Deep as Death

Helsinki, March 1953. An unusually long and cold winter, everywhere frozen sea, ice-covered lakes and rivers. In a port city flooded with refugees, who cares if a young woman goes missing? An up-and-coming inspector who views this as an opportunity to advance his career. A heartbroken PI with a score to settle. They have yet to discover one thing: the most dangerous lies are those we tell ourselves. It all begins when Nellie, a prostitute working in a high-end brothel is found floating upside down in Helsinki Harbour. Not exactly a high priority case for the Helsinki police, so homicide chief Jokela passes the job to his former colleague Hella. It's beginning to look like a serial killer is at work when Elena, another lady of the night, narrowly escapes being driven into the harbour by her 19-year-old john. Problem was he had handcuffed her in the car. And to add further excitement to Hella's life, the madam is soon found dead in the garden outside the brothel.

"Even though Hella Mauzer has "high cheek bones, huge eyes, and lovely legs", the Finnish police force has seen fit to dispense with her services: an unfortunate incident with a gun, described in her debut (Evil Things, 2019), has reduced her to being a private investigator on the mean streets of Helsinki in 1953. Some sicko is drowning working girls in the harbor--just one example of the misogyny rampant at the time. Hella, impulsive and intuitive, is a fascinating character who, on learning that her ex-lover is one of several suspects, determines to identify the killer. The misdirection and manipulation of the evidence is worthy of Agatha Christie, but the quirky humour is Katja Ivar's own. Ultimately, though, it is her portrait of Helsinki--"a city of lost souls"--that is most impressive. Not sure about that kalakukko (fish bread) though." Times "Discover the adventures of Hella Mauzer, a splendid creation by Finnish author Katja Ivar. 'Deep As Death' really is very, very good. The setting is Finland in 1953, a cold winter during a Cold War, and call-girls are ending up in Helsinki ('a city for walking fast') harbour. It ends up as a case for Hella Mauzer, a former cop turned private eye whose struggles against patronising, institutional sexism form a vital plot strand. Mauzer is an engaging protagonist, the 1950's setting and characters totally convincing. Katja Ivar writes wonderfully." ShotsMag "The deaths mount up and the pressure on both Hella and Mustonen for their own distinct purposes reaches boiling point. The book ends up with an utterly unexpected and superb climax. The characters are well-drawn and the setting in a chilly, wintry Helsinki is utterly authentic. It also reflects the social mores of the time and no doubt what are now called the 'old police ways'. Enjoy!" Law Society Scotland Journal "June STARRED Pick of the Month: Welcome return for doughty 1950s Finnish cop Hella Mauzer, such a misfit in the male-dominated police force where we first met her in Evil Things, that she's been fired and is trying to make her way as a private detective. Roped in by her old boss to investigate a case he doesn't care about -- the death of a prostitute -- she finds herself on another excursion into the dark heart of Cold War Finland. "Sunday Times Crime Club , Publishers Weekly Starred Review . Set in Finnish Lapland in 1952 amid the overarching threat of East vs. West conflict, Ivar's stellar first novel and series launch revolve around two crucial struggles for emancipation--that of the nation of Finland after centuries of foreign rule, and that of Finnish women. 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. The unusual setting and psychologically complex heroine will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Wall Street Journal.- Katja Ivar's captivating first novel set in Finland in 1952--is about Hella Mauzer, the first woman to work on the homicide squad in Helsinki. "My dear girl," her patronizing boss instructs, "justice in a cold climate is not a natural phenomenon." But the stubborn and resourceful Sgt. Hella Mauzer seems just the police officer to deliver it." Midwestern Book Review (MBR).- Evil Things is the debut novel in author Katja Ivar's new 'Hella Mauzer Crime Series'. An impressive example of Nordic noir, Evil Things is a historic thriller set during the Cold War. While very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that Evil Things is also available in a digital book format. Mystery Scene Magazine. - Winter issue One of the finest books to be released this season is Katja Ivar's Evil Things which takes place in 1952 Finland, in a snowbound Lapp village located within walking distance from the Soviet border....But Hella ignores Eklund's dismissal and forges ahead to a marvellous, unforeseen ending that will leave readers clamouring for another Hella Mauzer novel. And maybe inspire a desire to visit modern Finland. NY Journal of Books. - " Evil Things introduces the readers to a small country where the winter snow hides a cataclysmic crime. It's a chilling entry in this three-part series."

Katja Ivar grew up in Russia and the U.S. She travelled the world extensively, from Almaty to Ushuaia, from Karelia to Kyushu, before finally settling in Paris where she lives with her husband and three children. She received a B.A. in Linguistics and a master's degree in Contemporary History from Sorbonne University. Evil Things was her debut novel.