I would like to thank Anna from Random Tours and Corvus Books for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Corvus

Published – Out Now

Price – £0.99 Kindle £16.99 Hardback

What secrets are hidden within the walls of a desolate farmhouse in a forgotten corner of Lapland?

Early spring has its icy grip on Ödesmark, a small village in northernmost Sweden, abandoned by many of its inhabitants. But Liv Björnlund never left. She lives in a derelict house together with her teenage son, Simon, and her ageing father, Vidar. They make for a peculiar family, and Liv knows that they are cause for gossip among their few remaining neighbours.

Just why has Liv stayed by her domineering father's side all these years? And is it true that Vidar is sitting on a small fortune? His questionable business decisions have made him many enemies over the years, and in Ödesmark everyone knows everyone, and no one ever forgets.

Now someone wants back what is rightfully theirs. And they will stop at nothing to get it, no matter who stands in their way...

One of the joys of the thriller is the unearthing of secrets understanding the relationships between characters and what motivates people to do fairly terrible things. Sometimes it is less a detective story than a general exploration of people be they workplaces, friends or family. In Stina Jackson’s The Last Snow we go to a less than salubrious part of Sweden and there uncover grubby secrets, long running feuds and lost futures to deliver a bleak exploration of two families secrets finally coming into the light.

Liv works at a 24-hour service station in northern most Sweden. She is the daughter of the widely derided and taciturn Vidar and she also lives with her son Simon. Vidar despite his advanced age rules the trio - they cannot get a new car, a new chainsaw without his permission and instead he constantly brutalises them with his tongue. Liv has tried many times to escape but knows she cannot leave while her father has a hold on her. Rumours surround this strange family from Vidar’s legendary unspent wealth to the nature of Simon’s father. They are tolerated rather than love din the village. Similarly, Liam and Gabriel are two would be drug dealers trying to keep themselves going. One night an opportunity arrives in the form of a man who wants Vidar to be taught a lesson. Death, revenge, and escape are all about to collide in an unhealthy fashion.

This is very much a noir tale less Wallander and more the type of tale you can imagine the Coen brothers filming. It comprises a tale of many layers that Jackson is successfully unpeeling for the reader. Told with a focus on Liv and Liam we see these souls both living in the shadow of terrible fathers and not sure where they can go. Liam mirrors Liv as he has a young daughter he really would like to go straight for. Both of them find Vidar’s shadow will haunt them for the rest of the book. Liv’s tale is the more tragic as we see how she grew up with Vidar and clearly unhappy recklessly tried everything to escape and never stood a chance. The atmosphere for the story is oppressive and grubby as much a reflection of the unkempt Vidar who lives so basically and rarely washes and seems to hate the entire worlds.

As you can imagine nothing for these people goes to plan and then we get the main part of the book focused on the aftermath. Suspicions fly among the cast of characters as the police get involved and I did enjoy that this isn’t a police focused crime tale it is more about finding out who is pulling the strings. I do think the story could have been a little tighter in the last act as it holds back on explaining who is to blame until quite late in and at some points just some honest conversations may have moved us on but the heart of the novel. But the question of can Liv ever escape her father and past is a haunting one. This is a story of partial explanations, lost hope and decaying families which while may make you feel grimy will also pull you in.

Thriller fans who enjoy a trip to the dark side of life will find much to enjoy I this story. The characters stand out and the atmosphere of people being trapped in their lives makes it feel very oppressive. Stina Jackson shows great promise as a thriller writer.