Evil Things

A Nordic Noir of the first order set in deepest and darkest Lapland but also a historic mystery novel of the Cold War. A woman author and a female heroine. Evil Things introduces a wonderful new heroine in crime fiction; Hella Mauzer. A misunderstood, flawed, whip-smart detective, fighting against both prejudice and crime. Ivar has succeeded in telling an incredibly gripping story and also creating a cast of characters that we've fallen head over heels in love with. This is a first novel and the first in the Hella Mauzer Police Detective series. They will be published at yearly intervals. The next one takes place in Helsinki. The story is set in post-war Finland and is steeped in the country's complex history. Finland was the victim of attacks by both the Germans and the Russians in WWII. It emerged a neutral nation at the end of the war but under Soviet influence. During the Cold War, Finland occupied a strategic position between two hostile blocks and was an object of interest to the superpowers as both a buffer zone and an overflight and military transit route. US and allied intelligence services were heavily involved in the country despite its political neutrality. They, of course, play an important role in the story. A very strong sense of place informs the novel: it takes place mostly in a small village in Lapland, a part of Finland covered in snow from October to May, sparsely populated by Finns and the indigenous Sami, many of whom are Orthodox. Nights are long and access by road often cut off. Sami culture is very much alive. Ancient wooden Orthodox churches are nestled in the local forests. They too reflect the influence and proximity of Russia.