stuart macbride The Dead of Winter

[Mister Hobgoblin]

Two police officers escort an ailing lifer to a secure village that houses ex-prisoners who are too dangerous to release into society. The village has an unlikely balance of cottage industries, cafes, a hotel and women - despite nobody producing anything and an absence of legal currency. There is a ton of snow, shaky communications brought about by poor weather and poor witring, and a problem with dead bodies and arson. There are twists for the sake of twists, and nothing is what it first seems.

 

The pacing was sloooow, the characters virtually indistinguishable and the plot so convoluted that the reader has to keep reminding themselves of why anything is happening. 

 

Nothing quite adds up - least of all characters who are motivated by money in a cash free community. Nothing feels real, the location makes no sense with a secure, gated community with seemingly endless acres of snowy woodland. Yeah nah. 

 

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