Wolf Pack by Will Dean
| Wolf Pack by Will Dean | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: It's the fifth book in the Tuva Moodyson series and it seems to be getting better and better. I opted in at book four, but I'm hooked already! Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 320 | Date: October 2022 |
| Publisher: Point Blank | |
| ISBN: 978-0861541997 | |
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The story began when Tuva Moodyson drove her Hilux pickup truck on the road north of Visberg. She sees blood on the road and a creature on its side near the pine trees. It will turn out to be Bronco, a Swedish Elkhound, who has been attacked by a wolf. Tuva takes Bronco and his owner, Bengt Nyberg, to the vet. Bronco didn't make it but on the way, Nyberg told Tuva that he was out looking for his niece, twenty-year-old Elsa Nyberg, who had gone missing. She'd been working at Rose Farm and Moodyson's journalist's instincts are soon brought to the fore. Rose Farm is now home to a group of survivalists but back in 1987 the then owner, Johan Svenson murdered his wife, and his two eldest children and then killed himself. His newborn child, just four weeks old survived. Does this have any connection to the disappearance of Elsa Nyberg?
To find out, Moodyson needs to infiltrate Rose Farm and that isn't easy. They're obsessive about their privacy. Visits are by appointment only other than at weekends when the organic cafe, run by Linda Larsson is open. Ruby runs the beauty salon and Kurt Holm, known as T-Bone, runs the farm. He's the one who seems most upset about Elsa's disappearance as she helped him.
SPOILER ALERT: JUMP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BAD APPLES
It's a difficult time for Moodyson. Her girlfriend, police woman Noora Ali, was shot. She's technically alive and at home with her parents but she's completely unresponsive. Tuva is spending what time she can with her, even reading poetry over the phone but she's dreading people asking how Noora's doing. People expect there to be steady, even if slow, improvement but there's none and no hope of any. Initially, Tuva was relieved that Noora had survived the shooting but she's now wondering if she was hoping for the wrong thing. There's a beautiful subtlety in the descriptions of the relationship: I could have cried but felt that Moodyson would not have appreciated it.
OK - YOU CAN REJOIN HERE!
I came late to the Tuva Moodyson series, but I've come to appreciate the tight and tense plotting and excellent characterisation. Tuva Moodyson herself is a masterclass in how to build a character: she's gay and she's deaf but neither her sexuality nor her disability defines her. She's an investigative journalist first and foremost: Will Dean doesn't need to rely on anything else. Moodyson might be a loner with few friends but you come to admire her strength and independence.
This is a cracker of a series: probably the best of the current Scandi-noir. I'm looking forward to seeing what Will and Tuva do next.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
For more Scandi-noir, you might appreciate Where Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin.
Will Dean's Tuva Moodyson series in chronological order
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You can read more book reviews or buy Wolf Pack by Will Dean at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Wolf Pack by Will Dean at Amazon.com.
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