Very atmospheric, engaging and enjoyable village murder story set in rural Sweden. Tuva Moodyson is a deaf reporter on the local newspaper for the small town of Gavrik in Sweden. When a hunter is murdered and mutilated in the local forest Tuva is assigned the story. The murder is like a previous series of murder and mutilations that happened twenty years previously. The inhabitants of the strung-out hamlet in the forest become the focus for Tuva’s investigation. The story unfolds very nicely, the reveals are superbly staged, and the climax is very satisfying.
Will Dean has written a great village murder mystery, all of the elements feel fresh and work together very well to drive the story forward . The isolated location, the town of Gavrick is small and slightly isolated, the center of the story is the really isolated group that have houses in the enormous forest on the outskirts of the town. The houses and the characters who live in them are given the space to fully come to life and they are enjoyably diverse in their living styles and motivations. The small number of likely suspects gives the story a focus as each one becomes the subject of greater attention by Tuva.
Tuva herself is a double outsider in the town, both as a deaf person and a non-native, she has personal reasons for being in the town. The work she is doing on the local paper is intended as a gateway to work in a bigger city when the time comes. This lack of roots in the town becomes vital as the story progresses as the tension between the perceived interest of the local movers and shakers and Tuva’s reporting becomes fractious.
Tuva narrates the story so it is her point of view that dominates, Will Dean skillfully lets the rest of the cast to emerge in their own right through this narrative. Tuva’s agenda is never hidden, neither is anyone else’s, this greatly increases the engagement of the story. The tension created by the murders in a small town is shown as well as the struggle to report such events for a local newspaper that relies on that same community.
Tuva is deaf in a matter-of-fact way. The demands it places on her are part of her life and she manages them as a matter of course. This nicely give Tuva barrier that has to be managed without it ever defining her or her actions.
The walk on cast are introduced and developed with confident economy, they are as full of life as the main cast and all are working hard on their lives.
Dark Pines is a treat, superb plot mechanics, unusual location and a great cast. First rate crime fiction.
