Evil Things

(Paperback)

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Lapland, Finland, 1952. It's the height of the Cold War and Finland is a snow-smothered powder keg. Sharing a long border with the Soviet Union the country is engaged in a high-wire act of protecting its independence from its sometimes dangerous neighbour.

Hella Mauzer is the first female Inspector in the Helsinki Homicide Unit. Or was, until she was deemed too 'emotional' for the job and reassigned to Lapland. When a man disappears from a remote village on the Soviet border, Hella jumps at the chance to investigate. Her boss is sceptical; after all, people disappear in the snows of Finland all the time. Then a body is found. But the small village of Krmela is harbouring a second crime. A crime whose evil is of another magnitude.

Reviews

STARRED REVIEW PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Stiletto-tongued Hella tries to behave professionally like a man, but she defies male authority by using her instinct for detecting half-truths and her compassion for the weak to try to solve what initially appears to be a minor missing person case. With the discovery of the body of a Soviet doctor, it mushrooms into something much more complex involving institutional corruption and international intrigue. The unusual setting and psychologically complex heroine will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Welcome to the most stubborn of cops, Hella Mauzer, righting wrongs in cold Lapland, a memorable character with just the right disdain for authority and its amoral attitudes to justice and women. A feminist 1952 cop before feminism was invented. Maxim Jakubowski, author of The Louisiana Republic

"I read it in one sitting. It's thrilling. The setting, the timing, being in the midst ofally appears to be a minor missing person case. With the discovery of the body of a Soviet doctor, it mushrooms into something much more complex involving institutional corruption and international intrigue. The unusual setting and psychologically complex heroine will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment. the Cold War, and our stubborn, smart and brave heroine Hella - a woman fighting crime in a world opposed to her, are all elements I enjoyed. Katja Ivar turns a seemingly small random crime into something much bigger. A very good read!" Cecilia Ekbck, author of Wolf Winter

"This is a remarkable debut -- the best novel I've read this year. A historical thriller with a heart that keeps you enthralled to the final page. Ivar has constructed a frightening, atmospheric and addictive tale set in 1950s Lapland on the border with Soviet Russia. Spies, international conspiracies, overlaid on icily claustrophobic rural life. But above all in Hella Mauzer a believable heroine prepared to put her own life on the line for justice. I can't wait for her next adventure." David Young, author of A Darker State and STASI Child, both part of the Oberleutnant Karin Mueller series.

Author Bio

Katja Ivar was born in Moscow and spent her teenage years in Dallas, Texas. She holds a BA in Linguistics and a Masters in Contemporary History from the Sorbonne University; she lives in Paris with her husband and three children. This is her first novel and is planned to be the beginning of a three book series.