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Hella Mauzer #1
Evil Things
Hella Mauzer, the first female Helsinki murder squad detective, is dispatched to a remote Lapland village near the Soviet border by her chauvinistic boss to investigate an old man’s disappearance.
Embittered by the death of her entire immediate family during WWII and her recent breakup with her married lover, the 30ish, 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.
Embittered by the death of her entire immediate family during WWII and her recent breakup with her married lover, the 30ish, 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.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 15, 2019
The year is 1951, and Hella is the first woman police officer in Helsinki. When she receives a note asking the police to investigate s missing man in Lapland, she is intrigued. She also wants to do some honest police work for a change. What she finds in Lapland is much more complicated than it first appears. Now she must figure out who she can trust, and how wide the corruption she uncovers has spread.
An unusual setting, plus an strange case, with an interesting premise makes this an intriguing read. Russia of course on Laplands border, rumors of spies crossing the border, make this a historical novel of the time period as well as a straightforward mystery. Extremely atmospheric, and s good look at how the trail blazers in police stations were often treated. Hellas personal life is a factor as are the past lives of the married Minister and his wife. Things in this novel are not as they first appear.
ARC from Edelweiss.
An unusual setting, plus an strange case, with an interesting premise makes this an intriguing read. Russia of course on Laplands border, rumors of spies crossing the border, make this a historical novel of the time period as well as a straightforward mystery. Extremely atmospheric, and s good look at how the trail blazers in police stations were often treated. Hellas personal life is a factor as are the past lives of the married Minister and his wife. Things in this novel are not as they first appear.
ARC from Edelweiss.
May 24, 2020
This has all the right ingredients for a crime novel.
Flawed detective - Hella is a 30 year old detective in a police force where women are rare. She is a loner, compulsive, orphaned, and sent to Lapland after being too emotional to handle homicide.
Location - 1952 Lapland where people still are getting use to post WWII life and borders.
Mystery - an old man goes missing, a second body is found, there's a cover up.
Supporting Characters - the remote village is ripe with eccentric residents and back in Ivalo the police boss is a sloth, his offsider even lazier and a one-eyed truck driver has the hots for Hella.
Ending - nothing is revealed till the end and even then there is a nice twist.
I've been to Ivalo which is described as the most boring town in the world. It certainly wasn't thriving when we were there with the local servo selling a buffet lunch that was packed with local hunters, truckies and residents.
Flawed detective - Hella is a 30 year old detective in a police force where women are rare. She is a loner, compulsive, orphaned, and sent to Lapland after being too emotional to handle homicide.
Location - 1952 Lapland where people still are getting use to post WWII life and borders.
Mystery - an old man goes missing, a second body is found, there's a cover up.
Supporting Characters - the remote village is ripe with eccentric residents and back in Ivalo the police boss is a sloth, his offsider even lazier and a one-eyed truck driver has the hots for Hella.
Ending - nothing is revealed till the end and even then there is a nice twist.
I've been to Ivalo which is described as the most boring town in the world. It certainly wasn't thriving when we were there with the local servo selling a buffet lunch that was packed with local hunters, truckies and residents.
April 12, 2019
What a fabulous first contact with a new Nordic fare author. This one is set in Lapland 1951-52 era when it has just become the new democratic Finland.
It's extremely slow and at the same time highly cored on the character development. Not at all what a usual Nordic or European whodunit police associated genre fare "follows" at all, IMHO. I do think people who want to read a fast paced action packed kind of Dragon Tattoo novel will NOT find it here.
Limited character count, limited focus for other than the interplay between the 8 or so principles. The crimes concerned don't play out to full reveals until the last 30 pages. And not in minutia proof or knowledge even then. But the results for the living sure do. There is an heroic Soviet woman doctor who features quite pivotal and I wish we "met" her more.
This was a full 4 star for me. Enjoyment nearly a 5 star. They got the "professional working" woman vs. the "little constantly cooking and pregnant housewife" dichotomy for that period of women entering the work force (despite the men being back and needing jobs too)- just exactly right. Few books do get that head to head animus "discussion" of that era at all similar to what it was and become. This book comes close. I think Katja Ivar is brilliant in her wisdom of knowing the early feminist options and solutions. Does she understand the resentments from both sides, and the thoughts about "the other". Coupled with the jealousies and dreams!
The men and the politico in this were also eyeball to eyeball and attitude top notch intriguing. And also Hella's responses and reactions- as well. Neither side (men/women, boss/employee, police/interviewee) could go near some of these voiced opinions to each other with a stick in the last 5 years. But it sure cut to the chase, IMHO. And yet Hella was the "eyes" that counted in the long run. Living beyond tragedy and personal error to get back to Helsinki and another life and another day- whatever that becomes. She reminded me of Joanie in Mad Men (tv series) in her practical roundabouts. Subjectively vilified often and taking it. And "presently" subordinate versatile manipulative but intrinsically long run effective.
There's a bunch of politico too. Every time you hear any living person speak in explanations for an entity (government or any collective group of top down dictates it goes double) that action is for the "greater good"- pick up your valuables and make sure your security ducks are all in a row. This was a perfect example. Especially upon government making the health issue judgments. Whatever is called "health" care at the time. Regardless and so ultimately timely for our present, as well.
I'm looking forward to reading another Hella. Slow and sound. And tragic and joyful. The people in this one were real.
It's extremely slow and at the same time highly cored on the character development. Not at all what a usual Nordic or European whodunit police associated genre fare "follows" at all, IMHO. I do think people who want to read a fast paced action packed kind of Dragon Tattoo novel will NOT find it here.
Limited character count, limited focus for other than the interplay between the 8 or so principles. The crimes concerned don't play out to full reveals until the last 30 pages. And not in minutia proof or knowledge even then. But the results for the living sure do. There is an heroic Soviet woman doctor who features quite pivotal and I wish we "met" her more.
This was a full 4 star for me. Enjoyment nearly a 5 star. They got the "professional working" woman vs. the "little constantly cooking and pregnant housewife" dichotomy for that period of women entering the work force (despite the men being back and needing jobs too)- just exactly right. Few books do get that head to head animus "discussion" of that era at all similar to what it was and become. This book comes close. I think Katja Ivar is brilliant in her wisdom of knowing the early feminist options and solutions. Does she understand the resentments from both sides, and the thoughts about "the other". Coupled with the jealousies and dreams!
The men and the politico in this were also eyeball to eyeball and attitude top notch intriguing. And also Hella's responses and reactions- as well. Neither side (men/women, boss/employee, police/interviewee) could go near some of these voiced opinions to each other with a stick in the last 5 years. But it sure cut to the chase, IMHO. And yet Hella was the "eyes" that counted in the long run. Living beyond tragedy and personal error to get back to Helsinki and another life and another day- whatever that becomes. She reminded me of Joanie in Mad Men (tv series) in her practical roundabouts. Subjectively vilified often and taking it. And "presently" subordinate versatile manipulative but intrinsically long run effective.
There's a bunch of politico too. Every time you hear any living person speak in explanations for an entity (government or any collective group of top down dictates it goes double) that action is for the "greater good"- pick up your valuables and make sure your security ducks are all in a row. This was a perfect example. Especially upon government making the health issue judgments. Whatever is called "health" care at the time. Regardless and so ultimately timely for our present, as well.
I'm looking forward to reading another Hella. Slow and sound. And tragic and joyful. The people in this one were real.
January 20, 2019
This can be seen as a deeply unsettling book, a book where everything – including the weather - is conspiring against the main character. This is a novel set in 1952, when the Cold War is happening, and countries such as Finland are on the front line. The place is Lapland, but not a place of fluffy snow and good nature, but a harsh climate which means that transport is closed down for a significant part of the year. People must survive, somehow, and it is into this unfriendly and unforgiving place that Hella Mauzer, a young woman with a mysterious past, feels compelled to go and investigate a possible crime. She is deeply unpopular, incredibly frustrated, and the first real woman police detective to work in the country in homicide. She has a powerful sense of grievance, of sadness, and yet finds the determination to try and solve the unsolvable. Said to be the first in a series, this is a tough read, yet maintains its intelligent humanity though out. A deeply satisfying book, I was glad to read a copy of this strongly written novel and contribute a review.
Hella is a young woman who notices things, feels deep emotions, and reacts strongly to people. The second trait has been seized on as an excuse to move her to a dead end job with a male boss who she silently distains and despairs of as a largely useless bureaucrat. This is 1952, when feminism was unheard of, and women could be, and were, dismissed as merely working until they married. As such, Hella’s stubborn refusal to make herself attractive and amicable is pointedly commented on. She realises much about herself; her lack of friends, her inability to form proper friendships let alone relationships, and her overthinking of the situations she has been challenged by in her recent past. When she hears that a missing old man has been reported, she insists on visiting a village cut off for months from the rest of the country. As she arrives she discovers much to upset her expectations, including a priest’s wife who is seemingly perfectly devoted, but who knows more than anyone knows. Food and home comforts are described even as Hella consciously tries to reject them, yet a boy who soon becomes central to the investigation seems to occupy more of her thoughts. A stunning discovery upsets all the theories, and it is left to Hella to use every skill, emotion and desperate effort to find the truth and act on it.
I can honest say that I learnt a lot from this novel, not previously having been a fan of “Scandi Noir” detective stories. There is an incredible atmosphere in this novel, as the weather sets in and the situation becomes more desperate. The village is on the edge of Soviet Russia, and the incipient danger that this faceless threat forms lives throughout the novel. Hella is her own worst enemy in many ways, yet the reader’s sympathy is with this woman who is by her own admission is “angular”. There are brutal elements to this book, and scenes which could shock, but it is all controlled. There is little gentleness in this book, but the concern for children does run throughout and basic human decency is always present. I can recommend this book to anyone interested in crime beyond Britain and the current time, and fascinated by the beginning of positive feminism. It achieves a contemporary feel for today, and I will be keen to see what happens with Heela Mauzer in the future.
Hella is a young woman who notices things, feels deep emotions, and reacts strongly to people. The second trait has been seized on as an excuse to move her to a dead end job with a male boss who she silently distains and despairs of as a largely useless bureaucrat. This is 1952, when feminism was unheard of, and women could be, and were, dismissed as merely working until they married. As such, Hella’s stubborn refusal to make herself attractive and amicable is pointedly commented on. She realises much about herself; her lack of friends, her inability to form proper friendships let alone relationships, and her overthinking of the situations she has been challenged by in her recent past. When she hears that a missing old man has been reported, she insists on visiting a village cut off for months from the rest of the country. As she arrives she discovers much to upset her expectations, including a priest’s wife who is seemingly perfectly devoted, but who knows more than anyone knows. Food and home comforts are described even as Hella consciously tries to reject them, yet a boy who soon becomes central to the investigation seems to occupy more of her thoughts. A stunning discovery upsets all the theories, and it is left to Hella to use every skill, emotion and desperate effort to find the truth and act on it.
I can honest say that I learnt a lot from this novel, not previously having been a fan of “Scandi Noir” detective stories. There is an incredible atmosphere in this novel, as the weather sets in and the situation becomes more desperate. The village is on the edge of Soviet Russia, and the incipient danger that this faceless threat forms lives throughout the novel. Hella is her own worst enemy in many ways, yet the reader’s sympathy is with this woman who is by her own admission is “angular”. There are brutal elements to this book, and scenes which could shock, but it is all controlled. There is little gentleness in this book, but the concern for children does run throughout and basic human decency is always present. I can recommend this book to anyone interested in crime beyond Britain and the current time, and fascinated by the beginning of positive feminism. It achieves a contemporary feel for today, and I will be keen to see what happens with Heela Mauzer in the future.
December 20, 2018
Katja Ivar took her Hella Mauzer character far out into Finnish Lapland to find out what was going on with the people of Lapland with missing people and a Soviet Doctor once they found them eaten and frozen in the stream bed. Hella was captivated by Irja and Timo Waltari as a priest and his wife, and Kalle Jokinen, Erno's grandson, Erno was the missing man that Hella came to find. Irja Waltari notified the police that of Erno Jokinen was missing for over 6 days leaving Kalle alone in his house with no food. His sister brought Kalle to Irja's house to stay until they found someone to take him on as a dependent. Going looking for Erno they came upon a ribcage and fingers and a skull of a woman they needed to find out about. Later Hella found Erno frozen in a stream bed and also a revolver. It looked like Irja and Timo were the best suspects. Were they the best suspects because Irja lost her firstborn because of Erno or did she?. I leave you here to find out for yourself and you might be surprised. What were they hiding, who was hiding what? I give this 5 stars. I hope you like it as much as I did.
December 10, 2018
With the fascinating setting of Finnish Lapland near the Soviet border during Cold War 1952, I greatly enjoyed this first outing for spiky Finnish policewoman Hella Mauzer. Good characters. Great pace.
June 7, 2020
Excellent.A real find.
March 10, 2019
I really enjoyed reading Evil Things. Being interested in Finland and its history, this book piqued my interest in the historical aspects of Finland's amazing history and how equality between men and women started. Finland is way ahead of most of the world in how they improved from being a country most people are unaware of where it is to being at the top of many lists lists such as education, happiest country and equality for women. I am so happy my grandchildren benefit from being Finnish citizens.
November 28, 2022
One of the most unusual books I have read. I stuck with it to the end, so I must have liked parts of the story. It was on sale for $2.51 and there were many positive reviews...so I bit. Truly strange.
January 18, 2019
There is a little frisson of excitement I get when I recognise that there’s a new protagonist in town who whets my crime reading appetite. Hella Mauzer, our protagonist in Evil Things produced that tingle and she is undoubtedly a keeper.
When we meet her, she is stuck in bureaucratic hell. It is 1952 and Hella had been able to progress beyond all the chauvinistic barriers in the Police force to become the first female officer in the Helsinki Homicide Squad. Not that hers wasn’t a tokenistic appointment, but just the same, she has paved the way, or so she thought. Then she finds that breaking through isn’t enough to be a trailblazer; something happens at a crime scene and she is immediately demoted and sent to a police station in Lapland, Finland’s most northern and remote region, for being ‘too emotional.’
There she finds herself immersed in minutiae, watched over by a sexist boss who cares more for neat reports than helping the victims of crime. Fed up, missing her (unhealthy) relationship and the cut and thrust of Helsinki homicide, Hella jumps at the chance to investigate the disappearance of a man from a small village close to the Finnish/Soviet border.
The Finnish military and political situation was difficult and complex during the Cold War period because of the country’s close proximity to the Soviet Union and Katja Ivar’s novel, whilst not in any way becoming mired in dealing with the complexities of Finnish Soviet relations, takes full advantage of that fact.
Once in Käärmela, Hella stays with the village priest and his wife. The wife, Irja had written to the police about the old man, Erno Jokinen’s disappearance and has also taken in his grandson, Kalle. Kalle is pretty traumatised and won’t or can’t say anything about what happened to his grandfather.
Hella is a thorough and dogged investigator and she trusts no-one, including the priest and his wife. Investigating on her own is difficult, but she knows if she asks for help she will either lose the case or have it shut down, so she perseveres, knowing that winter is coming and she must solve the case before she gets snowed in.
Ivar does a great job of showing us the characters; Hella is prickly, stubborn and determined and the priest’s wife Irja is also more than she seems at first; neither well suited to her role nor as convinced as she might be about Hella’s ability to get justice.
As Hella finally begins to understand the truth of what happened she is confronted with a massive dilemma, should she serve her own interests or continue her quest for justice? It is in the last chapters of the book that we finally understand exactly what has happened, not just in Käärmela but we are also given Hella’s backstory, which is quite revelatory.
The action really picks up as we understand what the titular ‘evil things’ refers to and the book moves from being a police procedural to something more akin to a spy thriller, which could have been a problematic plot development, yet for me it still retained its focus on characterisation, and that carried it through with flying colours.
Verdict: I really enjoyed the first outing of Hella Mauzer, a character I really like, and I will certainly look forward to reading more.
When we meet her, she is stuck in bureaucratic hell. It is 1952 and Hella had been able to progress beyond all the chauvinistic barriers in the Police force to become the first female officer in the Helsinki Homicide Squad. Not that hers wasn’t a tokenistic appointment, but just the same, she has paved the way, or so she thought. Then she finds that breaking through isn’t enough to be a trailblazer; something happens at a crime scene and she is immediately demoted and sent to a police station in Lapland, Finland’s most northern and remote region, for being ‘too emotional.’
There she finds herself immersed in minutiae, watched over by a sexist boss who cares more for neat reports than helping the victims of crime. Fed up, missing her (unhealthy) relationship and the cut and thrust of Helsinki homicide, Hella jumps at the chance to investigate the disappearance of a man from a small village close to the Finnish/Soviet border.
The Finnish military and political situation was difficult and complex during the Cold War period because of the country’s close proximity to the Soviet Union and Katja Ivar’s novel, whilst not in any way becoming mired in dealing with the complexities of Finnish Soviet relations, takes full advantage of that fact.
Once in Käärmela, Hella stays with the village priest and his wife. The wife, Irja had written to the police about the old man, Erno Jokinen’s disappearance and has also taken in his grandson, Kalle. Kalle is pretty traumatised and won’t or can’t say anything about what happened to his grandfather.
Hella is a thorough and dogged investigator and she trusts no-one, including the priest and his wife. Investigating on her own is difficult, but she knows if she asks for help she will either lose the case or have it shut down, so she perseveres, knowing that winter is coming and she must solve the case before she gets snowed in.
Ivar does a great job of showing us the characters; Hella is prickly, stubborn and determined and the priest’s wife Irja is also more than she seems at first; neither well suited to her role nor as convinced as she might be about Hella’s ability to get justice.
As Hella finally begins to understand the truth of what happened she is confronted with a massive dilemma, should she serve her own interests or continue her quest for justice? It is in the last chapters of the book that we finally understand exactly what has happened, not just in Käärmela but we are also given Hella’s backstory, which is quite revelatory.
The action really picks up as we understand what the titular ‘evil things’ refers to and the book moves from being a police procedural to something more akin to a spy thriller, which could have been a problematic plot development, yet for me it still retained its focus on characterisation, and that carried it through with flying colours.
Verdict: I really enjoyed the first outing of Hella Mauzer, a character I really like, and I will certainly look forward to reading more.
January 18, 2019
I can imagine some readers may be inclined to overlook this book because the title suggests something more along the genre of horror. Luckily the blurb allays any such notion, because this is the perfect book for lovers of Scandinavian crime and Cold War fiction to dip into.
I’ll admit it took me by surprise. It is well-written and plotted with a fantastically obnoxious and eccentric main character. I think Hella Mauzer might be my grumpy soul spirit living in the type of freezing environment I would never venture into or live in.
One of the most annoying and most poignant points the author makes in the story is the second-class status of females in the police force during more than the first half of the twentieth century. Women were perceived, as is Mauzer, to be too emotional and fragile to work as effective police officers. They certainly weren’t allowed anywhere near a crime scene. Good gosh, they might cry or be overwhelmed with emotions. They should be at home making babies and baking cookies, waiting for their partners, who clearly have to be chosen by other people, because hey we all know women weren’t capable of making lucid choices for their own future. ‘Sigh.’
Those kind of attitudes are enough to drive anyone to become withdrawn or spend a lifetime pretending to be something they aren’t. They certainly do nothing for the career Hella wants to expand and enjoy. Instead she is blocked, deterred and insulted at every opportunity by the colleagues who should have her back, which leaves her in dangerous situations at times.
Unlike her male colleagues, Hella has a nose for crime. She has a gut instinct for things that just don’t seem quite right, but gut instinct just screams women’s intuition to her boss, which means he ignores her observations.
She heads up to an isolated area in Lapland to investigate the disappearance of a man, after his young grandson is found cold and hungry in their cabin. Everything Hella finds out suggests she would never leave the boy alone for six days, well not voluntarily. So, where the heck is he?
It’s a fascinating combination of Cold War political games with a hint of Scandi Noir, and a riveting murder mystery. The main character and the way she reacts to her environment and other people is what gives this read a flair of eccentric humour. You can almost imagine her stomping off into the cold or interviewing suspects with her brusque and less than charming manner.
I commend Ivar for coming up with a character who has to try and solve crimes within the constraints of misogyny and misguided misconceptions. She is without a doubt a writer to watch out for.
* I received a courtesy copy of this book*
I’ll admit it took me by surprise. It is well-written and plotted with a fantastically obnoxious and eccentric main character. I think Hella Mauzer might be my grumpy soul spirit living in the type of freezing environment I would never venture into or live in.
One of the most annoying and most poignant points the author makes in the story is the second-class status of females in the police force during more than the first half of the twentieth century. Women were perceived, as is Mauzer, to be too emotional and fragile to work as effective police officers. They certainly weren’t allowed anywhere near a crime scene. Good gosh, they might cry or be overwhelmed with emotions. They should be at home making babies and baking cookies, waiting for their partners, who clearly have to be chosen by other people, because hey we all know women weren’t capable of making lucid choices for their own future. ‘Sigh.’
Those kind of attitudes are enough to drive anyone to become withdrawn or spend a lifetime pretending to be something they aren’t. They certainly do nothing for the career Hella wants to expand and enjoy. Instead she is blocked, deterred and insulted at every opportunity by the colleagues who should have her back, which leaves her in dangerous situations at times.
Unlike her male colleagues, Hella has a nose for crime. She has a gut instinct for things that just don’t seem quite right, but gut instinct just screams women’s intuition to her boss, which means he ignores her observations.
She heads up to an isolated area in Lapland to investigate the disappearance of a man, after his young grandson is found cold and hungry in their cabin. Everything Hella finds out suggests she would never leave the boy alone for six days, well not voluntarily. So, where the heck is he?
It’s a fascinating combination of Cold War political games with a hint of Scandi Noir, and a riveting murder mystery. The main character and the way she reacts to her environment and other people is what gives this read a flair of eccentric humour. You can almost imagine her stomping off into the cold or interviewing suspects with her brusque and less than charming manner.
I commend Ivar for coming up with a character who has to try and solve crimes within the constraints of misogyny and misguided misconceptions. She is without a doubt a writer to watch out for.
* I received a courtesy copy of this book*
June 29, 2019
I'm a sucker for a mystery set in a locale I know nothing about, but author Katja Ivar didn't teach me much about Finnish Lapland. I thought I might learn about the indigenous culture and the Sami way of life, but the focus turned out to be on the constant fluctuation of political boundaries alongside the Soviet Union.
Even though this book evolved into a spy thriller with a lot of implausible cliches, I have to say I liked it. I especially liked the resolution and the strong female characters. Great beach read!
The story take places in 1952, when the feisty, misfit detective, Hella Mauzer, the first woman on the Helsinki homicide squad, gets sent to Lapland in the north after an incident suggesting she is too emotional for murder investigations in the big city. She convinces her Lapland boss, an unimaginative and bureaucratic boor, to let her look into the disappearance of an old guy who would never intentionally have left his young grandson alone but could easily have run into a bear or other wilderness mishap. She travels even further north and stays in the home of a young Orthodox priest with a past and his very domestic wife and is constantly rude to them for no good reason.
Any of the oddball characters in the tiny village could have been responsible for a disappearance that was not a wilderness accident, but a truly bizarre explanation unfolds after not one but two bodies are found with bullet wounds and the only person with any information is a little boy.
You will whip through this one fast, and if you like complicated plots, you will have fun.
Even though this book evolved into a spy thriller with a lot of implausible cliches, I have to say I liked it. I especially liked the resolution and the strong female characters. Great beach read!
The story take places in 1952, when the feisty, misfit detective, Hella Mauzer, the first woman on the Helsinki homicide squad, gets sent to Lapland in the north after an incident suggesting she is too emotional for murder investigations in the big city. She convinces her Lapland boss, an unimaginative and bureaucratic boor, to let her look into the disappearance of an old guy who would never intentionally have left his young grandson alone but could easily have run into a bear or other wilderness mishap. She travels even further north and stays in the home of a young Orthodox priest with a past and his very domestic wife and is constantly rude to them for no good reason.
Any of the oddball characters in the tiny village could have been responsible for a disappearance that was not a wilderness accident, but a truly bizarre explanation unfolds after not one but two bodies are found with bullet wounds and the only person with any information is a little boy.
You will whip through this one fast, and if you like complicated plots, you will have fun.
Read
April 29, 2019As a Finn I didn’t find this book very convincing what comes to “Finnishness”. Of course it’s fiction, but I’ve naturally read a lot “Finnish-Finnish” literature and was born and have lived in Finland the most of my life.
There’re several errors in the names too. Hella isn’t a Finnish name, it means “stove”. Author refers the name “Hella” means “gentle” so it should be “Hellä”. Hella and Hellä are totally different words. Also, the fictional place “Käärmela” should be “Käärmelä” as the author describes it means “Snake’s place”. There’s no such a word as “Käärmela” in Finnish. Other weird names, that are not Finnish: Kukoyakka (neverheard), Tiramaki (perhaps “Tiramäki”?), Kyander (Kajander?) etc.
The plot is interesting and the setting in it’s own fictional way too, but I must admit it felt weird to read a Finland-set book that was so obviously inaccurate (and I don’t refer only the names here). I guess it’s not a problem if you know nothing about Finland beforehand. But one should always remember it is totally fiction, not a “culture study”.
I guess I’ll read the next book, because I think “Hella” (hope it’s “Hellä” in next book, haha) is interestingly controversial character whom I mostly didn’t like.
There’re several errors in the names too. Hella isn’t a Finnish name, it means “stove”. Author refers the name “Hella” means “gentle” so it should be “Hellä”. Hella and Hellä are totally different words. Also, the fictional place “Käärmela” should be “Käärmelä” as the author describes it means “Snake’s place”. There’s no such a word as “Käärmela” in Finnish. Other weird names, that are not Finnish: Kukoyakka (neverheard), Tiramaki (perhaps “Tiramäki”?), Kyander (Kajander?) etc.
The plot is interesting and the setting in it’s own fictional way too, but I must admit it felt weird to read a Finland-set book that was so obviously inaccurate (and I don’t refer only the names here). I guess it’s not a problem if you know nothing about Finland beforehand. But one should always remember it is totally fiction, not a “culture study”.
I guess I’ll read the next book, because I think “Hella” (hope it’s “Hellä” in next book, haha) is interestingly controversial character whom I mostly didn’t like.
January 20, 2019
This was, unintentionally, the second book I have read this week set in Finnish Lapland, the other being the wonderful The Howling Miller by Arto Paasalinna .
This began well, but gets a bit convoluted in the middle, and ends quietly, rather than climatically.
It’s set in the years not long after the Second World War; Ivar’s introduction serves well to refresh the reader as to the history of the Soviet -Finnish border in Lapland at that time. The historical aspects of the novel are it’s best parts, this part of the world has some incredible war stories to tell.
Ivar’s protagonist, Hella Mauzer, was the first female police inspector in Helsinki’s homicide division, and has been reassigned to the far north by sexist male bosses. She encounters discrimination almost everywhere she turns.
Thereby lies the problem with the novel. With the complex historical aspect, and Mauzer’s personal battles to be accepted as a respected female, the actual crime aspect of the story very much takes third place. There’s lots of potential here, but in the first of Mauzer’s outings it is never quite realised.
This began well, but gets a bit convoluted in the middle, and ends quietly, rather than climatically.
It’s set in the years not long after the Second World War; Ivar’s introduction serves well to refresh the reader as to the history of the Soviet -Finnish border in Lapland at that time. The historical aspects of the novel are it’s best parts, this part of the world has some incredible war stories to tell.
Ivar’s protagonist, Hella Mauzer, was the first female police inspector in Helsinki’s homicide division, and has been reassigned to the far north by sexist male bosses. She encounters discrimination almost everywhere she turns.
Thereby lies the problem with the novel. With the complex historical aspect, and Mauzer’s personal battles to be accepted as a respected female, the actual crime aspect of the story very much takes third place. There’s lots of potential here, but in the first of Mauzer’s outings it is never quite realised.
April 20, 2019
This debut novel takes place in the early 1950s, when women were first permitted to become police inspectors in Finland. Our heroine, Hella Mauzer, reminds me a little bit of Sergeant Barbara Havers from the Inspector Lynley books - the insecure Plain Jane who must constantly contend with others' expectations on how she should behave and dress. But where Barbara Havers turns her frustration inward, torturing mostly herself, Hella Mauzer also turns her rancor on others. She can barely abide inept superiors, uncooperative witnesses or government corruption. Still, she has her charms: a complete dedication to justice being the most appealing.
August 9, 2020
Mordkommission Finnland
Im Jahr 1952 hat es Helle Mauser als ein der ersten Frauen in die Mordkommission Helsinki geschafft. Wegen eines Vorfalls ist sie allerdings schnell wieder draußen und an einen abgelegenen Ort in Lappland versetzt. Unter einem faulen Chef, dem es hauptsächlich darum geht, dass die Statistik stimmt, ist sie nicht sehr glücklich. Als die Frau eines Pfarrers das Verschwinden eines älteren Mannes anzeigt, sieht ihr Chef einen Fall. Alte Männer verschwinden schon mal. Helle nimmt ein paar Tage frei und beginnt vor Ort mit ihren Nachforschungen. Etwas muss mit dem alten Mann geschehen sein, nie würde er seinen Enkel alleine lassen.
Helle Mauser ist eine, die sich erstmal durchsetzen muss. Leicht hatten es wohl wenige in der Zeit. Die meisten Menschen hatten im zweiten Weltkrieg Leid erfahren und Helle steht alleine in der Welt. Doch eine Hürde hat sie schon genommen. Sie hat eine Position bei der Polizei und sie wird diesen Fall lösen, auch wenn ihr Chef kein Interesse daran zu haben scheint. In dem kleinen Ort, wo der alte Mann gesucht wird, muss sich Helle zurechtfinden. Die Menschen sind etwas eigen und nicht sehr bereit, offen mit Fremden zu reden. Auch Kalle, der sechsjährige Enkel Ernos, schweigt meistens.
Mit Helle Mauser hat die Autorin Katja Ivar eine tolle Ermittlerin in einer packenden zeitgeschichtlichen Umgebung geschaffen. Sie mischt die eingeschworenen Männergemeinschaften ganz schön auf. Das haben wir schon immer so gemacht, gilt für Helle nicht. Sie spürt sofort, dass der alte Erno nicht einfach so verschwunden ist. Und sie will und wird der Sache auf den Grund gehen. So tough sie auch wirkt, Helle hat auch eine empfindsame Seite. Die zeigt sie Fremden gegenüber allerdings nicht, da ist sie den Menschen im fernen Lappland nicht unähnlich. Was Helle letztlich entdeckt, entpuppt sich als ausgesprochen spannender Fall, der langsam beginnt und am Ende etwas schnell aufgeklärt ist. Die sympathischen Eigenarten Helles und ihrer Mistreiter tun ein Übriges, um den Leser zu fesseln. Helle Mauser hat bestimmt noch einiges in petto. Auf Englisch ist bereits der zweite Band dieser interessanten Reihe veröffentlicht.
Im Jahr 1952 hat es Helle Mauser als ein der ersten Frauen in die Mordkommission Helsinki geschafft. Wegen eines Vorfalls ist sie allerdings schnell wieder draußen und an einen abgelegenen Ort in Lappland versetzt. Unter einem faulen Chef, dem es hauptsächlich darum geht, dass die Statistik stimmt, ist sie nicht sehr glücklich. Als die Frau eines Pfarrers das Verschwinden eines älteren Mannes anzeigt, sieht ihr Chef einen Fall. Alte Männer verschwinden schon mal. Helle nimmt ein paar Tage frei und beginnt vor Ort mit ihren Nachforschungen. Etwas muss mit dem alten Mann geschehen sein, nie würde er seinen Enkel alleine lassen.
Helle Mauser ist eine, die sich erstmal durchsetzen muss. Leicht hatten es wohl wenige in der Zeit. Die meisten Menschen hatten im zweiten Weltkrieg Leid erfahren und Helle steht alleine in der Welt. Doch eine Hürde hat sie schon genommen. Sie hat eine Position bei der Polizei und sie wird diesen Fall lösen, auch wenn ihr Chef kein Interesse daran zu haben scheint. In dem kleinen Ort, wo der alte Mann gesucht wird, muss sich Helle zurechtfinden. Die Menschen sind etwas eigen und nicht sehr bereit, offen mit Fremden zu reden. Auch Kalle, der sechsjährige Enkel Ernos, schweigt meistens.
Mit Helle Mauser hat die Autorin Katja Ivar eine tolle Ermittlerin in einer packenden zeitgeschichtlichen Umgebung geschaffen. Sie mischt die eingeschworenen Männergemeinschaften ganz schön auf. Das haben wir schon immer so gemacht, gilt für Helle nicht. Sie spürt sofort, dass der alte Erno nicht einfach so verschwunden ist. Und sie will und wird der Sache auf den Grund gehen. So tough sie auch wirkt, Helle hat auch eine empfindsame Seite. Die zeigt sie Fremden gegenüber allerdings nicht, da ist sie den Menschen im fernen Lappland nicht unähnlich. Was Helle letztlich entdeckt, entpuppt sich als ausgesprochen spannender Fall, der langsam beginnt und am Ende etwas schnell aufgeklärt ist. Die sympathischen Eigenarten Helles und ihrer Mistreiter tun ein Übriges, um den Leser zu fesseln. Helle Mauser hat bestimmt noch einiges in petto. Auf Englisch ist bereits der zweite Band dieser interessanten Reihe veröffentlicht.
August 13, 2020
Evil Things is the first book in the Hella Mauzer series, Hella was an Inspector in Helsinki but as this is set in the 1950’s the menfolk decided she was too emotional and sent her to Lapland. Her career is stagnating in her new posts but a curious letter from the far away settlement of Käärmela changes that.
An elderly man is missing, Hella’s colleagues don’t think there is any cause for alarm but something about the case makes Hella want to investigate further. She sets off to try to the settlement to see if a crime has been committed or is another case of somebody wandering in to the woods and getting lost?
On arrival she quickly realises something is up, the village is on the Russian border and the villagers all seem to be hiding something even her hosts, the priest and his wife are not sharing everything they know but they do hold one important piece of evidence, the missing mans grandson.
Hella is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery but when a body is discovered in the woods she realises that there might be more to this disappearance than meets the eye, can she uncover the truth?
Evil Things ticked my boxes straight away, It’s set in a Nordic country (Finland), its cold and snowy, it has a mysterious forest and it has a determined female protagonist. I really had know way of knowing where the book was going, it kept you guessing to the end. The landscape really deserves a mention too, it sounds like something out of Dr Zhivago, all snow and forests capped with frost.
Hella does put up with a lot, her male chauvinist colleagues, sexual harassment from a local lorry driver and general mistrust from the villagers, she may not always handle it well and calmly but she does get the job done. I’m looking forward to more from her.
An elderly man is missing, Hella’s colleagues don’t think there is any cause for alarm but something about the case makes Hella want to investigate further. She sets off to try to the settlement to see if a crime has been committed or is another case of somebody wandering in to the woods and getting lost?
On arrival she quickly realises something is up, the village is on the Russian border and the villagers all seem to be hiding something even her hosts, the priest and his wife are not sharing everything they know but they do hold one important piece of evidence, the missing mans grandson.
Hella is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery but when a body is discovered in the woods she realises that there might be more to this disappearance than meets the eye, can she uncover the truth?
Evil Things ticked my boxes straight away, It’s set in a Nordic country (Finland), its cold and snowy, it has a mysterious forest and it has a determined female protagonist. I really had know way of knowing where the book was going, it kept you guessing to the end. The landscape really deserves a mention too, it sounds like something out of Dr Zhivago, all snow and forests capped with frost.
Hella does put up with a lot, her male chauvinist colleagues, sexual harassment from a local lorry driver and general mistrust from the villagers, she may not always handle it well and calmly but she does get the job done. I’m looking forward to more from her.
May 12, 2023
(Marathon may) went back and forth on this. I found the first half pretty unconvincing but the second half definitely picked up, maybe a little too much? A LOT is crammed into the last ~75 pages. There’s a handful of good little hidden information twists for various characters but I had been frustrated enough w them pre-reveal that I think those should have either come earlier or not have been hidden at all — Hella vacillated between being sympathetically antisocial and just kinda Lady Cop Mean, and while I like that in theory I don’t think it was done particularly well here. I like where the mystery ended up but the scale of it felt out of place, especially at the end, and the interesting parts (ie the social effects of being a border town in Lapland and the relationship between Finnish citizens and their Soviet neighbors) would come up and then just disappear. I did feel like the ending was a little too neat too, the walking off into the sunset tone of it all after a book full of Polar Night Murder….. eh. Also thought the writing was bland, even for crime fiction. Some weird vibes around women to be coming from a female author. Dunno if I’d read another book in the series? I like it conceptually and I’m very interested in the historical era but I didn’t get enough of those parts to feel sated lol.
October 27, 2019
An interesting story, of rural Finland in the early 1950s, with an interesting character hampered by emotional outbursts that seemed unsupported by circumstances and her history. I wanted to like this book more than I ended up liking it.
July 2, 2020
Common trope of Rookie detective setup to fail rises above all expectations and yet really well done! Hella Mauzer is terrific. World of odd characters.
January 14, 2021
What is most unusual about this mystery is the setting which is Lapland, an area that is between Sweden, Finland and Russia. The characters include some weird dysfunctional families.
June 15, 2020
So, I finished all my hoarded library books (26, picked up on March 12th and 13th before the libraries closed) and started on my carefully curated pile that consisted of books I'd been loaned, books I'd bought, and summer ToB books, and this was one of those, one that had been given to me months ago. I'm sure the giver doesn't even remember it. But the plot hinged on...wait for it....chloroquinine! How strange and timely is THAT? Anyway, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would when I started it. Except for that weird and coincidental plot twist, it was a pretty standard Scandinavian mystery, with a few things making it stand out -- that it took place in Finland by the Russian border during the early days of the cold war, for example.
February 20, 2019
Truly original and inventive story, loved the characters (Irja's and Hella's relationship was beautifully rendered). The reveal was just amazing. Never read anything like that before.
January 9, 2019
As a reader that loves Nordic noir and historic fiction, I was so excited to read Evil Things by Katja Ivar. I wasn’t disappointed. The added tension for gender equality that runs deep throughout this novel also gave it an added dimension that I loved.
Set in 1952 during the cold war in Lapland, Evil Things is a chilling, political and thought-provoking thriller. It introduces us to the astute Hella Mauzer, a complex, flawed heroine with a history. I really admired Hella as she continually battles for equality in the chauvinistic Finnish police force.
To read my full review go to: https://noveldelights.com/?p=1107
Set in 1952 during the cold war in Lapland, Evil Things is a chilling, political and thought-provoking thriller. It introduces us to the astute Hella Mauzer, a complex, flawed heroine with a history. I really admired Hella as she continually battles for equality in the chauvinistic Finnish police force.
To read my full review go to: https://noveldelights.com/?p=1107
April 10, 2019
Evil Things took me into new territory as I cannot think of any other books set in 1950’s Finland. We are quickly introduced to Hella Mauzer and given an insight into her challenging life. Hella is a female police officer at a time where women were not expected to join the force. She appears driven and determined but as the story unfolds the reader also gets to see how Hella has left a role in a busy Helsinki station to a role at a more remote outpost.
Working under a boss who believes effective policing is keeping careful files and not taking on difficult unsolvable work (which would ruin his efficiency statistics) Hella wants to head into the deep woods to follow up a report of a missing man. Her boss is extremely reluctant to let Hella leave. The prospect of a change to the weather could mean Hella is stranded in the wilderness for weeks.
Fortunately Hella prevails and he heads to the village of Käärmela where she will stay with the local priest and his wife. They are also looking after the grandson of the missing man. The boy is too young to fend for himself and his missing grandfather was his only carer. Hella tries to question the boy and realises he has a secret but something is scaring him and he will not reveal anything useful.
By the time she arrives in Käärmela Erno Jokinen has been missing for several days. There are searches of the woods being conducted and before long human remains are found. Hella realises that there are secrets in Käärmela but she really could not have been prepared for what was to follow.
Evil Things played out very well. Hella is a complex character, she is no fan of herself and seems to be quick to focus on her own shortcomings. Her initial interactions with colleagues and strangers make her seem unapproachable or even hostile. Yet it is easy to like Hella too. I cringed at some of her behaviour but still empathised with her situation and became angry on her behalf over how her colleagues had treated her.
Location is another very important aspect of the story. The setting is the remote Finnish woods and the isolation is conveyed really well – couple this with the lack of technology (1950’s remember?) and the reader feels Hella is all alone and extremely vulnerable. Hella will feel that too.
Atmospheric reading which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Working under a boss who believes effective policing is keeping careful files and not taking on difficult unsolvable work (which would ruin his efficiency statistics) Hella wants to head into the deep woods to follow up a report of a missing man. Her boss is extremely reluctant to let Hella leave. The prospect of a change to the weather could mean Hella is stranded in the wilderness for weeks.
Fortunately Hella prevails and he heads to the village of Käärmela where she will stay with the local priest and his wife. They are also looking after the grandson of the missing man. The boy is too young to fend for himself and his missing grandfather was his only carer. Hella tries to question the boy and realises he has a secret but something is scaring him and he will not reveal anything useful.
By the time she arrives in Käärmela Erno Jokinen has been missing for several days. There are searches of the woods being conducted and before long human remains are found. Hella realises that there are secrets in Käärmela but she really could not have been prepared for what was to follow.
Evil Things played out very well. Hella is a complex character, she is no fan of herself and seems to be quick to focus on her own shortcomings. Her initial interactions with colleagues and strangers make her seem unapproachable or even hostile. Yet it is easy to like Hella too. I cringed at some of her behaviour but still empathised with her situation and became angry on her behalf over how her colleagues had treated her.
Location is another very important aspect of the story. The setting is the remote Finnish woods and the isolation is conveyed really well – couple this with the lack of technology (1950’s remember?) and the reader feels Hella is all alone and extremely vulnerable. Hella will feel that too.
Atmospheric reading which I thoroughly enjoyed.
December 14, 2018
I received an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would give it 4.5 stars. It was unlike anything I'd read before, but I am glad that I took a chance on it.
Hella is one of the first real female police officers in Finland during the early part of the Cold War and feels compelled to investigate the disappearance of an older man from a remote Lapland village. Once she arrives she finds an even deeper mystery when the remains of a woman are found in the stark icy forest. Hella must figure out if and how the missing man is connected to the woman, and what has brought such "evil things" to a seemingly inconsequential place.
The writer does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the story by recreating the atmosphere of northern Finland in the 1950s. From the descriptions of the weather to the clothing to the architecture, I was totally immersed in the environment along with the character.
Hella was a really great protagonist for this story, as was her village hostess. Secondary characters were also well-developed, even if they only appeared in the story for a few pages.
The story and plot was engrossing. A mystery grew out of what seemed like something that probably had a logical explanation. And the farther I went into the story, the more the threads of the plot wove to create a tale of tension, danger, and thrilling suspense. The last portion of the book and the climax were breathless.
I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, Cold War-era history, or anyone who would just want a a great book to curl up with by the fire on a cold winter night.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would give it 4.5 stars. It was unlike anything I'd read before, but I am glad that I took a chance on it.
Hella is one of the first real female police officers in Finland during the early part of the Cold War and feels compelled to investigate the disappearance of an older man from a remote Lapland village. Once she arrives she finds an even deeper mystery when the remains of a woman are found in the stark icy forest. Hella must figure out if and how the missing man is connected to the woman, and what has brought such "evil things" to a seemingly inconsequential place.
The writer does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the story by recreating the atmosphere of northern Finland in the 1950s. From the descriptions of the weather to the clothing to the architecture, I was totally immersed in the environment along with the character.
Hella was a really great protagonist for this story, as was her village hostess. Secondary characters were also well-developed, even if they only appeared in the story for a few pages.
The story and plot was engrossing. A mystery grew out of what seemed like something that probably had a logical explanation. And the farther I went into the story, the more the threads of the plot wove to create a tale of tension, danger, and thrilling suspense. The last portion of the book and the climax were breathless.
I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, Cold War-era history, or anyone who would just want a a great book to curl up with by the fire on a cold winter night.
January 16, 2019
5/10. The book is decent; cool settings and interesting enough to get you invested. It definitely reads like a debut novel in that the prose isn’t the best and the sequencing of events was quite average.
Ivar really needs to learn the art of subtlety - the phrase “because I am a woman” was written probably more than five times, and the woman thing was brought up way too much. I like the sentiment of a woman doing a job she wasn’t supposed to but it could have been handled with more poise. You don’t need to read the words “as a woman” to deduce that Hella is a great cop. The writing really did Hella a disservice. Also it may just be me but I found Hella to be so annoying. She’s determined not to show emotion because it’s too ‘womanly’ and hey she has outbursts every couple pages. It would have been better to imply that emotion doesn’t equal weakness.
Ivar really needs to learn the art of subtlety - the phrase “because I am a woman” was written probably more than five times, and the woman thing was brought up way too much. I like the sentiment of a woman doing a job she wasn’t supposed to but it could have been handled with more poise. You don’t need to read the words “as a woman” to deduce that Hella is a great cop. The writing really did Hella a disservice. Also it may just be me but I found Hella to be so annoying. She’s determined not to show emotion because it’s too ‘womanly’ and hey she has outbursts every couple pages. It would have been better to imply that emotion doesn’t equal weakness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2019
This was a great change of pace for me -- Lapland in the early 1950s with a female detective. The plot unfolded in an entirely different direction from what I expected. The book was a quick read for me, which means I really enjoyed it. It's always a thrill when I can't wait to get back to reading a book to see what's going to happen.
I always enjoy learning new things when I read. The geography and culture of this area has always been kind of shrouded in mystery. I have friends who are half Finnish by ethnicity, and they recommended it. A really good read!
I always enjoy learning new things when I read. The geography and culture of this area has always been kind of shrouded in mystery. I have friends who are half Finnish by ethnicity, and they recommended it. A really good read!
March 7, 2019
I enjoyed the Finnish setting, but found the writing, characters, plot line, and descriptions very unconvincing.
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