A bestselling author's wife has been found dead in a gorgeous black evening gown, sitting at the head of an empty dining table. Her most chilling feature--her face is frozen in a ghastly smile. As the bodies start piling up, Investigator Jessica Niemi knows they won't stop until they get what they want. And when her dark past comes to light, Jessica finds herself battling her own demons while desperately trying to catch a coven of killers before they claim their next victim.
The Witch Hunter, the U.S. debut of Finnish author Max Seeck, begins like a traditional (if very creepy) procedural ... The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.
This rich, intensely suspenseful thriller begins with the murder of Maria Koponen, a woman who happens to be married to the author of a series of books about witches and inquisitors ... Seeck’s debut is dark and intricate—the moments of revelation are as vividly cinematic and impactful every time. Seeck has an uncanny ability to unspool reveals at just the right pace to get the reader’s heart pounding as they make the connection at the same moment as the detective on page. His expertise with pacing, his careful plotting, and his choice to use short, quick chapters all combine to create a vivid, robust thriller.
This mystery set in Finland, is indeed chilling. Too complicated and convoluted to give a concise synopsis, it’s safe to say, this one will keep the reader awake at night attempting to second-guess the plot ... With its hint of the occult and a powerful storyline, The Witch Hunter is a thoroughly chilling thriller making a solid entry as a first novel in a new series.
