December 22, 2023
The newest volume in Seeck's dramatic Ghosts of the Past series of mysteries (after The Last Grudge, 2023) follows detective Jessica Niemi as she escapes to Sm�rreg�rd, a small island in a chain on the Baltic Sea, after an incident that makes her superiors question whether she can be trusted on the force. Suicidal and cynical, Jessica finds herself (naturally) in the middle of a mystery on the island: for years, the apparition of a lost orphan in a blue raincoat has appeared on a local dock. When an elderly visitor drowns, mirroring local deaths in the 1980s, Jessica has to try and put the mystery together without becoming yet another news story herself. Fans of the series and of Nordic mysteries in general will enjoy this frosty, enigmatic tale with its chilly atmosphere and subtle twists. Astute readers of the genre might guess some of the plot points early on, as the book is not quite as tricky as others in the series have been, but it's still a fun addition to Jessica Niemi's continuing saga.
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Starred review from January 15, 2024
A detective battles the ghosts of her past in an effort to solve a case that haunts her dreams. Jessica Niemi has been on leave from the Helsinki Police Violent Crimes Unit since she had a violent altercation with a man who accosted her outside her psychiatrist's office, where she'd been working through the recent death of her mentor and trying to deal with her lifetime of hallucinations. Jessica has enough money to go anywhere during her enforced vacation time, but she chooses to go to a small inn on a remote Swedish island rumored to be haunted by a young girl's ghost. Astrid Nordin, the owner of the inn, calls her attention to a group of guests--it's the yearly arrival of "the birds of spring," three elderly people who are all that remain of a group who lived at the island's orphanage in 1946. Though she should be focusing on inner peace, Jessica is drawn to investigate what happened all those years ago after she hears the story of Maija Ruusunen, an unclaimed child who had been bullied by the others, who looked out to sea every night until she vanished. When one of the birds of spring drowns, local detective Johan Karlsson's attitude toward Jessica and the case seems odd. Now Astrid tells her that other people have died in the same way, leading Jessica to suspect a serial killer. As the tale switches back and forth between Maija's childhood and the present, it slowly reveals horrifying secrets that play into Jessica's dreams and premonitions. The lessons she learns about herself may help her heal--if only she can solve the case before she becomes the next victim. A chilling psychological mystery whose complex heroine deserves some peace of mind.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from March 4, 2024
Seeck follows up The Witch Hunter with an exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. Reeling from a breakup and plagued by strange hallucinations, Helsinki homicide detective Jessica Niemi is convinced her life has no meaning. After vomiting in the street one night and assaulting an onlooker who accuses her of being a drug addict, Jessica is suspended from her police duties indefinitely. She takes refuge at an old inn on a remote island in Finland’s Aland archipelago, where she becomes enmeshed in a mystery when one of three other guests—all elderly friends who grew up in a long-demolished nearby orphanage—drowns in the same spot where two others died years earlier. The deaths all have roots in a local legend about an orphan named Maija, who disappeared decades ago and supposedly haunts the pier near the drowning spot. While Jessica initially tries to keep her distance, she’s gradually drawn into the investigation and sets out to determine whether the island has a vengeful spirit—or a flesh-and-blood killer. Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines. Agent: Rhea Lyons, HG Literary.