Ice Town by Will Dean

 

ONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT.

'Deaf teenager goes missing in Esseberg. Mountain rescue are launching a search party but conditions hinder their efforts. The tunnel is being kept open all night as an exception.'

When journalist Tuva Moodyson reads this news alert she knows she must join the search. If this teenager is found, she will be able to communicate with him in a way no one else can.

Esseberg lies on the other side of a mountain tunnel: there is only one way in and one way out. When the tunnel closes at night, the residents are left to fend for themselves. And as more people go missing, it becomes clear that there is a killer among them ...

I have only read two books by Will Dean, The Last Passenger and The Chamber so I haven't been introduced to to Tuva Moodyson until starting Ice Town. This storyline is a slow burn and my interest wasn't piqued until chapter 20 but from then onwards I was drawn into the hunt to solve the clues that would lead to the mysterious Bear Spray Murderer.

The setting of this book couldn't have been more apt with it being cut off from the rest of the world only connected by a tunnel that isn't acceptable 24/7 and with the dark forest blanketed in deathly snow just makes this a chilling base to the plot. 

I loved the inclusion of two death characters but I wish this was explored more in the book as I can only imagine how much more scary and sinister things would feel in this situation in Ice Town when you also have a hearing impairment too.

I was certainly kept off the right path because I didn't even have a hint of suspicion for the murderer so this was an unpredictable read. I enjoyed this book and I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books and had a bond with Tuva but all this has made me want to do is go and pick up all of the previous books.