Fantastic crime novel. It was very well written, loved the authors graphic descriptive writing skills it left me with goosebumps. I was on the edge of my chair reading. I never wanted the book to end. Great to read at this time of year

DS Tristan Haraldson is just appointed as the new District Sheriff in the Faroe Islands when two local boys disappear during the first Whale Hunt of the season. Tristan and his wife were hoping for an easy life into retirement but they get the opposite in this Danish Noir thriller.
Dark, chilling and bleak like the landscape and some of the locals. This is not for the faint hearted.
Well written and pacey this thriller is focused around Whale Hunting which was a hard read for me but past the goriness of the hunt I really enjoyed this book.
4 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Devil’s Fjord by David Hewson

Tristan Haraldsen and his wife are hoping for a tranquil semi- retirement when he accepts the job of District Sheriff in the remote fishing village of Djevulsfjord in the Faroe Islands.
His main job is to see that ‘The Grind’ - the capture and killing of whales for food, is done as the law states.
But at his first Grind, his assumptions about his new life are very quickly shattered. The reality of the Grind, the hostility of the locals and the disappearance of two local boys, all of this bombards him at once and he starts to realise that this community has many hidden secrets and strange ways.
Considering that whale slaughter is so abhorrent in the eyes of the rest of the world, I think that David Hewson wrote about this in a very fair way. He detailed the slaughter in gut-churning detail but he also weighed that up with the islanders attitudes towards the slaughter as a means to survival in a hostile environment.
And Hewson’s depiction of the Islanders was certainly of a hard and hostile lot. I did keep wondering what someone from the Faroes might feel about his portrayal of them as people. There were far more odious characters than good, and the depiction made me feel quite uncomfortable. Although Hewson did (right at the end) acknowledge that his descriptions were fictional and that the Faroese were probably not like that at all!
But still, this really dented my enjoyment of the book (not that I was expecting anything less than full-on gritty).

* Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

Dark and hypnotising. Devil’s Fjord is a Nordic based mystery that tantalises with its mystery and its intrigue.

Devil’s Fjord really excels at displaying its tragic atmosphere. In its beauty is a life that is behind the times and traditional to the Faroe Islands. Its inhabitants are ruled by the waters and fishing is all they know. The young have vanished to find a life that will enrich them beyond anything they could find in Djevulsfjord on the isle of Vagar. Those that are left, find themselves in astronomical amounts of debt to the Thomsens. What they give with one hand they take with the other. Landowners and with owning the only local shop, they have them all in their back pocket.

Devil’s Fjord however, has a darkness seeping out of its very core. The ex-sheriff was killed on the island by means of a hit and run. A man called Kaspar Gunting was found dead, the disappearance of Police Officer Hanna Olsen’s brother, Soren, and now the mysterious disappearance of two young boys, who happen to be Kasper’s nephews, throws up a lot of red flags to newly appointed Sherriff, Tristan Haraldsen. His medical retirement from his role as Police Administrator in Torshavn has led him and his wife, Elsabeth to Djevulsfjord, their dream of living in somewhere remote becoming a reality with his new position of Sheriff.

The setting of this story was my favourite part. I’ve always wanted to visit Scandinavia and the depictions of the Northern Lights had me sighing in wonderment. There is just something so magical about those lights and the landscape made it all the more special. What I didn’t enjoy, was the descriptions of Whale slaughter. Yes, I know it’s their way of life, and it’s a brutal landscape and it takes brutal means to survive but Christ, it really was vivid, and I nearly gave up with the book on that alone.

The writing in Devil’s Fjord was tantalisingly delicious. David Hewson knows how to string a storyline, and I really felt like I was transported into the pages of the book. The mystery lurking in the background felt like a presence, the island holding its own court, it has its own secrets, its own life. Devil’s Fjord is essentially a story about abuse and control. Two young boys and their place within a patriarch focussed family. The women are at the liberty of the men, you can feel their pain and you sense a great sense of guilt from all inhabitants of Djevulsfjord.

Will Tristen Haraldsen get to the root cause of the mystery, but will it be too late to alter the course of events? I look forward to checking out this author’s back catalogue it was the descriptions of animal cruelty that turned my stomach.

This is a very different story to David Hewson’t Nic Costa series which I love. This is the story of an isolated community in the Faroe Islands. It’s a poor community and they live in a very traditional way including undertaking the ritual whale killing, the grind. This is a very bleak story as the villagers close ranks against outsiders when a child is murdered. As the story unfolds, the newly appointed District Sherrif realises that there are unexplained disappearances which might be linked to the murder.
The poverty of the villagers is in sharp contrast to the beauty of the landscape but part of the reason the book feels so bleak is that the village and their life style is dying as people leave for the city and modern life.
I read this book as an ARC from Net Galley however I realised that I have already read this in 2019 when it was previously published.

A book full of subtle suspense on a slow burn.
This was not a page turner. The murder happened 30% of the way into the narrative. However the unusual circumstances and the plotting of the action kept me glued to the text.
I have heard of the 'grind' but only in passing. So, it was fascinating to read of this brutal cultural phenomenon. The description of nature too was wonderful and the natural landscape itself seemed to be a character in the story.
A wonderful (fictional) look into a country and people far from my own. I'm glad that the author warns us of the fictionality of the setting since I would have taken this as cultural fact otherwise!

Set in an obscure, remote fishing village in the Faroe Islands, this is a crime novel with a difference. The setting, the insular community, and the barbaric and gruesome traditions of the people will stick in my mind forever.

This is bleak and often disturbing Nordic Noir which has been rendered expertly by the author. The slow revelation of the crimes committed in this remote community was done with a skill that chills the reader.

The brutal and violent way of life was one that leaves an indelible imprint on the mind of the reader. The horrific grind with the slaughter of hundreds of pilot whales, the killing of the charming little puffin birds for food, the insular lifestyle, ridden with hardships, the almost feudal society with a 'company store' type general store, and a corrupt police superintendent was unforgettable.

The inequality of the society was chilling. The hard-working poor fisher-folk, and the unfeeling and tyrannical general store owners, the Thomsens, was disturbing indeed.

The crimes, the devious cover-ups, were all alien to the small village who rarely experienced crime of any type.

Crime fiction lovers will relish the criminal aspects of this book. I recommend this novel with some reservations. The graphic descriptions of the violence against animals will prohibit some readers from fully enjoying the book.

Would I read another novel by this author? Definitely.

The Faroes Islands settings are beautifully described in this dark heart rending tale of a small community tearing itself apart. Mysterious deaths, old fishing methods, young runaways, disreputable officials and an elderly couple newly retired move to the village trying to fit in. It twists and turns until all the shock truths are revealed in this wonderful atmospheric story. Excellent!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed the style and descriptions in the writing. The. character development was good and there were enough twists in the storyline to keep me interested. Overall I would recommend as a good read!

Newly-appointed District Sheriff Tristan Haraldsen and his wife Elsebeth are looking forward to a peaceful semi-retirement in the remote fishing village of Djevulsfjord on the stunningly beautiful island of Vagar. But when two boys go missing during the first whale hunt of the season, the repercussions strike at the heart of the isolated coastal community.
I think I’ve read most of the author’s books so was excited to read this book set in a different location & it didn't disappoint. The description of the Faroe Islands is detailed & I felt I was there. A well written book which was well paced, the pace did change throughout the book. My one difficulty was how to pronoun the names. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & would recommend
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

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Description
A remote island. An isolated community. A terrible secret.

If the new District Sheriff, Tristan Haraldsen, thought moving to a remote village on the island of Vagar would be the chance for a peaceful life with his wife Elsebeth, his first few weeks in office swiftly correct him of that notion.

Provoked into taking part in the village's whale hunt against his will, Haraldsen blunders badly, and in the ensuing chaos two local boys go missing. Blaming himself, Haraldsen dives into the investigation and soon learns that the boys are not the first to have gone missing on Vagar.

As Tristan and Elsebeth become increasingly ensnared by the island's past, they realise its wild beauty hides an altogether uglier and sinister truth. Good book!! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! I wasn't sure after I read the description but I really liked it! This book was filled with suspense, action ,drama, and all kinds of twists and turns! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!