by Katja Ivar
SYNOPSIS
Hella Mauzer has just been fired by the police and is now a reluctant private investigator. Escaping the mind-numbing routine of shadowing unfaithful spouses, Hella finds herself at the centre of an investigation of multiple murders.
It all begins when a prostitute is found floating upside down in Helsinki Harbour. Not exactly a high priority case for the Helsinki police, so homicide chief Jokela passes the job to his former colleague Hella. It’s beginning to look like a serial killer is at work when another lady of the night narrowly escapes being driven into the harbour, handcuffed to the car by her client.
What begins like a taut whodunit turns into something more tantalising as Hella turns her attention to different suspects, often to the consternation of the fascinating Inspector Mustonen, charismatic, ambitious and trying desperately to live up to the standards of his high-maintenance wife.
REVIEW Detective Hella Mauzur was the first female to work on the homicide squad in Finland. After being fired from the Police her new career as a Private Investigator was not particularly exciting, but things take a sudden change when the Police hand over a case that they have decided not to pursue.
The madam from a local brothel asks Hella to investigate the death of one of her girls, Nellie, who drowned in the harbour, after the Police dismissed the case. The investigation which follows is told from two different perspectives – Hella and Chief Inspector Mustonen (Hella’s former colleague), and shows the different approaches to the case after the Police are brought back in when more women are attacked.
Hella and Mustonen's investigations eventually start pointing to suspects closer to home and build up to a shocking ending in a really fresh and atmospheric murder mystery.
Deep As Death is the perfect blend of Nordic Noir and Historical Fiction. The setting, Helsinki in 1953, gives the story a unique edge that sets it apart from other Scandinavian Crime Thrillers. The most interesting aspect for me was the way this highlighted how a female detective would be treated at that time and the general attitude towards women working in these types of roles – something that would be taken for granted in a similar book set in the present day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katja Ivar grew up in Russia and the U.S. She travelled the world extensively, from Almaty to Ushuaia, from Karelia to Kyushu, before finally settling in Paris where she lives with her husband and three children. She received a B.A. in Linguistics and a master's degree in Contemporary History from Sorbonne University. Evil Things was her debut novel. Deep As Death is the second in a three-book series featuring Hella Mauzer, to follow on the success of Evil Things.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, @KatjaIvar and Bitter Lemon Press @bitterlemonpub for the opportunity to read & review.
Fiction: Nordic Noir
Product format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1912242-306
Pages: 295 pp
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