Reviews

• “Anne Holt introduces Hanne Wilhelmsen in 1222, the first novel featuring this prickly Norwegian heroine to be translated into English. /…/ Wherever Hanne shows up next, my advice is to follow that wheelchair.”

• “Hanne Wilhelmsen makes her U.S. debut in Holt’s intriguing reimagining of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None /…/ the prickly Hanne [Wilhelmsen] is worth getting to know.”

• “Holt kicks off a new series with a skillful riff on And Then There Were None /…/ Holt creatively combines the classic detective story and the Scandinavian thriller in a compelling way that should immediately pull in fans of both genres and keep them turning pages even as they shiver from the atmospheric descriptions of wind, cold, and snow. A must for all mystery fans.”

• “Holt makes curmudgeonly Hanne the perfectly astringent guide to this nightmare whodunit out of Ellery Queen’s The Siamese Twin Mystery and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.”

• “The setting brings to mind Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None /…/ I really loved this snowbound book.”

• “Anne Holt’s cerebral puzzler…in the vein of an Agatha Christie locked room thriller /…/ It’s a safe bet to say [Hanne Wilhelmsen] is a unique fictional creation, yet Holt makes her utterly believable. With her doubting internal dialogue and sharp wit, Wilhelmsen is neither too good, nor too bad and brooding to be true – a nice find in the mystery world. /…/ thanks to the sharp Wilhelmsen and an exceptional cast of characters, there’s nothing cliche about Holt’s take on this tried-and-true mystery genre.”

• “A compelling and addicting narrative that’s very contemporary /…/ While [Hanne] Wilhelmsen is not a warm and fuzzy character, she is not predictable either. The combination of these elements makes the book an engrossing and addictive reading experience. /…/ 1222 will cause you to add Anne Holt’s name to your ever-growing list of must-read authors.”

• “[Anne Holt] has a great protagonist /…/ Agatha Christie-style setup /…/ Holt makes it all work, and Hanne [Wilhelmsen’s] dark attitude makes for several surprisingly witty moments. The suspects are just as fascinating, from brooding teenager Adrian to little-person doctor Magnus to mountain man Geir. Holt sketches in nearly two dozen characters in a handful of words, and she’s capable of suggesting they’re much more than just suspects, even when they function as nothing else. /…/ it’s wholly enjoyable to just spend time with Hanne and this unlikely rogues’ gallery.”

• “Step aside, Stieg Larsson, Holt is the queen of Scandinavian crime thrillers… Captures the Agatha Christie spirit of the good, old-fashioned murder mystery.”

• “Chilling.”

• “[Hanne Wilhelmsen] is a complex, unsympathetic woman made bitter and lonely by her condition; however the plot is lively, the setting unusual and the cold atmosphere persuasive. Holt writes with the command we have come to expect from the top Scandinavian writers.”

• “It’s easy to see why Anne Holt, former minister of justice in Norway and currently its bestselling female crime writer, is rapturously received in the rest of Europe. It’s less easy to see why she hasn’t been published here before, but if 1222 is anything to go by, it was worth the wait. /…/ an intriguing twist on the classic “locked room” mystery… /…/ the buildup of tension is slow but superbly effective. Holt’s vivid depiction of claustrophobia, petty squabbles and mob hysteria is just as convincing as her evocation of the storm outside.”

• “Her peculiar blend of off-beat police procedural and social commentary makes her stories particularly Norwegian, yet also highly entertaining. Plus, with her day job background there’s always a sense of both authenticity and moral legitimacy. /…/ Her latest, 1222, reads a bit like a mash-up of Stieg Larsson, Jeffery Deaver and Agatha Christie… This is probably the chilliest read you’ll encounter all winter.”

• “There’s a definite Christie-ish flavour to Anne Holt’s 1222 preferring to focus on the puzzle rather than the murders, and leading up to a wonderfully Poirot-esque I’ve-figured-it-all-out speech from Hanne. /…/ It only whets the appetite for the previous books in the series, revealing tantalising glimpses of Hanne’s past as she comments acerbically bout her fellow survivors. /…/ 1222 is a splendidly chilling read this icy December.”

• “If you haven’t heard of Anne Holt, you soon will. /…/ A variation on the classic locked room mystery, Holt has capitalised on old-fashioned suspense to great effect.”

• “Holt deftly marshals her perplexing narrative… /…/ There is a great deal of mileage still left in the well-worn tropes that Holt has channelled. The clichés are resolutely seen off by the sheer energy and vitality of her writing. /…/ …the large cast of potential victims is handled with prodigious skill – as is the uncompromising, short-fused heroine. As for the plot itself, it moves with the speed of the ill-fated train – but, unlike the train, Anne Holt’s storytelling never comes off the rails.”

• “Another excellent series blowing out of Scandinavia /…/ 1222 is a locked-room mystery, one of the oldest and most difficult of all plots to carry, and Holt does it brilliantly. /…/ This is a great old-fashioned tale of ratiocination and deduction. /…/ No Stieg Larsson comparisons here; Holt is much closer to Rendell or Patricia Highsmith.”

• “Cult author Anne Holt presents once again a lot of suspense with Hanne Wilhelmsen, the super intelligent but also somewhat prickly former detective.”

• “Anne Holt has written a fascinating and highly contemporary commemoration to the classic crime novel: a limited number of possible offenders, an isolated crime scene and suspects with a good motive.”

• “My favorite book /…/ What can be better than a crime novel set in a snowed-in Norwegian mountain village that captivates the reader until the last page.”

• “Anne Holt has long been considered one of the best Scandinavian crime authors /…/ Her heroine Hanne Wilhelmsen is a credible character, that we effortlessly follow until the very end.”

• “A book that you won’t be able to put down even when you eat, it is that suspenseful.”

• “Hanne Wilhelmsen solves the case in a very classic, exquisitely narrated crime novel, which altogether is a modern take on Agatha Christie. Suspenseful, claustrophobic, genuinely good.”

• “For 15 years Anne Holt has put a silver lining on the reading experiences of all crime fans. /…/ It has become more intimate and the understanding of Hanne Wilhelmsen deepens. /…/ It is suspenseful.”

• “You get closer to Hanne [Wilhelmsen] than before /…/ Anne Holt has here allowed herself to play with the crime genre. She does it well. Very well. /…/ What Anne Holt does best is to establish the presence of the reader. In a subtle and effective way, she transfers images and gives us a sense of being there. We see the snow-covered train, hear the wind rattling the windows and feel the icing cold. Sometimes I had to look out the window to remind myself that it was late summer and not winter. Anne Holt keeps the reader attentive and alert, there is no distances or unnecessary digressions, it is simply incredibly exciting throughout the book. If it were not for the Sandman, I would have finished the book in one day. Try it yourself!”

• “1222 might be one of the best stories [Anne Holt] has created – dense, charged, and with an almost classic murder story.”

• “Anne Holt delivers entertainment of a high degree. The author amuses herself and the readers with an ensemble of eccentric types, and the claustrophobic feeling in the creaking snow-covered building is skillful entertainment.”

• “As a surly Miss Marple in a wheelchair, [Hanne Wilhelmsen] takes the lead in this crime novel of the classic type. /…/ 1222 is a real page turner. It is suspenseful and humorous, full of reading satisfaction, and rich with allusions to the classics of the genre.”

• “Well-written, suspenseful and insanely entertaining.”

• “Holt’s crime novels are very close to the locked room mystery, which she exercises with brilliance and a confident, tension-creating tone. 1222 is a very pleasing and thoroughly entertaining crime novel”

• “What makes the book so enjoyable to read is primarily Wilhelmsen’s thoughts and the gratifyingly dramatic situation: a whodunit buried in snow.”

• “A crime novel in the best Agatha Christie style. /…/ If you like Agatha Christie, then this is a contemporary form of crime puzzle of the same exciting caliber /…/ Holt is not far behind Christie.”

• “Anne Holt’s strength is her charcaterization, which is described through Hanne Wilhelmsen’s eyes and therefore never becomes boring. The ensemble of characters is skillfully woven together with the suspenseful plot all the way through. As with the author’s last novel, Madam President, I had a hard time putting the book down until the very end.”

• “Anne Holt has managed to invigorate something that could have been a boring Agatha Christie rip-off by carefully portraying both Hanne Wilhelmsen’s edginess and the other people stuck in the hotel – as well as how the confinement affects them. Yes, the drama is there and Anne Holt skillfully deals with it.”

• “1222 is a puzzle crime novel in the Agatha Christie spirit, and, like Poirot or Miss Marple, Wilhelmsen gathers all the guests to piece the case together and solve it. Impressive and a bit humorous. [I] really liked this book.”

• “You can almost touch the tense atmosphere where everyone is vigilant and glances at each other. Anne Holt succeeds with the trick of keeping the tension throughout the book, and she describes the different people and forces of nature in a way that allows one to enter into the world of the novel.”

• “Anne Holt has managed to create a classic murder story with a dense atmosphere”

• “Anne Holt describes, in a brilliant way, how different types of people function and react in extreme situations. /…/ Brilliant, Holt.”

• “Anne Holt is a skilled crime writer… suspenseful and entertaining.”

• “Very thrilling… A crime novel in classic Agatha Christie style that you can’t put down.”

• “An insanely entertaining crime story. /…/ To let Hanne Wilhelmsen appear in first person strengthens the intimacy between her and the reader. The feeling of presence becomes very strong when the reader through her gets to participate in what is going on at the hotel. /…/ It is very thrilling.”

• “A brilliant version of And Then There Were None… a classic crime novel in the best Agatha Christie style”

• “A sympathetic crime novel.”

• “This book was a pleasure from start to finish. Anne Holt’s 14th book is a dazzling and classic crime story. /…/ 1222 is a brilliant thriller that will hopefully find many readers. Perhaps the best this year?”