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angelssisi's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
montanius's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
categj's review
2.0
I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery - mystery books are my comfort read ever since I found Agatha Christie when I was twelve or thirteen.
Lately, I been sampling Scandinavian authors, but haven't yet found a favourite. So when I saw a copy 1222 by Anne Holt (a very popular Norwegian writer) in the bargain book shelf at my local bookstore, I snapped it up to give it a try.
Holt's set up of the story in promising. A wild winter storm, derails a train and strands hundreds of passengers, including, ex-police inspector, Hanne Wilhelmsen, a misfit teenager, several members of a religious group, a Muslim couple, a racist journalist and a mysterious isolated, group of people, rumoured to be members of the royal family. Rescuers transport the passengers to a hotel, located high in the Norwegian mountains 1222 metres above sea level.
Initially, the travellers are optimistic and relieved to be ensconced in the warm mountain hotel where they can safely wait out the raging blizzard before searchers can reach them and take them home.
When one of the passengers is found murdered, Hanne is recruited to take charge of the matter. Irritable and anti-social, the ex-police inspector grudgingly begins to piece together the case.
Even though I was intrigued by the sardonic ex-police inspector with her extraordinary powers of observation and excellent memory, and I found Holt's writing style flowed well and was easy to read, I was disappointed with this novel.
It is impossible for the reader to attempt to solve the case as they must rely solely on Hanne to reveal any information, which she does not. Several times, Hanne thinks to herself that she has figured out a piece to the puzzle, but that is all that we find out. Hanne gives no real ideas about what she is thinking and the actions of other characters do not give any clues either. Many characters act suspiciously, but that suspicion is neither explained nor elaborated upon and are often forgotten. There are many devices that mystery authors use to provide the reader with information that can lead to guesses and assumptions, but Holt does not use any of them.
I had no sense of “who-dunnit” while reading this novel, no clue of the motive for the crime and the “twist” of the mysterious guests added nothing to the suspense of the tale but was just another frustrating detail. There was no sense of “sleuthing” in this book, no clever deductions, no feeling of eliminating suspects, no stunning detective work in bringing the murderer to light. There was little excitement and no sense of danger conveyed in this story — the unveiling of the culprit was flat and disappointing.
Needless to say, I won’t read another “Hanne Wilhelmsen novel” anytime soon.
Lately, I been sampling Scandinavian authors, but haven't yet found a favourite. So when I saw a copy 1222 by Anne Holt (a very popular Norwegian writer) in the bargain book shelf at my local bookstore, I snapped it up to give it a try.
Holt's set up of the story in promising. A wild winter storm, derails a train and strands hundreds of passengers, including, ex-police inspector, Hanne Wilhelmsen, a misfit teenager, several members of a religious group, a Muslim couple, a racist journalist and a mysterious isolated, group of people, rumoured to be members of the royal family. Rescuers transport the passengers to a hotel, located high in the Norwegian mountains 1222 metres above sea level.
Initially, the travellers are optimistic and relieved to be ensconced in the warm mountain hotel where they can safely wait out the raging blizzard before searchers can reach them and take them home.
When one of the passengers is found murdered, Hanne is recruited to take charge of the matter. Irritable and anti-social, the ex-police inspector grudgingly begins to piece together the case.
Even though I was intrigued by the sardonic ex-police inspector with her extraordinary powers of observation and excellent memory, and I found Holt's writing style flowed well and was easy to read, I was disappointed with this novel.
It is impossible for the reader to attempt to solve the case as they must rely solely on Hanne to reveal any information, which she does not. Several times, Hanne thinks to herself that she has figured out a piece to the puzzle, but that is all that we find out. Hanne gives no real ideas about what she is thinking and the actions of other characters do not give any clues either. Many characters act suspiciously, but that suspicion is neither explained nor elaborated upon and are often forgotten. There are many devices that mystery authors use to provide the reader with information that can lead to guesses and assumptions, but Holt does not use any of them.
I had no sense of “who-dunnit” while reading this novel, no clue of the motive for the crime and the “twist” of the mysterious guests added nothing to the suspense of the tale but was just another frustrating detail. There was no sense of “sleuthing” in this book, no clever deductions, no feeling of eliminating suspects, no stunning detective work in bringing the murderer to light. There was little excitement and no sense of danger conveyed in this story — the unveiling of the culprit was flat and disappointing.
Needless to say, I won’t read another “Hanne Wilhelmsen novel” anytime soon.
outi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
alnicholl77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
ortinggirl's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
barbarab's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Anne Holt wants to write a classic Poirot crime story. That’s ok, why should she not play with the genre. But the addition of the terrorists - or are they? - didn’t really add to the story for me. Not one of he best.
ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
This is Anne Holt's homage to Agatha Christie's style of murder mysteries, taken to modern Norway. Hanne Wilhelmsen is an ex-cop, a paraplegic traveling by train through the Norwegian mountains to Bergen to see a specialist. The train derails near an isolated holiday resort and the passengers are taken by snowmobile to the hotel to wait out the fierce winter storm that prevents them from being rescued. Sometime during that first night, a man is murdered and Hanne finds herself unwillingly heading up a quiet investigation, helped by the red cross worker who rescued her, a doctor and the hotel manager.
Holt excels at the character study and here she has plenty to work with. She remains true to the spirit of the genre, while creating a modern collection of people, who are on edge after surviving the crash and learning that a murderer is living among them. Holt even ends the story in a particularly Christie-like way, while retaining the its very modern setting.
I didn't look at her. Instead I met Geir Rugholmen's gaze. He was still standing on the table, his legs wide apart; he was strong, but there was an air of resignation about him. We were both thinking the same thing.
The people who were snowed in at Finse 1222 had begun to let go of their dignity. And only eighteen hours had passed since the accident.
Holt excels at the character study and here she has plenty to work with. She remains true to the spirit of the genre, while creating a modern collection of people, who are on edge after surviving the crash and learning that a murderer is living among them. Holt even ends the story in a particularly Christie-like way, while retaining the its very modern setting.
I didn't look at her. Instead I met Geir Rugholmen's gaze. He was still standing on the table, his legs wide apart; he was strong, but there was an air of resignation about him. We were both thinking the same thing.
The people who were snowed in at Finse 1222 had begun to let go of their dignity. And only eighteen hours had passed since the accident.
littletaiko's review
4.0
Really enjoyed 1222, a Scandinavian mystery with a memorable detective. A classic setting, where a large group of people are stranded somewhere, and one by one they die. Fortunately, one of the stranded people is a retired police inspector who while very unsociable, hasn't lost her eye for details. The characters and plot were interesting and the solution satisfying.