GHOST ISLAND

4 stars out of 5

The latest in the adventures of homicide detective Nessica Niemi - the fourth in the series - puts her sanity to a bit of a test. She's on leave after a devastating encounter that made headlines and her boss eager to be rid of her for a while. As luck would have it, her getaway of choice is a remote island that once housed an orphanage - and for a time, young refugees from Finland who were forced to leave their homes and families during World War II. As Jessica stays at an inn near the shore owned by the elderly Astrid and her son, Ake, some elderly guests show up; she's told they are the only ones remaining of those Finnish children - known as the "birds of spring" - who have gathered annually. At their advanced age and failing health, this may well be their last meeting.

Gradually, as Jessica's natural curiosity and sometimes schitzophrenic mind (she's long been prone to "visions") conjure up strange happenings, she learns about the local legend of Maija - one of the orphans who went to the dock and watched the water every night, wearing a blue coat. That is, until she didn't; one night, she never returned to the orphanage. But out of home doesn't mean out of sight; for years, people on the island have "seen" her at the dock.

But then, one of the "birds" is found dead - in a manner similar to other deaths in years past. Something is amiss - Jessica is sure of it - but she has no legal right to investigate, and there's another police officer who isn't exactly welcoming her help. Asking for assistance from her own department isn't really an option, either - and even if she could, cell phone service is spotty at best on the island.

Chapters shift from present to the time the children were at the orphanage, and that can be a little hard to keep straight. I'd also say I'm glad that I'm familiar with the other books in the series, because without that background, this one might be a little hard to follow. It all works out in the end, but not without at least one zinger of a surprise that pops up around the midpoint. All in all, it's a fact-paced, entertaining adventure - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Ghost Island by Max Seeck (Berkley, February 2024); 380 pp.

THE LAST GRUDGE

5 stars out of 5

I've read and enjoyed two other books in this series featuring Helsinki, Finland, police detective Jessica Niemi. This one begins as Jessica is on leave after being seriously injured in an attack; one hand still isn't functioning very well, and she's still plagued with mysterious and disturbing "sightings" of her late mother and haunted by a few other occult-type demons triggered by events in her past. In fact, for the first half or so of the book, she doesn't play a prominent role.

In her absence, the role of good cop pretty much falls to her friend and colleague Jusef Pepple, a competent and very likable character in his own right. He's called in when a very rich man is murdered in his very well secured home right under the ever-watchful eye of his longtime bodyguard Joonas Lamberg. Apparently a tyrant in the world of business, he'd just made a deal that would close a local factory and put some 3,000 employees out of work - so the lineup of possible suspects could stretch for miles. When Jusef and his team find a years-earlier photo of the victim and two other men, both of whose faces are scratched out, the motive becomes a little more clear.

But motive alone won't do it; given the security, means and opportunity to commit the murder appear to be nonexistent. So while Jessica continues to battle her demons on her own - occasionally conferring with Yusef when he begs her to help - the police scramble to figure out how anyone could have pulled off the murder in what was a scant window of time without being seen or heard.

Those details are the most I can provide without giving too much away, so I'll just say this is another entertaining entry into what I've come to know as a really good series. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy. Well done once again!

The Last Grudge by Max Seeck (Berkley, February 2023); 448 pp.

THE ICE COVEN

4 stars out of 5

In 2020, I was privileged to read a pre-release copy of the first book in this series, The Witch Hunter. So when I had a chance to request a copy of this one, the second in the series, my response in the affirmative was a no-brainer. Now that I've finished it, count me in for the next one.

In the previous book, Violent Crimes investigator Jessica Neimi lost her police department boss, mentor and lover, Erne; now, she must deal with a new and far less friendly supervisor nicknamed Hallu. After a night of partying with a famous singer, a popular blogger named Lisa Yammamoto and her friend Jason Nervander go missing. Jessica, her colleague Yusef and the rest of the team are assigned the case with few clues to go on. Then, police find another woman's body on a beach near a lighthouse; who she is isn't known (except that she's not the missing Lisa), but she's wearing a schoolgirl uniform resembling a Manga character even though she's well beyond school age. Also suspicious is a ring of round marks on her arm that suggest some kind of torture.

As if trying to find the missing duo and a murderer now dubbed the "Phantom," Jessica must deal with her past and a big secret she's been keeping from everyone except Erne. Her supervisor would like nothing more than to discredit her (with an ultimate goal of getting her off the force one way or another). Jessica is still mourning the loss of Erne. Forge on she must, but the only clues point to a rare kind of poison used in "kambo" ceremonies and the aforementioned schoolgirl costumes. 

There are some twists as the investigation moves along, and I'll be honest in saying that things got a bit confusing in spots (one character, for instance, was found dead in one chapter by another character and bit the dust again several chapters later, found by a different character). But that aside, it was an adventure I enjoyed very much, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Ice Coven by Max Seeck (Berkley, September 2021); 464 pp.

THE WITCH HUNTER

 4 stars out of 5

One of the joys of getting my hands on books prior to their release - besides

the fact that they're free, which is hardly insignificant - is finding gems that otherwise would have remained hidden to me. And if in the process my reviews can bring them to the attention of other readers who are of the same mindset, well, that's also a plus.

This one, which dabbles in the occult, falls a titch outside of my comfort zone. Add to it that it's set in Finland, where all the towns and character surnames might as well be Greek to me, and I honestly can't call it an easy book to plow through. But it sure does qualify as one of those above-mentioned gems that I'm happy to have had the privilege of reading. And because it's the first in a new series, I also have the privilege of looking forward to the next one.

Featured here is Jessica Niemi, a sergeant with the Helsinki police. She's called in after the discovery of a dead body - the wife of a prominent author. It's not your run-of-the-mill murder, though; no, this beautiful lady is dressed in a knockout black evening gown, placed at the head of a formal dining table and "decorated" with an exaggerated Joker-like smile.

Not long thereafter, another woman's body turns up - this one buried under the ice near the other dead woman's mansion. It doesn't take long for Jessica and her team to come up with a theory: Someone is copying the gruesome murders from the best-selling "Witch Hunter" series penned by the first dead woman's husband. Visions of the occult begin to appear following the discovery of a Latin phrase on the first victim's rooftop - a reference to a book on torturing and punishing women who are suspected of being witches.

Creepy starts to get creepier as we learn that Jessica, too, has a few secrets (as does her good friend and supervisor, Erne Mikson. And not long after that, speculation grows that somehow Jessica herself may have a target on her back as well.

Will she be next? Well, I'll never say a word, except that finding out kept me turning pages (well, okay, Kindle screen swiping) right to the very end. Kudos to the author, and thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the advance copy to read and review.

The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck (Berkley, October 2020); 400 pp.