The Ice Coven - Gothic Fantasy Novel | Dark Witchcraft & Supernatural Thriller | Perfect for Halloween Reading & Book Club Discussions

One of the things I enjoy most about a good mystery novel, besides trying to solve who did what is figuring out the mental makeup of the main characters. The most interesting novels are ones where the characters grow and change in response to stress. That's why I enjoyed this story.Detective Jessica Niemi is under the kind of pressure that can make life miserable. Her new boss, Superintendent Helena Lappi, known as Hellu, doesn't like her and wants to drive her out of her job. Hellu resents Jessica's recent notoriety earned in solving her last case and knows that the Superintendent before her was particularly close to Jessica. Hellu aims to get Jessica kicked out of the police force. In meetings with the detectives, Hellu criticizes Jessica's opinions and generally undermines her every expressed thought in front of the others. Hellu has been handed what she regards as a precious gift, a file of information about Jessica's background, her mother's schizophrenia, and Jessica's own fight with the disease. Armed with this information, which is unknown to Jessica, Hellu intends to get rid of the detective the first time she makes a misstep.Jessica and her team are working on the disappearances of two Instagram influencers on the same day. The two knew each other well and briefly dated. Lisa Yamamoto and Jason Nervander were, however, on different career trajectories. Lisa's star was rising, and Jason's was fading. Both went to a party for a celebrity rapper, but Lisa was admitted, and Jason was denied entry. Later that night, both disappeared. While Jessica and her team work on finding out what happened to the two, a female body dressed in manga clothing (a Japanese schoolgirl outfit) washes ashore on a nearby beach.The team work to find the identity of the unknown woman. Surprisingly, her body looks like and is dressed identically to a drawing that Lisa Yamamoto had in her apartment. Lisa was more than an influencer; she was an artist who had a penchant for drawing manga images. Now that the cases of the missing influencers and the dead woman appear linked, Hellu assigns newcomer detective Hari Harjula to work with Jessica's team. Hari is to be Hellu's spy, reporting back to her any irregularities of Jessica's investigation.The novel intrigued me because it deals with a highly functioning detective who hears and sees things others don't. In Jessica's case, she is haunted by the visions of and conversations with her dead mother. Jessica has always hidden her actual circumstances from her colleagues. The pressure she faces to stay in top form without revealing her vulnerabilities to her coworkers is an exciting read. This is the second novel featuring Jessica Niemi, and I recommend reading the books in order, to understand Jessica's background. Most Nordic mystery and crime fiction fans should enjoy this story.