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THE WITCH HUNTER

 



SYNOPSIS

WHEN THE STORY ENDS, THE HUNT BEGINS . . .

Detective Jessica Niemi is drawn into a high-profile investigation after the wife of a famous author, Roger Koponen, appears to have been killed in a bizarre ritual.

As more twisted murders occur in the coming days, it becomes obvious that Jessica is hunting a serial killer – one that is taking brutal inspiration from Koponen's bestselling trilogy . . .

Has a devoted fan lost their mind, or is this case more personal?


Title: The witch hunter
Author: Max Seeck
Series: Jessica Niemi #1
Publication date: September 18, 2020



REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Throughout the years I’ve read tons of Nordic Noir, but I think The Witch Hunter was the first time I’ve read one set in Finland, and I just found a new series to add to my ever growing list of favorite Scandic authors.

If you’re into police procedurals, The Witch Hunter is a really good choice. The murder of a famous author’s wife copying one of her husband’s fictional crimes is the starting point of this story of witch hunting in modern days.

The setting and atmosphere was absolutely fantastic. It was cold, bleary and menacing, making it the perfect backdrop for the story.

Jessica Niemi, the main detective, was an interesting character. There’s a whole past timeline about her younger years and a trip to Venice that I was hoping would tie in a stronger way to the main plot. Instead, it just offered some glimpses into her darkest that helped to understand somehow some of her current actions and persona.

The number of characters was a bit overwhelming at times (especially when listening to the audiobook). Sometimes I was like “I know that name but have no idea who it is”.

The investigation moved at a nice pace, although the chapters from Jessica’s past slowed down the rhythm quite abruptly whenever they came. But, the last third has to be one of the most heart attack inducing endings I’ve read in a lot of time with plenty of surprises I didn’t see coming!

I really enjoyed the creepy feeling that permeated the whole story. Jessica’s character showed a lot of promise and I think it can do some interesting growth in next installments, in light of how this one ended. I’m definitely looking forward to reading book two!

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