Review: Hidden in Snow (Viveca Sten)

 

Snow. Cold. Mountains. Darkness.

You find these things a lot in Nordic Noir. And while Viveca Sten isn't usually included in lists of Swedish Nordic Noir writers, this book is probably one of her "noir-iest" yet. I had to sit with it for a few days after finishing it and let things process before I could put my thoughts down. Set in midwinter, in the leadup to Christmas, Hidden in Snow is the story of a young girl who disappears after a party and is later found dead on a ski lift in a mountain resort area. But it's so much more than that: this is about what happens to her family and town in the aftermath of that discovery.

If you haven't read Viveca Sten before, this is the first book in her new series. It's a good place to start with her work, although I have no problems suggesting her earlier Sandhamn series also. She's that good.

Sten wrote this book when she found herself confined to the town of Åre during the Covid lockdown, and it shows. I get a strong feeling of being trapped from this book. Dealing as it does with a small town, it has a strong sense of claustrophobia. To be honest, I'm still not sure if this is my favorite of her books. It's very dark, and deals with a number of contemporary issues: immigration, abuse of women, corruption...you get the idea. I liked the main characters very much: the local police force, and Hanna, who's personal and professional life (as a member of the Stockholm police) seems to be falling apart around her. I look forward to learning more about them in future volumes. Sten writes her characters well, and plots here stories carefully. There are no loose threads that might cause her plot to unravel if pulled too much. As far as I can tell (not speaking Swedish), the translator's work is very good, although I might personally wish for a more American colloquial style. The translator, Marlaine Delargy, is from the UK and has translated all of Sten's works except one into English. They clearly have a good working relationship and Delargy's translation is very readable.

For those looking for something more cinematic, the Sandhamn series is available on Apple TV (8 seasons). Just be aware that it is a Swedish production, in Swedish. Not sure if it's subtitled, but I assume it is.

Anyway, definitely 5 stars.