Finishes strongly

There's an elegance to the storytelling that reveals itself only slowly. Keep with it and you'll find yourself listening for longer in each sitting. Each character is introduced, with all their weirdness and red-necked foibles, and you find yourself pondering who the murderer is between listens. Straightforward scenes that move the plot forward are interspersed with dreamlike moments such as the one where Tuva wanders deep into the forest leaving red thread tailing behind her. Nature is ever present, dark, claustrophobic but also beautiful. Tuva is our anti-hero - a city girl at heart who seeks to overcome her deafness and fear of the forest. This is a story about her personal growth and resilience as much as it is a murder mystery. As Tuva comes to understand the strange world of rural Sweden she finds herself in, so she comes nearer and nearer to uncovering the truth.

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A moving and clever tale, deep the Swedish woods.

Beautiful use of imagery. I felt enveloped in the storytelling. A clear narrator, not dominating but reassuring.

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Moody murder mystery set in a dark, lonely forest

This is a moody murder mystery set in and around a vast dense forest which is full of dangerous things. What more could you possibly want? The narrator has a wonderfully soft Swedish cadence to her voice that really brings the heroine, Tuva the journalist, alive. I felt like I was being towed along beside her as Tuva springs into action to investigate several murders that have been discovered in the dark heart of the woods, which appear to be copycats of previously unsolved crimes. I listened to this over two days and, overall, thoroughly enjoyed the journey. The forest of Utgard is as much a character in the story as any of the people Tuva encounters on her odyssey and lends a heightened sense of menace to the whole caboodle. I am happy to recommend this if you like to soak up a ‘noir’ atmosphere and will certainly look for more books by this author (and Tuva, who I liked immensely)

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Disappointing

This story could have been condensed by fifty per cent without loss. Details about being hearing impaired and the protagonist’s mother were interesting. But there was unnecessary detail, along the lines of ‘I put my boots on, then my leather jacket and walked to the door.’ The narrator’s flat monotone did not help. I had to skip thirty chapters and felt I’d missed little.

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Absolutely gripping

I was gripped right from the start and had to keep listening. The atmosphere of a small town in Sweden, the menacing woods,and the characters in the story, were beautifully evoked. Tuva, the main protagonist, was complex and interesting and the really fantastic narration helped to make her very believable. I think the story line was a little weak especially towards the end , but by then I was so interested in Tuva that it didn’t matter.
An absolutely excellent listen - I look forward to the next one by Will Dean and for anything narrated by Maya Lindh.

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Persevere

This is a really good book, I was constantly changing my mind about who I thought the killer was but it is slow. You have to preserve with it, it starts off slow, but it's definitely worth it.

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Dark Pines

This is a fantastic book full of twists and turns. I really love the character Tuva and the fact that she is hearing impaired and this is not used to Diminish her abilities but show her strength

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Bloody brilliant!

A fantastic plot with some of the creepiest characters around! I'll never look at a troll the same again!

Well done, Mr Dean! Cannot wait for Red Snow!!

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Great story, not so great narration.

The story was good and had me gripped, but I did find the narration pretty tough going at times. It was often monotone and was difficult to distinguish if the narrator was reading the story or talking as a character. However it hasn't put me off and I'm looking forward to listening to "Red Snow" and seeing where Tuva ends up next.

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enjoyable listen

the narrator was excellent, the writing was good, but Tuva was a bit thick/slow to work things out

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