As a reader that loves Nordic noir and historic fiction, I was so excited to read Evil Things by Katja Ivar. I wasn’t disappointed. The added tension for gender equality that runs deep throughout this novel also gave it an added dimension that I loved.
Set in 1952 during the cold war in Lapland, Evil Things is a chilling, political and thought-provoking thriller. It introduces us to the astute Hella Mauzer, a complex, flawed heroine with a history. I really admired Hella as she continually battles for equality in the chauvinistic Finnish police force.
Hella, the first female detective in the Helsinki Homicide Unit is deemed too ’emotional’ for the job. Hence she’s reassigned to deepest, darkest Lapland. This is where the novel opens.
When the police are notified of a man disappearing from a remote village on the Soviet border, Hella goes against her boss’s patronising warnings and travels to the village to investigate. What she uncovers is truly evil – shocking me so much, my blood ran cold. It is institutional corruption on a grand scale; a crime against humanity.
Katja Ivar, author of Evil Things
Katja Ivar vividly portrays the cold, claustrophobic atmosphere of 1950s Lapland life, skillfully depicting the political and historic tensions between Finland and the Soviet Union. Yes, while reading Evil Things, I did have to Google a few things as I didn’t really know anything about Finnish history. But this is one of the reasons why Evil Things is so good – it educated me in a way that I wanted to be educated. It is also a compelling read.
Evil Things ended on an almighty cliff hanger and left me wanting more. I now literally cannot wait for the second book in the Hella Mauzer crime series.
Thank you Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the blog tour of this new and exciting novel. Thank you also Katja Ivar for creating Hella Mauzer and such a thought-provoking plot.
Today is my turn on the blog tour of Evil Things. You can read the reviews from my fellow book bloggers also taking part in the blog tour.
Evil Things will be published by Bitter Lemon Press on Friday 11 January 2019.
Thank you so much for this fabulous Blog Tour support Kirsty x