I love that this book series was translated into English so that we get the chance to enjoy it. Looking forward to reading book #3. This series gives me Criminal Minds/CSI vibes and I love it. ( )

I really liked the first book in the Jessica Niemi series, The Witch Hunter. So, I was thrilled to return to Jessica's world in the sequel The Ice Coven. I like that we get to know more about Jessica and also an interesting case. It's a thrilling book and the ending was really good. I do miss Erne, her mentor from the first book.

Now I'm longing to read the next book in the series, The Last Grudge. I do recommend reading the first book in the series. Jessica is such an interesting character with a special past, it's better to get to know her from the start. ( )

The disappearance of a famous blogger does not seem to be a too interesting case for Jessica Niemi and her team of Helsinki police. After a big music business event, she did not come home and has since vanished into thin air. Her roommate also cannot contribute anything to Lisa Yamamoto’s whereabouts. When the body of a Ukrainian prostitute in Manga clothing is washed ashore, the investigators do not link the two events immediately, but, bit by bit, they untangle the complex web and soon find themselves confronted with a network of ill doings which goes far beyond the city limits. While working on the most challenging case of her career, Jessica is still mourning the loss of her former boss and friend while Erne’s successor openly hates and threatens to expose her, thus destroying her carefully constructed life.

Already in the first case for Jessica Niemi, Max Seeck masterfully crafted a highly complex plot which was great to follow as a reader. “The Ice Coven”, too, seems to be not too mystifying at the beginning but then it slowly unfolds its whole potential and turns into a high-paced thriller. The short chapters add to the suspense which rises and only climaxes at the very end even though long before you were fooled to believe you know what is going on.

Apart from the crime story, the book’s most outstanding element is the protagonist. Being familiar with the first instalment, you already know her backstory, the things she hides from her colleagues and the demons that haunt her. Still, there are some white spaces to be discovered in further stories which I am eagerly looking for.

A multi-layered thriller which is hard to put down once you started. ( )