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Icehotel
**This edition is no longer available**
Maggie Stewart, an accountant in her late twenties, is happily pursuing a career in an Edinburgh pharmaceutical company. When a series of brutal murders takes place at the surreal Icehotel in Sweden where she is holidaying with friends, she tries desperately to uncover both the motive and the true identity of the killer before she becomes his next victim. It is when she returns to Edinburgh that she realises justice has not been served, and she is forced to confront a truth which shatters her belief in friendship, leaving her life in tatters.
Maggie Stewart, an accountant in her late twenties, is happily pursuing a career in an Edinburgh pharmaceutical company. When a series of brutal murders takes place at the surreal Icehotel in Sweden where she is holidaying with friends, she tries desperately to uncover both the motive and the true identity of the killer before she becomes his next victim. It is when she returns to Edinburgh that she realises justice has not been served, and she is forced to confront a truth which shatters her belief in friendship, leaving her life in tatters.
391 pages, ebook
First published September 13, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 9, 2012
Two stars may be a bit harsh, but I struggle to justify giving it any more than that. I wanted to give it three but when I look at the other books I have rated three stars I just didn't enjoy this as much.
I think my biggest issue with it was that I didn't really like any of the characters. I honestly couldn't have cared less if any one of them had have been murdered and a few I would have liked to have been killed. The main one being the character of Mike, who ends every sentence with "so it is/was etc" Very annoying!! It was quite a slow start as well which didn't help.
It wasn't your typical "who done it" mystery as there were only several characters with any real development that it could have been. I was really quite unhappy with the ending of the book as well.
I think my biggest issue with it was that I didn't really like any of the characters. I honestly couldn't have cared less if any one of them had have been murdered and a few I would have liked to have been killed. The main one being the character of Mike, who ends every sentence with "so it is/was etc" Very annoying!! It was quite a slow start as well which didn't help.
It wasn't your typical "who done it" mystery as there were only several characters with any real development that it could have been. I was really quite unhappy with the ending of the book as well.
March 24, 2013
This book reminds me of a great Mary Stewart mystery and an Agatha Christie who dunnit all rolled into one. Our protagonist, Maggie goes on a vacation with two of her best friends, Harry, a researcher and Liz, a co-worker at Bayne Pharmaceuticals. They go to the ice-hotel in Lapland. A wealthy philanthropist is murdered. And the murderer is among them. This is a taut tale that held me from start to finish. Part of my Kindle subscription.
January 4, 2013
Slow to start and predictable ending
February 3, 2013
The only character I even remotely liked ended up dead.
May 2, 2018
Quite a gripping book after a slow start.
A few twists and turns which keep your interest and at some stages you can't put the book down.
A decent character list and no sign of cliche driven story lines help the book along.
You are required to use your imagination which helps create a gripping story.
All in all I enjoyed it, the only disappointment being that the author only seems to have written the one book despite it being 6 years since it came out.
A few twists and turns which keep your interest and at some stages you can't put the book down.
A decent character list and no sign of cliche driven story lines help the book along.
You are required to use your imagination which helps create a gripping story.
All in all I enjoyed it, the only disappointment being that the author only seems to have written the one book despite it being 6 years since it came out.
June 16, 2020
CRIME
This has to be one of the best crime novels I have read. The murders are set in a Ice Hotel, so you can imagine the freezing temperatures too.
Don't want to say to much and give it away.
#icehotelnovel #icehotelbook #favouritebooks #crimenovel #crimefiction #hannaallen
This has to be one of the best crime novels I have read. The murders are set in a Ice Hotel, so you can imagine the freezing temperatures too.
Don't want to say to much and give it away.
#icehotelnovel #icehotelbook #favouritebooks #crimenovel #crimefiction #hannaallen
November 18, 2017
A scary book, though powerful... suspense, horror I was stunned at the plot and disbelief that it twisted and turned so much that at times it left me 'stranded'... Eventually ended.
April 28, 2020
Chilly crime thriller with a lot of twists.
May 1, 2021
Good murder mystery taking place in Sweden.
September 26, 2021
*****
One of the best books I’ve read in a while, it kept me guessing right until the very end when the murderer was revealed.
One of the best books I’ve read in a while, it kept me guessing right until the very end when the murderer was revealed.
October 28, 2023
Hard to get into it.... Almost quit reading
Slow beginning is the reason for 4 stars. Last half picked up and was better. Quite a surprise ending. I wouldn't read it again.
Slow beginning is the reason for 4 stars. Last half picked up and was better. Quite a surprise ending. I wouldn't read it again.
October 27, 2015
Wow... over 2 weeks to read 400 pages in a fictional non-classic book. Not a great sign of me enjoying this.
My first impression of the book wasn't great - we open in the present day during a therapist section with our female lead. Chapter 2 sees us go back in time to the events that took place at THE ICE HOTEL!!! I feel I should add a dun dun dunnnnnn sound effect here as that's the feel I got from the layout of this. We know throughout the book something bad and traumatic and awful is going to happen but rather than feeling on the edge of my seat I felt... well, bored. I wanted the book to get to the point and it took far too long to do so.
At times this reminded me of those B-type horror movies you see - where they signal to you that a jump scare or something is coming about 5 minutes before it happens. Same here, at least to me.
The writing I felt was jilted in some places, although overall it was a fluid read. Some of the character actions were the worst part of the writing I felt - the character would be described as saying something and looking a particular way whilst doing it which... often didn't add up.
The plot... well... how many murder suspects do you want? We jump from possibility to possibility and back again and the reveal... it was telegraphed too early so had little impact for me. The mens rea behind the acts made sense though - although there were some events when things seemed a bit too convenient for me.
I didn't end up liking any of the characters and the book never once gripped me and made me think I must read on! That said, it killed time on my commutes so I guess it did that much for me.
My first impression of the book wasn't great - we open in the present day during a therapist section with our female lead. Chapter 2 sees us go back in time to the events that took place at THE ICE HOTEL!!! I feel I should add a dun dun dunnnnnn sound effect here as that's the feel I got from the layout of this. We know throughout the book something bad and traumatic and awful is going to happen but rather than feeling on the edge of my seat I felt... well, bored. I wanted the book to get to the point and it took far too long to do so.
At times this reminded me of those B-type horror movies you see - where they signal to you that a jump scare or something is coming about 5 minutes before it happens. Same here, at least to me.
The writing I felt was jilted in some places, although overall it was a fluid read. Some of the character actions were the worst part of the writing I felt - the character would be described as saying something and looking a particular way whilst doing it which... often didn't add up.
The plot... well... how many murder suspects do you want? We jump from possibility to possibility and back again and the reveal... it was telegraphed too early so had little impact for me. The mens rea behind the acts made sense though - although there were some events when things seemed a bit too convenient for me.
I didn't end up liking any of the characters and the book never once gripped me and made me think I must read on! That said, it killed time on my commutes so I guess it did that much for me.
January 4, 2013
A classic murder mystery, this book has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. Maggie, Liz, and their dear friend Harry go on holiday together to The Icehotel in Lapland - a hotel that changes each year since it melts each summer.
While on their holiday the trio meet a cast of characters almost worthy of a Shakespearean play. Amidst a variety of daily adventures offered strange accidents begin to occur. Mysterious incidents that look to some as if they may be something much more nefarious than mere accidents.
Ms. Allen weaves a masterful tale replete with multiple shocks, horror, and a cast of suspects that change as frequently as a stop light. She manages to build solid characters and invest them with depth beyond what one might expect in a book that is about 392 pages long, given the incredibly convoluted plot *(not convoluted in a bad way though!).
Solid characters, a plot rife with hairpin twists and turns, and an ending that you don't see coming from a mile away, let alone a few feet away. It is always satisfying to actually be surprised by the end of a book - especially of a murder mystery. Well done Ms. Allen!
While on their holiday the trio meet a cast of characters almost worthy of a Shakespearean play. Amidst a variety of daily adventures offered strange accidents begin to occur. Mysterious incidents that look to some as if they may be something much more nefarious than mere accidents.
Ms. Allen weaves a masterful tale replete with multiple shocks, horror, and a cast of suspects that change as frequently as a stop light. She manages to build solid characters and invest them with depth beyond what one might expect in a book that is about 392 pages long, given the incredibly convoluted plot *(not convoluted in a bad way though!).
Solid characters, a plot rife with hairpin twists and turns, and an ending that you don't see coming from a mile away, let alone a few feet away. It is always satisfying to actually be surprised by the end of a book - especially of a murder mystery. Well done Ms. Allen!
August 12, 2016
My review from amazon.com dated 11/13/2013
Title: A wonderful book about a mystery set in Sweden
I am very interested in anything Sweden, it just seems like an unique country. I also really enjoy British literature which this indeed is. So that is a warning to anyone who does not like reading British literature.
It is about three best friends who decided to vacation in Lapland Sweden at the Icehotel. They expected to be amazed at the beautiful sights and fun excursions. However, instead someone dies the first night at the Icehotel and their passports are taken during the investigation ultimately keeping them in Sweden until everything is solved.
To me this book was started off kind of slow and I was able to guess the first one to die. I really did enjoy the book and it definitely had a surprise ending. However once the big surprise was over everything was really rushed and then the book ended.
I really wish there had been some more book after the shock and I would have loved if there was more to the romantic relationship that the main character finds herself in.
Overall I really enjoyed this book but it did leave me wanting more.
Title: A wonderful book about a mystery set in Sweden
I am very interested in anything Sweden, it just seems like an unique country. I also really enjoy British literature which this indeed is. So that is a warning to anyone who does not like reading British literature.
It is about three best friends who decided to vacation in Lapland Sweden at the Icehotel. They expected to be amazed at the beautiful sights and fun excursions. However, instead someone dies the first night at the Icehotel and their passports are taken during the investigation ultimately keeping them in Sweden until everything is solved.
To me this book was started off kind of slow and I was able to guess the first one to die. I really did enjoy the book and it definitely had a surprise ending. However once the big surprise was over everything was really rushed and then the book ended.
I really wish there had been some more book after the shock and I would have loved if there was more to the romantic relationship that the main character finds herself in.
Overall I really enjoyed this book but it did leave me wanting more.
July 22, 2020
For years, I've wanted to visit an ice hotel. All while reading this book by Hanna Allen, I was cold. Sure, it's winter...that, and the psychopathic murderer. A good mystery, well told. February 2013.
So I read Icehotel 7 years ago, in winter. We've had maybe a week of high 90s temperatures f in the Washington DC area. I thought re-reading Icehotel might be cooling. It actually was. I didn't remember any of the plot and little of the characters and i certainly didn't remember whodunit. I liked finding on Goodreads that author Hanna Allen herself visited the Icehotel with its red curtains instead of doors on the guest rooms. Then she decided that a murder was called for and set out to be a writer who would write it. That's an unusual path to the calling of authorship. This book is out of print and electronic availability. The plot is twisty, the characters weird. Allen's revelation is fair to readers -- she telegraphed it in a couple of places. No left-field resolution for her. July 2020.
So I read Icehotel 7 years ago, in winter. We've had maybe a week of high 90s temperatures f in the Washington DC area. I thought re-reading Icehotel might be cooling. It actually was. I didn't remember any of the plot and little of the characters and i certainly didn't remember whodunit. I liked finding on Goodreads that author Hanna Allen herself visited the Icehotel with its red curtains instead of doors on the guest rooms. Then she decided that a murder was called for and set out to be a writer who would write it. That's an unusual path to the calling of authorship. This book is out of print and electronic availability. The plot is twisty, the characters weird. Allen's revelation is fair to readers -- she telegraphed it in a couple of places. No left-field resolution for her. July 2020.
October 23, 2012
Icehotel was a great novel; it was delightfully free of the usual errors that seem to slip through the proofreading net, with a great variation in vocabulary contributing to a well written, enjoyable prose. The setting was very clever in that it helped to set up a perfect crime and it was eerily sinister, as opposed to the idyllic holiday setting it should have been for the characters.
The characters themselves were very well written. I found the plight of the protagonist and her struggle with her own sanity to be very realistic and written in a believable way. Her recounting of her time at the ice hotel was shrouded in a dark cloud, with a sense of dread permeating radiating from almost every word.
I'd sincerely recommend this little thriller, as it's a lot more inventive than your usual run-of-the-mill plot, and is superbly executed.
The characters themselves were very well written. I found the plight of the protagonist and her struggle with her own sanity to be very realistic and written in a believable way. Her recounting of her time at the ice hotel was shrouded in a dark cloud, with a sense of dread permeating radiating from almost every word.
I'd sincerely recommend this little thriller, as it's a lot more inventive than your usual run-of-the-mill plot, and is superbly executed.
February 8, 2014
This was an unusual read for me because I don't often read murder mysteries. It was slow to get going and I couldn't really understand the friendship between Maggie, Liz and Harry but went with it anyway. Things didn't really get interesting until the Icehotel. Then it was a game of guess who. I did think the protagonist of Maggie made some very stupid decisions along the way which made me like her less than I should have but I understand it why it was written that way. I was caught up in Maggie's confusion and wasn't 100% sure who the murderer was which is good because I can usually pick them very early on (which is why the genre doesn't appeal to me so much). A decent read but I didn't rate it higher because it did drag in places.
November 19, 2013
This is one I downloaded ages ago, but for whatever reason, I didn't read it straight away. When there was a recent update, it brought it back to my attention, and this time, I got stuck in straight away.
The story was set around the Icehotel in Sweden, which is only in existence for a few weeks every year, and of course a murder occurs. But intriguingly, there is no apparent reason for the death of the victim, and the guests are still trying to puzzle this one out when another, much more brutal death occurs.
The twists within the story were very well done, and held my attention well - excellent read.
The story was set around the Icehotel in Sweden, which is only in existence for a few weeks every year, and of course a murder occurs. But intriguingly, there is no apparent reason for the death of the victim, and the guests are still trying to puzzle this one out when another, much more brutal death occurs.
The twists within the story were very well done, and held my attention well - excellent read.
January 12, 2016
Far,far too gruesome and gory for my tastes,plus scattered profanity and crude conversations
Very Original.This was actually a pretty good mystery with really surprising twists and turns.I did manage to stick with it to the finish,even though it has several elements that I normally avoid[profanity,an explicit sex scene,and gruesome gore].
It was not difficult to put down so it took me 4 days to finish it!
At times it is really wordy,and I did skim some in the middle.
The descriptions of the locale were great,and the characters are well developed.
Mystery lovers with stronger stomachs will most likely love The Icehotel.
Very Original.This was actually a pretty good mystery with really surprising twists and turns.I did manage to stick with it to the finish,even though it has several elements that I normally avoid[profanity,an explicit sex scene,and gruesome gore].
It was not difficult to put down so it took me 4 days to finish it!
At times it is really wordy,and I did skim some in the middle.
The descriptions of the locale were great,and the characters are well developed.
Mystery lovers with stronger stomachs will most likely love The Icehotel.
December 26, 2014
This was OK, I didn't dislike it, hence 3 stars, but it took me a while to finish it, probably because I couldn't get into the characters. I picked it out of a bunch of free ebooks because it was set in Edinburgh where I used to live, but the action all takes place in Sweden at the Icehotel, which turns out to be a real place - the photos on google look amazing. It's an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with a cast of out there characters, several of whom are bumped off in slightly gruesome ways; the heroine's grasp on reality is a little loose - she's recounting the story to her psychiatrist and I thought the twist would be cleverer than it was.
February 8, 2013
OK book a nice easy read..
Although there are a few twists, I did guess who the murderer was quite early on but enough in there to keep me reading to the end.
I was amazed to discover that I found myself hoping that certain characters got bumped off as they were majorly annoying... so they were!
Wont mention any names as I do not want to give anything away but if you read the book you will know who I am getting at.
Worth a read as it was a very well written book and made me want to go visit an ice hotel and see northern lights even more than I did already
Although there are a few twists, I did guess who the murderer was quite early on but enough in there to keep me reading to the end.
I was amazed to discover that I found myself hoping that certain characters got bumped off as they were majorly annoying... so they were!
Wont mention any names as I do not want to give anything away but if you read the book you will know who I am getting at.
Worth a read as it was a very well written book and made me want to go visit an ice hotel and see northern lights even more than I did already
February 16, 2013
It was nice to read an English-language novel set in northern Sweden. While I've never stayed at the Icehotel, I know several people who have.
At first I had problems with some details that didn't ring true to me (like how good command if English all Swedes seemed to have), but since it is a work of fiction I decided to not let that bother me.
The book is well-written, with few mistakes. I enjoyed all the twists, I was unable to figure out who the bad guy was until the very end.
All in all, an okay read.
At first I had problems with some details that didn't ring true to me (like how good command if English all Swedes seemed to have), but since it is a work of fiction I decided to not let that bother me.
The book is well-written, with few mistakes. I enjoyed all the twists, I was unable to figure out who the bad guy was until the very end.
All in all, an okay read.
November 30, 2013
"Icehotel" is a pretty decent read -- but not a white-knuckle ride. The Ice Hotel in Lapland is the setting and would not have been my choice for a vacation -- way too cold!! One of the characters is a really cold (!) murderer whose plans fall apart immediately causing much more havoc than originally intended.
I did figure out who the murderer was fairly early, but that didn't spoil the reading of the rest of the book.
I did figure out who the murderer was fairly early, but that didn't spoil the reading of the rest of the book.
February 7, 2013
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The sign of a well written book, for me, is when I can imagine the characters, what they look and sound like, and how the stage is set. This book pulled me in so well that I could see the ice sculptures and feel the cold. I had sussed out the murderer long before the end of the book, but it didn't stop me thoroughly enjoying it.
October 23, 2012
Gripping, page-turning, and an easy read. Not really too taxing, but with enough twists to keep you hooked. (One or two of them I did see coming though!). Generally well-written, with the exception of Mike the "Oirish" character, who I felt descended a little into paradody so he did, to be sure.
February 28, 2013
I chose to read this book simply because it took place in the Ice Hotel in northern Sweden, having seen articles about the hotel. Great setting and the mystery was one with many twists and turns. I enjoyed the book.
November 19, 2014
Murder in an ice hotel in Lapland- this is not your usual venue for a murder mystery. I must admit the description of the hotel makes me want to go there! There are lots of great pictures on-line. The end of the book where you find out who dunnit and why, was a complete surprise.
November 19, 2013
really good page turner. I only realised towards the end that there are clues dotted around the text to help you to solve the mystery. Ironically those clues were some repeated sentences that bugged me! oh yeah, and I got it wrong...
December 16, 2013
Well-written, nicely fast paced book! Intriguing mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. Every time I thought I had figured out "whodunit" I was surprised. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries.
December 13, 2013
This book should be somewhere between three and four stars. It kept my interest through the entire story, which a lot of books haven't done recently. I felt that the insinuation that the ice figures were somehow supernatural was more of a distraction than a part of the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews