1222 metres above sea level, train 601 from Oslo to Bergen careens of iced rails as the worst snowstorm in Norwegian history gathers force around it. Marooned in the high mountains with night falling and the temperature plummeting, its 269 passengers are forced to abandon their snowbound train and decamp to a centuries-old mountain hotel. They ought to be safe from the storm here, but as dawn breaks one of them will be found dead, murdered. With the storm showing no sign of abating, retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is asked to investigate. But Hanne has no wish to get involved. She has learned the hard way that truth comes at a price and sometimes that price just isn't worth paying. Her pursuit of truth and justice has cost her the love of her life, her career in the Oslo Police Department and her mobility: she is paralysed from the waist down by a bullet lodged in her spine. Trapped in a wheelchair, trapped by the killer within, trapped by the deadly storm outside, Hanne's growing unease is shared by everyone in the hotel. Should she investigate, or should she just wait for help to arrive? And all the time rumours swirl about a secret cargo carried by train 601. Why was the last carriage sealed? Why is the top floor of the hotel locked down? Who or what is being concealed? And, of course, what if the killer strikes again?
**
Review
''Anne Holt is the godmother of modern Norwegian crime fiction.'' --Jo Nesbø, New York Times bestselling author
''Anne Holt is a thriller writer of the highest order. With the claustrophobic and breathless suspense in 1222 she, again, proves her extraordinary abilities.'' --Liza Marklund, New York Times bestselling author
''1222 is a splendidly chilly read this icy December.'' --Guardian (London)
''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 . . . 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.'' --Guardian (London)
''Holt deftly marshals her perplexing narrative . . . There is a great deal of mileage still left in the well-worn tropes that Holt has channeled. 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.'' --Independent (London)
''Step aside, Stieg Larsson. Holt is the queen of Scandinavian crime thrillers . . . Captures the Agatha Christie spirit of the good, old-fashioned murder mystery.'' --Red Magazine (UK)
''A fascinating, extremely modern homage to the classic detective novel.'' --Der Spiegel (Germany)
''A pleasure from start to finish . . . A dazzling and classic crime story and a brilliant thriller.'' --Bokavisen (Norway)
''Holt updates the classic locked-room mystery with such bravado that on the last page the reader can only give a deep sigh of contentment.'' --Aamulehti (Finland)
''A masterpiece of the genre, a real nonstop read.'' --Skånska Dagbladet (Sweden)
About the Author
Anne Holt spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm and serving as Norway's Minister for Justice in 1996/97. Her first book was published in 1993 and she has subsequently developed two series: the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and the Vik/Stubo series. Both series will be published by Corvus.
Description:
1222 metres above sea level, train 601 from Oslo to Bergen careens of iced rails as the worst snowstorm in Norwegian history gathers force around it. Marooned in the high mountains with night falling and the temperature plummeting, its 269 passengers are forced to abandon their snowbound train and decamp to a centuries-old mountain hotel. They ought to be safe from the storm here, but as dawn breaks one of them will be found dead, murdered. With the storm showing no sign of abating, retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is asked to investigate. But Hanne has no wish to get involved. She has learned the hard way that truth comes at a price and sometimes that price just isn't worth paying. Her pursuit of truth and justice has cost her the love of her life, her career in the Oslo Police Department and her mobility: she is paralysed from the waist down by a bullet lodged in her spine. Trapped in a wheelchair, trapped by the killer within, trapped by the deadly storm outside, Hanne's growing unease is shared by everyone in the hotel. Should she investigate, or should she just wait for help to arrive? And all the time rumours swirl about a secret cargo carried by train 601. Why was the last carriage sealed? Why is the top floor of the hotel locked down? Who or what is being concealed? And, of course, what if the killer strikes again?
**
Review
''Anne Holt is the godmother of modern Norwegian crime fiction.'' --Jo Nesbø, New York Times bestselling author
''Anne Holt is a thriller writer of the highest order. With the claustrophobic and breathless suspense in 1222 she, again, proves her extraordinary abilities.'' --Liza Marklund, New York Times bestselling author
''1222 is a splendidly chilly read this icy December.'' --Guardian (London)
''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 . . . 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.'' --Guardian (London)
''Holt deftly marshals her perplexing narrative . . . There is a great deal of mileage still left in the well-worn tropes that Holt has channeled. 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.'' --Independent (London)
''Step aside, Stieg Larsson. Holt is the queen of Scandinavian crime thrillers . . . Captures the Agatha Christie spirit of the good, old-fashioned murder mystery.'' --Red Magazine (UK)
''A fascinating, extremely modern homage to the classic detective novel.'' --Der Spiegel (Germany)
''A pleasure from start to finish . . . A dazzling and classic crime story and a brilliant thriller.'' --Bokavisen (Norway)
''Holt updates the classic locked-room mystery with such bravado that on the last page the reader can only give a deep sigh of contentment.'' --Aamulehti (Finland)
''A masterpiece of the genre, a real nonstop read.'' --Skånska Dagbladet (Sweden)
About the Author
Anne Holt spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm and serving as Norway's Minister for Justice in 1996/97. Her first book was published in 1993 and she has subsequently developed two series: the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and the Vik/Stubo series. Both series will be published by Corvus.