Evil Things

Evil Things by Katja Ivar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would give it 4.5 stars. It was unlike anything I'd read before, but I am glad that I took a chance on it.
Hella is one of the first real female police officers in Finland during the early part of the Cold War and feels compelled to investigate the disappearance of an older man from a remote Lapland village. Once she arrives she finds an even deeper mystery when the remains of a woman are found in the stark icy forest. Hella must figure out if and how the missing man is connected to the woman, and what has brought such "evil things" to a seemingly inconsequential place.
The writer does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the story by recreating the atmosphere of northern Finland in the 1950s. From the descriptions of the weather to the clothing to the architecture, I was totally immersed in the environment along with the character.
Hella was a really great protagonist for this story, as was her village hostess. Secondary characters were also well-developed, even if they only appeared in the story for a few pages.
The story and plot was engrossing. A mystery grew out of what seemed like something that probably had a logical explanation. And the farther I went into the story, the more the threads of the plot wove to create a tale of tension, danger, and thrilling suspense. The last portion of the book and the climax were breathless.
I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, Cold War-era history, or anyone who would just want a a great book to curl up with by the fire on a cold winter night.


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