Thank you Berkley Books, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Ghost Island in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pub date: February 27, 2024
Summary:
On a secluded island, homicide detective Jessica Niemi must investigate a drowning that is tied to a frightening ghostly legend in this riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE WITCH HUNTER.
Jessica Niemi is put on leave after a violent altercation between her and a belligerent man makes headlines. To escape the unwanted scrutiny, Jessica travels to a remote island in the Åland archipelago and rents a room at a small seaside inn. She is hoping to be left alone as she faces the possibility that she is losing what is left of her sanity but three elderly visitors have arrived at the inn for their yearly sojourn. Jessica learns that they are the remaining ‘birds of spring’, former refugees who fled Finland as children during World War II and lived together for a few months in an orphanage on the island.
The orphanage no longer exists but the local legend about one of its inhabitants, a girl named Maija, still haunts the surviving orphans. Every evening Maija would put on her blue coat and stand on the pier, looking out at the dark water until one night, she disappeared and was never seen again. When one of the ‘birds of spring’ is found dead, drowned alongside the same pier, and Jessica learns about two other deaths from the past, also connected to the orphanage, she has no choice but to try and put the pieces of this terrifying mystery together.
Jessica can’t be sure whether she’s facing a killer or—just like the legend says—the ghost of Maija, the girl in the blue coat. Uncertain what is real and what is not, Jessica desperately searches for answers that she hopes will stop the murders and finally silence her own demons once and for all…
My thoughts:
This is the fourth book in Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series and I am a huge fan of this series! This NordicNoir series is just what I crave during the winter months – dark, chilling reads that are completely atmospheric.
I loved how this latest installment had the perfect blend of mystery and supernatural elements to it. There is also the police procedural part, even though at the start of the book, our protagonist homicide detective Jessica Niemi, is supposed to be on leave due to an altercation with a civilian that took a wrong turn. Hiding out on a tiny island, Jessica finds herself in the middle of strange happenings and learns the island itself has a very dark history. Is it just urban legend or is there something more sinister going on here?
I loved how Jessica cannot help but get involved in the goings on where she is. The case is multi-layered and complex, with just enough twists to keep you turning the pages. And those short chapters and the locked-room setting, as well as the limited amount of suspects, really help to amp up the suspense. The ending, though completely satisfying, is sad. I know it fits the story, but it definitely got to me.
I’ve now read all the books in this series to date…and I am hoping there will be more Jessica Niemi stories to come! Until then, I’ll have to see if any of Max Seeck’s other books have been translated into English.
Books in this series:
- The Witch Hunter
- The Ice Coven
- The Last Grudge
- Ghost Island
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