Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I’m really enjoying how this series is growing. Tuva may have escaped Gavrik and been building her new life, but a telephone call changes everything. Her best friend Tammy is missing. It doesn’t help when so many of Gavrik’s residents are eccentric, have secrets and there are plenty of isolated areas perfect for keeping someone hidden. Then another woman goes missing. Is her disappearance connected? And it’s Midsommer - hot, nearly always daylight and the bugs are biting. Can Tuva find her friend?

Dean’s books are based on the strangeness of the rural Swedish environment. Black River focuses on the Midsommar festival and the unusual rituals and traditions celebrated every June.

This is the third book in the Tuva Moodyson series. Moodyson, a deaf reporter, must return to the small town of Gavrik, a place she previously left because of strange events. In this book, her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing, taken from her food van. Because of her Thai background, nobody is very worried about her. Another local woman, Lisa, is also missing and the town is much more worried about her. This allows Dean to contemplate the issues of race and racism, even more pertinent at the moment.

This is a truly exceptional, atmospheric thriller full of strange and creepy characters all of whom are suspicious. But it is Dean’s description of the horrors of the Utgard forest that is most striking as he delves into the realm of fairy tale to create a truly horrifying and claustrophobic atmosphere.

The climax of the book is also tense and unique as Dean uses the strange surroundings to his full advantage with an unexpected outcome.

This is the first Moodyson book I’ve read but she is a truly fascinating character within a very unique setting so I’m looking forward to reading the previous books.

hank you to NetGalley and Point Blank, OneWorld Publications for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Dark Pines is the third outing for Tuva Moodyson.

This time, her best friend Tammy has gone missing, apparently forcefully abducted from the food van she runs. Blood has been found in the van along with Tammy’s handbag.

Tuva rushes back to the scene of the abduction, to the small town of Gavrik where she used to live, deep in the Swedish forest. The police do not initially think it is a crime so Tuva begins investigating alone. Then another local girl goes missing.

Tuva visits some very strange characters in the course of her investigation, some she has met previously - the shoe shop owner who has an unhealthy obsession with feet and foot binding; the wood carving sisters who carve trolls and add pieces of human hair and nails to their sculptures; the ‘cousins’ who are uncannily close and run a business converting shipping containers into useable rooms; the snake breeder. That’s just to mention a few!

Will Dean’s excellent descriptive writing has you there, right in the middle of that forest!

Very enjoyable read.

I’m really not quite sure how to write this review. If I’m honest I’ve tried a few times to compose something that at least makes a little bit of sense. I guess I’ve found it difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed not only this book but how much I love this entire series! Anyway here goes…

In Black River we catch up with Tuva a few months after she has started again in her new job, in a new town. Unfortunately Tuva’s move from Gavrik is short lived and she has to make a sudden return when her best friend Tammy disappears. Can Tuva solve this mystery and find her friend? That is the big question and this all adds to the pressure that Tuva is under as she begins to attempt to solve this mystery. Anyone who has read this series from the beginning is probably just as fond of Tammy’s character. Which means there was also this added tense undercurrent as I worried alongside Tuva for her friend. However as ever Tuva is determined to get to the bottom of things including going to extreme lengths and taking extra risks.

Throughout the story I was never quite sure what would happen next. I loved this feeling of uncertainty as it helped to add to the overall dark atmosphere. The inhabitants of Gavrik once more managed to provide an extra creepy vibe. Along with meeting some new characters who will make you question how innocent they really are. The characters in this book bring a dark edge and I loved the fact that I wasn’t quite sure who would be behind it all. Let’s just say that they were all pretty shifty in their own right!

Will Dean always builds his stories up carefully and masters the slow burn perfectly with an amazing amount of detail. The kind that made me feel as if I was right there with Tuva. Whether that was in the forest experiencing the vastness and dark fairy tale feel or the confinement of living in Gavrik that seems to leap from the pages. There has always been an intense feeling within this entire series and I do think that this feeling is intensified in Black River. This story pulled me in and refused to let go until the very last page. I loved it!

I’m 100% sure that tiny Gavrik town has an unnaturally high ratio of oddballs to regulars in its population. Similar to Cabot Cove’s murder rate but with creepy peeps instead of actual killers.

In Black River we get to meet some more: the residents of freaky AF Snake River, which feels more Louisiana swamp than Scandi Noir. It’s Midsommar in Sweden and it is interesting to see Tuva handle the heat instead of the cold, ice and snow of the previous two books.

Will Dean once again gives us good insight into Tuva’s personal struggles, both physical and emotional, and the way of life peculiar to this little town in the North, the shocking news of Tammy’s disappearance having dragged Tuva inevitably back from her new life in Malmo.

Tuva is as wonderfully prickly as ever and even more determined than before in solving this particular mystery. The scenes around Snake River are tense and atmospheric and frequently disturbing and there are some genuinely heart-wrenching points.

I would say you definitely need to read these books in order so, if you haven’t, pick up a copy of Dark Pines and Red Snow now and if you have I’m sure you’ll enjoy reacquainting with Tuva in Black River.

Thank you to Point Blank Books for my copy of Black River and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for my spot.

An interesting story that keeps the reader involved from the beginning. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of genre.

Tuva Moodyson is back in book three in the series. It’s four months since she had left Gavrik, moving down South. But when she hears her best friend Tammy is missing, she rushes back. Who would have taken her friend? And why? But then another woman disappears, the Gavrik police force is short staffed. But Tuva is one determined lady, and is going to do her best to find her friend no matter what.

This is at times a creepy read, the people who live there, with their secrets they are keeping hidden, as well as eccentricities.

The pace is fairly so, but there is this chilling theme that seems to run throughout, the forest seems to get bigger and Gavrik gets smaller. But we now have Snake River, I am not a lover of snakes at all, so just the mention of them makes my skin crawl, along with the bugs and insects. That’s before we even get to some of the characters who are all well thought out, I did think I had guessed what was happening, but nope I got it wrong. As you get towards the climax your heart is pounding, the atmosphere drawing you in deeper.

A top notch read, normally I prefer a faster pace but this kept me engrossed.

Thank you to #netgalley and #Pointblank for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Oh Tuva! Having withdrawn into herself and forced herself to solely focus on her new job down south Tuva has withdrawn from her friends despite herself. Then Tammy goes missing and she boots it home to look for her. Exposing really chilling disparity in small town reactions to the disappearance of a brown perceived immigrant and a fresh cheeked pink "local" Tuva charges around as only Tuva can desperately trying to find her friend. It's beautiful and claustrophobic and gripping in a way that only Will Dean seems to manage. Honestly bugger all happens for ages but you're still gripped. It's hard to explain just dive in.

4 stars - Very good

Tuva is much more vulnerable and distraught here, and dispossessed as she's only back in town to search. As always, Dean's characters are fascinating, distinct and memorable, it's perhaps the best quality of the Tuva series. Pacing is quite good throughout most of the book, although some sections drag a bit.


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Tuva desperately searches for her friend, suspecting several people to no avail, following leads and eventually stumbling upon something totally unexpected.

The climax is intense, and superb. A wonderful addition to the Tuva Moodyson series.

Tuva's new Toyota Hilux
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Quotes and notes:

There’s a strawberry stall in the lay-by outside McDonald’s. Two girls who can’t be older than fifteen wearing cotton dresses and bored faces, two girls sitting on fold-up camp chairs behind a fold-up decorator’s table, two girls selling overpriced Swedish strawberries to Swedes who crave them and will pay almost anything to get them. Swedes buy Swedish. The table is red and the girls are dressed in white and the sky behind is a powder blue. The whole thing looks like the horizontal block-stripes of an artist; the kind some swear is a philistine and others laud as a genius.
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I brush my teeth and feel about a hundred times better. Strange how toothpaste can lift your mood. I made an effort to brush Mum’s teeth right up until the end. Softly. Hardly any pressure at all. Her lips were dark by then and they were sore. Her gums were prone to bleeding. But the toothpaste perked her up a little each time. That’s mint for you. And it was one tiny thing I could do for her. Not medical, just a simple everyday human routine. One of my hands supporting the back of her head, the other brushing as gently as I could manage. Me and her. Mother and child.
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I leave my bag by the door, blow out the candle and climb into bed. I have no pillow alarm so I sleep with my phone under my pillow and set the alarm for seven and make sure it’s on vibrate mode. I remove my aids. I have no desiccant but they’re dry. It’s June. Everything’s dry. Dark rooms are unsettling. Especially once I’ve removed my hearing aids. I don’t think of myself as a vulnerable person, but that only applies to daytime. The darkness is not my friend. I fear it.
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A group of kids wait in an orderly Swedish queue to have bloodsucking ticks removed from behind their ears and their necks and their ankles by a short-haired woman wielding a pair of steel tweezers and a magnifying glass.
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The area they’ve already felled is clear. There is no forest here. But that doesn’t make it easy to navigate without falling and breaking my pelvis. There are trunks everywhere. Trunks and dead branches stripped weeks ago from freshly cut pine and discarded like cut hair in a salon. The stacks of branches are a metre deep in places. Hidden traps. Imagine all the snakes down there. Vipers. Rats as big as furry newborn babies. Streamlined, rabid, with fur and sharp protruding teeth and tails as long as violin bows. Arachnid nests right under my boots. Spiders and centipedes, the Jurassic variety that could swallow your cocker spaniel in the depths of the night. I try not to stumble. I couldn’t imagine being stranded out here. Injured and helpless.
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There are treetops in the distance. I can’t see the Norwegian spruce trees themselves but I can see their tops. They shake. A treetop moves and chainsaws scream. I hear the sound of living wood cracking, and then the treetop sways to one side and disappears. Like this whole place is a church on a Sunday morning. Everyone standing for a hymn and then, at the far end of the nave, during the most climactic part of the song, an elder faints from the heat. You don’t see him fall, just his head sway, and then he disappears from view.
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The door swings open. ‘Shit,’ I say. ‘What is it?’ asks Sally. There’s a horizontal table with thick leather loops at each corner and a hole in the centre. There’s a stainless steel chair on the left with chains hung over the back of it. Integrated built-in phallus. A camera bolted to the wall on a pivoting arm. On the far wall is a rack of whips and riding crops all neat in a row like a gardener might store her rakes and hoes. ‘It’s…’ I pause. ‘Some kind of sex room. A dungeon.’ ‘A sex what?’ she says, snatching the binoculars from me. ‘Hey, now…’ I say. ‘Holy shitting mother of a godless age,’ says Sally. ‘What kind of perversions…’

Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series has been one of my favourite series since Tuva first made her appearance in DARK PINES, making BLACK RIVER one of my most anticipated books this year!

Dean knows how to write an atmospheric, dark and claustrophobic thriller, and whilst each one of his books is set in the same place, he manages to bring a new perspective into his setting with every story. So whilst we first met Tuva in a wintry Gavrik, which was chilling in every way, the events in BLACK RIVER are taking part around midsommar, the time of 24 hour daylight around the Nordic summer solstice. It’s a credit to Dean’s skill as a crime writer to make this happy, light and summery period as dark and chilling as his wintry settings!

The best thing about a good series is the ability to get closer to your characters with every installment, and I have enjoyed finding out more about Tuva’s life as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time Tuva has a lot more emotional involvement in her investigation, as it’s her best friend Tami who has disappeared into the dark and sinister forest around Gavrik. Apparently Dean lives in a cabin in the woods, where he writes his books – and his intimate knowledge of the dark Swedish forest really shows. Fans of the series will be pleased (or terrified) to see some of the forest’s more sinister inhabitants back, such as the creepy wood carving sisters and the sleazy paramedic who once locked Tuva in his car. There are many more odd characters that make an appearance here, ranging from slightly off-centre to downright scary. You will even find some other forest critters here that may haunt your nightmares long after you have turned the last page. To put it simply: I loved it!

Whilst Dean relies heavily on his claustrophobic setting and his characters to set a scene that is loaded with an undercurrent of danger and menace which never totally lets up, I also found his observations of Swedish culture and custom that pepper the story interesting. Tuva, with her eye for detail and her sharp, often cynical sense of humour, gives a good social commentary that added a lot more depth to the story than found in many other contemporary crime novels.

In summary, BLACK RIVER is another unputdownable installment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Unsettling, dark and tense, it makes for a perfect crime read with a protagonist who does not fit any stereotype. With her indestructible sense of justice, her courage and her determination, Tuva is one of my favourite fictional amateur detectives. Complimented by a rich cast of characters ranging from oddball to downright creepy, and the type of dark atmospheric setting that has become Dean’s hallmark, this series remains one of my all-time favourite Nordic crime series. I can’t wait to see more of Tuva in future!

Tuva Moodyson is one of my favourite characters so I was delighted to read Black River the third book featuring her (Dark Pines and Red Snow being the previous two). Black River could be read as a standalone but I recommend you read them all to get the true feel of Tuva and the very special residents of Gavrik.
Tuva has been living in Southern Sweden for four months, she has quit drinking and is enjoying her new job. She is devastated to receive a phone call informing her that her best friend Tammy is missing. Tuva returns to Gavrik at Midsommar to help search for Tammy. It isn’t long before a second woman goes missing and the town steps up its efforts.
Now if you thought Gavrik’s residents were eccentric in the Winter things get a lot more creepy when it’s hot. Also the bug population is insane and on a mission to make Tuva’s search even tougher. I now know this town is definitely not for me; I was left itching with the thought of all the ticks and mosquitoes! There was also a pretty horrific wasp scene that I won’t forget…
The residents of Snake River are another group of very different people and all fingers point their way after the disappearances. A close knit community who aren’t willing to share what they may know. Tuva takes a big risk the more she prods at this snake pit but she will do whatever it takes to find Tammy. I love the female friendships that are at the centre of these books.

Black River is a fantastic addition to the series and I hope there are a lot more to follow!

What a treat to be back in Sweden with the delightful Tuva Moodyson. I loved the first two books in the series, but I thought this one was exceptional. I love the way Dean uses the weather to evoke a sense of disquiet - very skilfull. I enjoyed that this book takes place in summer and offers a different perspective to the winter settings of his previous books.
i think what I enjoy most are the characters he creates. They are well rounded and although many are dysfunctional they are cleverly described.

Oh, and before i forget - what an ending. I wasn't expecting that, but the clues were all there. Another triumph and a well deserved five stars from me.

Completely sensational .. I love Tuva from earlier books in the series, but you don't have to know past books to get into her world. The deafness adds colour and dimension to her character as a delver into secrets, sometimes dark. In this one, she knows her friend Tammy is in deep trouble and although the initial hunt is a bit slow, things start to speed up when another goes missing. I've already said too much .. If this is your first time in her world, welcome! And you have more books to read about her too, lucky you!

The reason I love these books are because of the well written characters which jump off the page. Also the dark atmosphere seeps out and immerses the reader too. This book is set in Midsommar which means there are weird goings on anyway even without 2 women going missing. Tuva's investigation was intriguing and the ending was very satisfyingly twisty.

Ah, Tuva, it's so good to have you back.

Tuva Moodyson, a journalist, is feisty and self-reliant. She's a one-woman force of nature and she's back on form again here in Black River.

Black River, the third installment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Sees Tuva back in Gavrik, Sweden. The town she left to start afresh, stop drinking and now she's back. The town is next to a thick canopied forest and its vast darkness sends a fear into Tuva, as Tammy Yamnim, her best friends missing. Its like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. No clues and no sign that Tammy would have left of her own accord. Where do you start? Tuva is convinced Tammy is being held, and its a race to find her.

No-ones really interested until Lisa Svensson, a Z rated celebrity - destined to be a star- another woman from the town goes missing, her parents are wealthy and can fund a large reward and the game steps up a notch. Search parties are formed and rewards are offered for both women. There's more interest in Lisa than there is in Tammy. Although Tammy is of Thai descent, she is Swedish and yet people seem like she wasn't a local and of less importance, yet everyone knew her because she ran a popular food van. This really riles Tuva, and it doesn't take much to do that. She's tolerant of others, but doesn't really like them,

During their search a body is located, police quickly erect a tent and start its removal. A Police conference is called, it's getting serious.

Tuva encounters several characters during the book that I am sure she would readily avoid if she could, that Tammy dated! Karl-Otto who lives out by Snake River and 'foot-fetish Freddy' seem like they know more than they are letting on to Tuva and she keeps having to go back to ask more questions. The feeling of threat worsens each time and she's struggling to cope with all the feelings and emotions this is making her feel. Axel and Alexandra - the cousins too. Tammy is like the sister she never had and she's desperate to find her. This is helped though by the generous gift of a stun-gun from Benny Bjornmossen which lessens the fear she's feeling and gives her strength.

Another body is found a few towns away, panic sets in and Tuva needs answers, now.

The fact its Midsommar (A kind of Swedish May Day, held in June. May Poles and festivities occur). So everyone is out with their families around the lake. But Noova, Tuva's ex, has come back from her teach-detox camp and wants to help Tuva as much as she can find Tammy. As the only trained officer to be able to work the drones the police use, Noova is on duty when Tuva finds her and they start to search.

This book is literally breathtaking, the depth of detail is overwhelming, you can feel the pine needles under your feet and smell the pine of the forest. Tuva may be deaf, but she certainly isn't incapable and refuses to give up looking for Tammy. I adore her determination and will her to search quicker, to find her. I feel myself gasping for air too. This book honestly will safely see Will Dean in the genre that is 'Scandi-Noir' books for life. If you haven't read Dark Pines or Red Snow - you must, must, must, must read them, because if you don't you are the one that's missing out. I mean if anyone knows about isolation and can explain the feel of the forest more than anyone, its Will Dean, who's nearest neighbour lives two miles away from his remote cabin in Sweden.

When I finished reading Red Snow I was both excited and worried for Tuva leaving Gavrik and heading south and I also wondered if she would find her way back to Gavrik. Well I was bloody right to be worried and she sure has made her way back but not for good reasons and not by choice! It’s Midsommar in Gavrik and while I found the darkness of the everlasting winter and eeriness of the never ending snow unnerving somehow the long sun filled days and heat are more nerve wracking. Everything feels at odds with itself and puts in mind that horror movie Midsommar that came out last year. Women are missing, bodies are being found and yet everyone still finds time to put flowers in their hair and eat and sing and celebrate and it’s just a bit bizarre. It’s doesn’t feel right and Tuva knows that something very wrong is going on, but it’s not what you’ll be expecting. Unnerving, atmospheric, this will keep you on your toes and make your skin crawl as you follow Tuva through the forest once more.. I loved it!

The 3rd instalment in this series. Tuva is a great character, determined/stubborn and fiercely loyal to her friends. On receiving news that her close friend Tammy has gone missing, Tuva abandons her new job in Malmo and heads for Gavrik to lead the search for her friend.

Previous books have introduced us to some weird and perverted local characters and this group is extended by a snake breeder, a pornographer and a foot fetishist! The geography becomes as much a part of the story as the various characters, the bleak and vast areas of forest in particular and the many bloodsucking beasts that appear in the summer. This is certainly no attempt to describe the wonders of rural Sweden!

One of the flaws in this book is the extremely laboured first half. Tuva wanders the town and its outlying areas without success, has a bit of a moan and struggles to sleep in the long days of the Swedish summer and then repeats the same the next day. Once the action does kick off, the pace is lifted and tension grows.

As you would expect in a crime thriller, there are several characters touted as suspects but the villain of the piece comes as a surprise, although some readers may be rather bemused by the reveal. Unexpected yes but rather unlikely and unrealistic.

Tuva is the star of the show. The warmth of her character stands out, most notably when Noora returns to Gavrik and rekindles their relationship. Despite her ambition and antipathy to many of the characters ad the hostility of the landscape, Tuva is tempted to return to the area because of the strength of emotional attachments. Her decision to be revealed in the next episode!

Black River is book three in the series, if you are a reader who appreciates getting to know recurring characters I do recommend you read these books in order. Many are a little bizarre!

Tuva has returned to Gavrik to try and help find her closest friend Tammy. She doesn’t want to be there, has settled into her new life in Malmo and anybody who has read these novels would admit that Gavrik is a little strange. But Tammy is all she has and she is determined to help. However, she doesn’t have the support of everybody and is upset that there is more interest in the disappearance of another local woman, one who is Swedish.

Gavrik with it’s inhabitants isn’t somewhere I would like to visit, Tuva does mention a few times that the best thing to do is avoid it. Especially during Midsommer where alcohol and the customs associated with the festival takeover the community. I had to look on YouTube at this festival because the description intrigued me so much. Think May Day with a slightly spooky feel to it. And combined with some extremely creepy locals it isn’t something I would like to attend.

This isn’t a novel where I could work out what had happened to Tammy or who was responsible. It is a novel where I was I intrigued by the intensity, the suspicion and the unfriendliness of the town, and forest. And of course, the mosquitoes and the snakes.

A great addition to the series,I’m interested to see what will happen next.

I love the Tuva character, the Swedish setting and was delighted when I heard about the third book in the series coming out!

Main plot is that Tuva has moved to Malmo, but news of her best friend Tammy's disappearance leads her to race back to Gavrik in order to join the search for her. The main difference in setting in this book is that it's in the Summer, whereas the first two were in the winter and that brings its own host of problems.

Another totally addictive read and I'll be surprised if you can pick where this story leads.

Well done Will Dean - can't wait to read your next one!