Jessica finds an eerie painting–of a lighthouse on a frigid island–as she investigates and under the picture is a gruesome poem detailing a murder. The nightmares about her dead mother have intensified and seem all too real, making Jessica wonder if the woman might be trying to tell her something about the killings. And as Jessica works frantically to solve her latest case, her terrifying past and the coven of witches that almost killed her shockingly reemerge and threaten to destroy her.
My thoughts:
Last year, I read The Witch Hunter, Max Seeck’s first book in his Jessica Niemi series and I absolutely loved it. I have been waiting for this second book to be translated into English and am so glad that it finally has…this series is just so good!
Nordic Noir crime fiction is definitely one of my favorite genres to read and this second installment once again grabbed me and didn’t let go. I found myself completely invested in the story and loved how atmospheric and dark it was. I am a big fan of police procedurals and this one is so expertly written that it really keeps you engaged throughout. There were so many twists and turns to this one that really kept me guessing all the way through and I never guessed where it was all heading.
I continue to be a huge fan of Investigator Jessica Niemi. She is such a flawed character and I felt like she really needed to prove herself in this latest installment with her new boss. But I do love all the interactions she has with her team, and there are a few moments when you see a more vulnerable side to Jessica and I just love those. We continue to get flashbacks of Jessica’s past and I really love these scenes, as dark and ominous as they tend to be. I have a feeling we have only scratched the surface on all the skeletons in Jessica’s past.
This book moves fast and the short chapters only help move that along. I found myself completely addicted to this dark, twisty, and at times, chilling story and once I started reading, I could not put it down. I am definitely looking forward to reading book 3, which I hope will be released in the US sooner rather than later.
Books in this series:
- The Witch Hunter
- The Ice Coven
- ???
