Book Review of Trouble by Katja Ivar

 

Name of Book: Trouble

Author: Katja Ivar

ISBN: 978-1-913394-77-6

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press

Part of a Series: Hella Mauzer series 

Type of book: Finland, 1953, past, secrets, spying, letters, looking beyond the surface, relationships, domestic abuse, decisions, 

Year it was published: 2023 

Summary:

The third in the Hella Mauzer mystery series. Set in Finland, early summer 1953. Hella Mauzer the first-ever woman Inspector in the Helsinki Homicide Unit has been fired and is now a reluctant private investigator. 

Hella has been asked by the police to do a background check on Johannes Heikkinen, a senior member of the Finnish secret services. Heikkinen has a complicated a child dead just weeks after birth and a wife who died in the fire that destroyed their house a few years later. Background checks are not exactly the type of job Hella was hoping for, but she accepts it on the condition that she is given access to the files concerning the roadside death of her father in 1942. Colonel Mauzer, his wife and other family members were killed by a truck in a hit and run incident. An accident, file closed, they say. But not for Hella, whose unwelcome investigation leads to some who would prefer to see her stopped dead in her tracks.

Characters:

Main character is Hella Mauzer, an abrasive, brash and brave young Finnish woman of German origins who will do the right thing and isn't afraid of anything. To be honest, I am not quite sure if her character went through changes when comparing her to the prequels, but I would guess her character has kept the same parts of her personality. The secondary characters of Johannes Heikkinen as well as his in-laws and Hella's friends is also well-drawn, giving all of them intriguing dimensions. 

Theme:

One never knows what is hidden or linked

Plot:

This time the story is in third person narrative completely from Hella's point of view, without giving any alternative points of views. To at least understand Hella's life as well as get the feeling for Finnish history in modern times, I would recommend in reading the previous two novels. This time the mystery is front and center and there is definitely suspense and mystery as to what is going on as opposed to prequels where it seemed as if characters and their relationships were the focus and mystery was more of an afterthought. What I definitely find interesting is that the author experimented with points of views throughout the trilogy which is unique because I don't recall reading trilogy where third person and first person narratives were changed. I did feel a few of the things were rather quick and unexpected, but I definitely liked the conclusion and how the story ended. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

N/A
Opinion:

First of all, yes, previous two novels are quite necessary reads, at least to catch up and understand Hella's life. In this novel, the mystery is focused on what has happened to Hella's family as well as why. This novel is more mystery focused and it seems to be quite reminiscent of EVIL THINGS, the first one because it also deals with history and possible conspiracies. Some of the characters from previous novels appear, at least the co-workers, but other than that new characters abound. Plot wise its tied a lot to the predecessors although there are differences too. But yes, another enjoyable read as well as a fantastic conclusion to the third novel. I do wonder if there will be more mysteries involving Hella, but if there are, am looking forward to reading them. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)