Dark Pines by Will Dean @willrdean @OneworldNews @PtBlankBks #BlogTour #DarkPines

SEE NO EVIL

Eyes missing, two bodies lie deep in the forest near a small Swedish town.

HEAR NO EVIL

Tuva Moodyson, a deaf reporter on a small-time local paper, is looking for the story that could make her career.

SPEAK NO EVIL

A web of secrets. And an unsolved murder from twenty years ago.

Can Tuva outwit the killer before she becomes the final victim? She'd like to think so. But first she must face her demons and venture far into the deep, dark woods if she wants to stand any chance of getting the hell out of small-time Gavrik.

Dark Pines by Will Dean is published by Oneworld / Point Blank Books on 4 January and is the author's debut novel. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review.

Dark Pines was one of my most anticipated recent reads. I'd heard lots of fabulous early praise about this book and was lucky enough to meet the author at the Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival in July.

Reading Dark Pines over the Christmas holiday, with no interruptions was perfect. As the rain battered the window and the fairy lights warmed the room, I was able to fully immerse myself into this slick and stylish story.

Will Dean has created a lead character in Tuva Moodyson who is complex, intricate and utterly compelling. Her own story is slowly revealed alongside a plot line that is eerily creepy and full of tension. The reader is transported to this small Swedish town, amongst vibrant characters, nestled within the dark and forbidding forest and becomes a part of the community. Discovering and uncovering mysteries and secrets that are revealed with a flair and grace that is really quite brilliant.

Tuva has returned to Sweden, from London, to be with her seriously ill mother. She's determined to succeed as a reporter on a small newspaper, and when recent murder cases seem to be linked to historical crimes, Tuva becomes intrigued, as does the reader.

Dark Pines is not a fast-paced action thriller, it is an evenly paced story that is meticulously and carefully crafted. Will Dean draws characters beautifully and his setting is sublime. This story is haunting and suspenseful, it's a book to savour. Beautifully written and highly recommended from me.

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the LSE, and working many varied jobs in London, he settled in rural Sweden with his wife.

He built a wooden house in a boggy forest clearing and it's from this base that compulsively he reads and writes.



Follow him on Twitter @willrdean