| Author: |
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Anne Holt
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| Title: |
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1222 |
| Moochable copies: |
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No copies available |
| Amazon suggests: |
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| Recommended: |
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| Topics: |
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| Published in: |
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English |
| Binding: |
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Paperback |
| Pages: |
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352 |
| Date: |
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2011-06-01 |
| ISBN: |
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1848876092 |
| Publisher: |
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Corvus |
| Weight: |
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0.75 pounds |
| Size: |
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1.18 x 5.08 x 7.8 inches |
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| Reviews: |
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Marianne (Australia) (2011/01/31):
Anne Holt’s latest novel is “1222”. The numbers refer to the height above sea level of the town where this modern version of the classic crime story takes place. The story starts with a derailment just as the train leaves Finesnut on its journey from Olso to Bergen. Plenty of injuries, but the train driver is the lone casualty. Amongst the 269 passengers who are evacuated to the nearby century-old mountain hotel are self-indulgent teens, German tourists, a church group, a sports team, the unseen occupants of a mysterious extra carriage, a group of doctors (conveniently for those injured) on their way to a conference and retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen. Add some locals and hotel staff, a snowstorm to ensure everyone has to stay put, a murder (or two) and you have the definitive locked room mystery. Hanne is not Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot: there’s no rubbing of hands together with glee at the challenge; she doesn’t want to get involved. Hanne is paralysed, confined to a wheelchair, limited to the lobby level. Whilst relying on those around her for some pertinent information, her powers of observation and deduction are obviously acute and she has the case solved in time for the classic denouement when the cops finally arrive.
Anne Holt gives us a prickly heroine. She’s cynical, perceptive, has a very dry sense of humour and an incisive wit. Hanne’s inner monologue is a delight; her other characters and the dialogue are realistic and the action is non-stop. Holt touches on several topical issues and throws in a bit of philosophy. The Beaufort scale chapter headings are a fitting touch. “1222” gives the reader undiluted pleasure throughout: this novel is hard to put down. Marlaine Delargy’s excellent translation certainly deserves a mention.
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| URL: |
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http://bookmooch.com/1848876092 |
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