The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck

As more ritual murders occur in the coming days, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer. But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a devoted fan lost their mind, or is this case more personal?

Review
I have to admit I haven’t read much of the Nordic Noir genre, but after reading The Witch Hunter I think I will be persuaded to read more. Set in Helsinki, The Witch Hunter is the first in a new series of books featuring Detective Jessica Niemi. In a well off suburb Jessica is called after the wife od a famous author is founded murdered in a strange and ritualistic way; posed at a table in a beautiful evening dress and with expensive shoes. As the night progresses the bodies seem to pile up, as more murders are committed and the women are all dressed the same. The only cue is that these mirror the murders from the books of the first victims husband. Racing againt time to try and stop further killings Jessica and her team have their work cut out for them, even more so as Jessica maybe an intended victim.

The Witch Hunter is one dark, sinister and malevolent read, and that’s what I loved about it. The murders are symbolic of how witches were killed back in the seventeenth century, refelcting those in a trilogy of books called the Witch Hunt Trilogy. Jessica Niemi and her team know that there are seven murders in the trilogy, but with four in the first night they have little time to solve the case. The investigation is complex with so many twists and turns I was dizzy by the end of the book, but in a good way. There are so many suspects, all whom fit the profile in some way, but that are playing games with Jessica and the team, trying to bait them almost. The tension is taut and even more so as Jessica realises that these killings could be personal to her, putting her in danger, not that this stops her for long.

Detective Jessica Niemi is the central character, and a very complicated one. As well as the main plot line of the murders there are chapters of Jessica at nineteen in Venice. These chapters give an insight into her life before becoming a detective, and we are slowly drip fed details of her childhood that are important to the investigation but also to the reader as it gives insight into her character. Jessica is a complex character, excellent at her job but she doesn’t trust easily in her work or personal life. She is very much a loner,keeping her secrets close with the exception of her boss Chief Superintendent Erne Mikson, the only person we see a softer side with. Jessica and Erne’s relationship is very much like father and daughter in that he is protective of her and aslo very forgiving if she breaks the rules. She is defiitely a strong, confident and focused women which makes her such a fascinating and brilliant central character.

Max Seeck is a screen writer as well as an author and I think this shows in the writing of this book. His prose drew me in, the detailed description and the detailed setting of each crime created a full visual in my mind making me feel I was there looking on. He also captures the nuances of his characters, their relationships, their physical attributes and how they work as a team and we see them develop as the book progressed. I’m obviously not an expert on crime procedure, but Max Seeck held my interest in how the murders were investigated, how the police team were able to work through the evidence and the suspects. All of this attention to detail and ease of prose really added to my enjoyment of this book.

The Witch Hunter is a deliciously dark,chilling,and gripping thriller.I loved the malevolence of this book, the occultist killings shocking but adding the the sinister vibe and really drawing me in. The tension never let up and the complex and intelligent plot had me gripped throughout as I tried to work out the killer. I can’t wait for the next book to find out more about Detective Jessica Niemi, and to see how Max Seeck follows this macabre and menacing thriller.

I’d like to thank e.d public realations for the invite to take to take part in this blog tour.