Dark pines - Will Dean

Selected for ITV's Zoe Ball Book Club and shortlisted for the Guardian's Not the Booker prize

A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year

'Will Dean's atmospheric crime thriller marks him out as a talent to watch. Dark Pines is stylish, compelling and as chilling as a Swedish winter.' Fiona Cummins, author of Rattle

'Atmospheric, creepy and tense. Loved the Twin Peaks vibe. Loved Tuva. More please!' C.J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

For fans of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects and Peter Heg's Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, a brand new debut crime writer introduces a Scandi-noir Tuva Moodyson Mystery

SEE NO EVIL

Eyes missing, two bodies lie deep in the forest near a remote Swedish town.

HEAR NO EVIL

Tuva Moodyson, a deaf reporter on a small-time local paper, is looking for the story that could make her career.

SPEAK NO EVIL

A web of secrets. And an unsolved murder from twenty years ago.

Can Tuva outwit the killer before she becomes the final victim? She'd like to think so. But first she must face her demons and venture far into the deep, dark woods if she wants to stand any chance of getting the hell out of small-time Gavrik.

Will Dean grew up in the Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying at the LSE and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

'I LOVED Dark Pines. Loaded with atmosphere, brilliant on setting, and Tuva Moodyson just rocks. A fantastic debut.'

'The tension is unrelenting, and I can't wait for Tuva's next outing.'

'The best thriller I've read in ages.'

'Memorably atmospheric, with a dogged and engaging protagonist, this is a compelling start to what promises to be an excellent series.'

'New author challenges the Scandi crime giants on their home soil with this strong contender set in wintry Swedish countryside.'

'Will Dean's impressive debut shows that Nordic noir can be mastered by a Brit.'

'[Dark Pines] crackles along at a roaring pace... This is the first in a series, and Moodyson, whose deafness is handled sensitively by Dean, is a character whose progress is worth following.'

'A refreshingly different approach to Nordic Noir with a soupcon of Twin Peaks.'

'[A] brilliantly written debut.'

'A dark and gripping debut.an intriguing and distinctive addition to the Scandinavian Noir landscape.Dean is definitely an author to look out for in the future.'

'A murder mystery and a compelling one.a gripping read that will have you guessing to the end.'

'Bravo! I was so completely immersed in Dark Pines and Tuva is a brilliant protagonist. This HAS to be a TV series!'

'This reads like a classic murder mystery, a nod to old school style books and I thought the pacing was spot on... I was totally caught up in this one, it had a quiet ferocity that reminded me of Ragnar Jonasson and fans of his work should definitely give this a try!'

'Quite simply this is a brilliant novel and one that gripped me from page one.'

'Evoke[s] the sinister atmosphere of the elk-haunted pines.'

'An elegant and tautly written story, with a great sense of place, a likeable protagonist and a thrilling climax. I hope we hear a lot more of Tuva Moodyson in future.'

'A haunting and visceral read. It is a book that oozes atmosphere and I loved it. I could almost smell the pine trees.'

'Will Dean brings the woods alive to the point that they're almost like another character in the book.This has to be the book you start 2018 waiting for, it's everything you want from Nordic Noir... Get Will Dean on your list of authors to watch out for, this is a name you don't want to forget!!'

'Dark Pines is a gripping, tantalising, beautifully written thrill ride that heralds an extremely talented writer. Can't wait to read his next book just doesn't seem to cover it! Loved this wonderful book!'

'A haunting example of stylish storytelling set in the northern wilds of rural Sweden... The heroine is Tuva Moodyson, a deaf young female reporter on the small town's local paper, who is as superbly evoked as the forest she is forced to investigate when a man is found shot dead in its midst... Dean never lets the tension drop as his story grows ever more sinister.'

'Will Dean is a British author who now lives in a forest in rural Sweden so he's perfectly placed to write an atmospheric Scandi thriller - and, boy, does he deliver... Dark Pines is a 'just one more chapter' page-turner with bags of atmosphere, and a brilliant protagonist that I hope to see more of in the future.'

'A dark, compelling and character-driven thriller set in the wilds of Sweden - Dark Pines goes above and beyond the standard crime book, inviting the reader to a small Swedish town with brilliantly drawn characters and an intriguing mystery at the heart of events.'