Hella Mauzer

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.

Hella Mauzer was the first-ever woman Inspector in the Helsinki Homicide Unit. But she's been fired despite solving her first murder case. This is Helsinki, March 1953. An unusually long and cold winter, everywhere frozen sea, ice-covered lakes and rivers. In a port city flooded with refugees, who cares if a young woman goes missing? An up-and-coming inspector who views this as an opportunity to advance his career. A heartbroken PI with a score to settle. They have yet to discover one thing: the most dangerous lies are those we tell ourselves. It all begins when Nellie, a prostitute working in a high-end brothel is found floating upside down in Helsinki Harbor. Not exactly a high priority case for the Helsinki police, so homicide chief Jokela passes the job to his former colleague Hella. It's beginning to look like a serial killer is at work when Elena, another lady of the night, narrowly escapes being driven into the harbor by her 19-year-old john. Problem was he had handcuffed her in the car. And to add further excitement to Hella's life, the madam is soon found dead in the garden outside the brothel. What begins like a taut whodunit turns into something more tantalizing and psychological as Hella investigates different suspects, including Steve, the US DJ and love her life, reluctant to leave his wife for Hella, and the fascinating Inspector Mustonen, charismatic, ambitious and trying desperately to live up the standards of his high maintenance wife. There are dark powers at play, including Finnish obsessions with the social and religious cleansing powers of death by drowning in icy waters, as well as lighter passages, particularly those involving Anita, voluptuous but savvy, freshly arrived from Lapland to join the Helsinki police force, a most unwanted roommate for Hella. Sadly she too ends up in deep trouble, in a satisfying denouement of twists and turns.