Frost and Ashes

Daniel Trokic #2

by Inger Wolf, Mark Kline (Translator)

Thrilling Scandinavian mystery

From an international best-selling author

During a snowstorm, an 8 year-old boy is found dead in a stream running through the village of Mårslet. He has been strangled with a fish line and has severe burn marks on his hands.

The investigation of the killing of the boy goes in several directions. To an old man with a dark past and a collection of beetles, to a boy with a cellphone and a guilty conscience, and to a drowning accident in the same stream thirty years ago.

Police inspector Daniel Trokic is handling the case with his team, and while the snow is slowly melting, a terribly painful story is revealed.

Frost and Ashes is the third book in the bestselling Scandinavian mystery series by Award-winning author Inger Wolf.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Nordic Noir, Fiction, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Inspired by the Darkness

Inger Wolf is an International Bestselling Danish mystery and thriller writer.

Her first mystery novel, Dark September, for which she was awarded the Danish Crime Academy's debut prize, was published in 2006. Since then, her bestselling books have been translated into several languages.

She loves to travel and get inspiration to her books from all over the world, but lives in the outskirts of the town of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, close to the forest and the sea. In this beautiful place, she got a degree in English and worked as a translator for many years.

Today, Inger Wolf works as a full-time author. The household also includes a dog called Harry Hole, named after one of her favorite detectives, and a cat called Mis (Kitty).

Books to date:

On the Side (Danish)
Dark September (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Dutch, French, Spanish)
Frost and Ashes (Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch, Spanish)
The Song Bird (Danish, Dutch)
The Wasp Nest (Danish, French)
Evil Water (Danish, French)
Under a Black Sky (Danish, English)
The Perfect Place to Die (Danish)
Burned Souls (Danish)
The Crow Man (Danish)

Reviews

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow Police Lieutenant Inspector Daniel Trokic and his team in Denmark for this crime thriller which starts off when an 8 year-old boy is found dead in a stream running through the village of Mårslet. He has been strangled with a fish line and has severe burn marks on his hands.

Although this novel is set in Denmark, the locations made no difference whatsoever to my enjoyment of this book. The culture did not even feel Danish and this novel could have been set in any country within the Western world.

Frost and Ashes is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. I am pleased that Detective Lisa Kornelius has her part to play again in this story.

I enjoyed reading this book and thought the plot was very good. The pace of this story was spot on and what came across most was just how very difficult it is for the police to solve a crime. The usual lines of enquiry were drawing blanks and the usual suspicions were not holding up. The mystery element Inger has woven into her story is very good.

I liked the Afterword that Inger included at the end of her story that explained her research and the inspiration for Frost and Ashes. It was then as I walked Charlie the Pug and reflected upon the book, that I thought how creepy yet excellently told the story was. My lasting impressions of Frost and Ashes were very strong and it made me wonder just how common the backgrounds explored in the story are in the Western World. Inger took a risk with the content of one paragraph on page 204 of her novel. Once you have read it, the scene will haunt you. I feel that Inger was right to include that paragraph as real life police officers have to deal with scenes of that type and deal with the emotional effect it will have on them.

I think Frost and Ashes is a GOOD read and am pleased that it is very different to the first novel, Dark September. Both books get 4 stars from me.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

Me ha gustado bastante esta novela, la investigación y la trama en sí, me han gustado más que las de su novela anterior, está más trabajada. También se sigue tocando temas personales de la vida de Trokic en Zagrev, pero en pequeñas dosis. Los personajes están muy logrados, mis favoritos siguen siendo Trokic y Jacob, y aunque Lisa Kornelius me gusta como investigadora, no la soporto en el tema personal.

Como ya he mencionado la trama está más lograda que en su anterior novela, aun así he sospechado por donde iban los tiros. No me ha convencido el final ya que deja puntos sin aclarar, por ese motivo le he quitado medio punto.

[Aïda Vefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha parecido una historia aceptable, pero no he acabado de conectar del todo con ella ni con los personajes.

El final me ha resultado un poco incompleto porque creo que no queda suficientemente explicado los motivos por los que asesinan al pequeño Lukas.

No obstante, ha estado bastante entretenida!

[Denise Zendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book three in this tightly written, well-plotted, traditional mystery sees Danish Inspector Daniel Trokic investigating the mysterious death of a young boy, found in a stream, strangled by fishing line and with severe burns on his hands. Suspects include an old man with a shady past and an obsession with beetles, and a teenager with a guilty conscience. Things get even more complicated when Trokic sees a connection to a drowning accident in the same stream 30 years ago.

As with the other two books in this series, I have one quibble – the characters spend a lot of time “mumbling”. I counted nine separate instances in this story, and it was distracting. Maybe “mumbling” is the closest English word to the original Danish. The overuse of it took me out of the story.

Aside from that, the plot, which dealt with bullying and child abuse, was dark and gritty and had the ring of truth. The author does a great job of setting the scene, and showing the characters as multi-dimensional, flawed people.

Trokic is a compelling main character. He has “ … a gift for identifying patterns in behavior, which made him an exceptional investigator.” He is brilliant and relentless and completely focused on solving the case, and if that means stepping on someone’s toes, well, too bad. If you like traditional dark detective stories, give this series a go. I would read more if there were more to read. Oh, these can be read out of order.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Segunda entrega publicada en nuestro país de los casos del detective Trokic (ese con gustos metaleros), del que aún habiendo leído no hace mucho la primera, no recordaba demasiado :S Sin duda, saturación de novela negra nórdica por mi parte.

En cualquier caso, diría que la opinión es un calco de la pasada. Amena, ligera en cuanto a rapidez y dimensión de la propia lectura; pueblo pequeño, crimen brutal... secretos del pasado. Eso de matar a un personaje cuando está a punto de desvelar la identidad del culpable está ya muy visto... la cosa es que, con estos fallos míos de memoria, ahora mismo no recuerdo si fue la propia autora la que utilizó el mismo esquema... sería demasiado :)

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The death of a child is always tragic. When a lttle boy is murdered and his body is deposited in an icy creek, Det.Trokic and his team are determined to apprehend those responsible. They will plumb the depoths of an especially ugly world to find the killer and expose the truth.

This is an engaging police procedural. Trokic is an interesting and likable character. Pacing was a tad uneven and there is much unecessary repetition (Trokic's unruly cowlicks, his prediliction for red wine, whatg the characters ate,etc ). Still it kept me interested to the end. good book.

[Sonja van der Westhuizen | West Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the past few years, I've read plenty of "Scandi-noir" - some better than others. Earlier this year I read Inger Wolf's Dark September and knew I had to find more of this Danish author's books. Frost and Ashes didn't disappoint. Well-written, full of twists and turns you won't see coming.

My only regret is finishing it so quickly. Truly a worthwhile addition to the genre. I'm looking forward to many more of Inger's novels.

[Monty Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avid Follower

I don't give away the plots in any of my reviews but I will say that I'm now an avid follower of Inge r Wolf mysteries\crime stoppers! I have now read all three books that have been translated into English. If you are a mystery buff then these are for you. I'm betting you'll love it.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It discusses such horrific topics as child pornography and using children for money and exploitation. The story has some heavy topics that are hard to imagine. I enjoyed the plot and what the detectives have to go through to solve these crimes.

[Dwight Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark thriller

Murder combined with child pornography. Pornography made by their own parents. As a side story, arson. All tied together makes for a very dark and hard to read story at times. Pedophiles should not be allowed to walk this earth, at least not as free people, ever.

[Birthe Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took to long to get the story started and to fast to finish it. It was well writen, but with to many boring details

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED Under A Black Sky, hated Dark September and I'm happy to say she's back to form with this story. I think one issue with these books is the order they were translated in......she's not the first Nordic author this has happened with and I'm not sure why publishers do it. Seems dumb to me when it's a SERIES of books !! Anyway, I digress. I really enjoyed this, my first read of 2019 and I'm impressed to read the cover photo is one of her own pictures, too. How nice to have your own creation as your cover.
I did wonder why we kept hearing that Lukas only ever wore blue, yet we were also told more than once of his green down coat !! Their detecting prowess never spotted this.....in one interview with a teacher she half-mentioned something that had happened and they didn't press her on it, then when a fire started while a woman was in a locked shed, they found nothing suspicious about that, either !! I think they need a refresher course in detecting. I wonder if we'll get to know Sidsel a little more in upcoming instalments as she seems to have an intriguing back story, I think.
There were hardly any mistakes....Ecstasy needs capitalising, we needed paragraph breaks at times and this sentence lost a word-"A boy beside the fire cried enormous tears out big, frightened holes-eyes" but that was it which is impressive to see.
Oh, and I DID Google to see if cows bite-hehehe !! I'm also wondering what on earth made the author's daughter ask the question that precipitated the idea for this tale !

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but it left me depressed and anguish. With a really bitter taste. Not the feeling I was looking for at the moment.
I've liked to find Daniel Trokic again, I like his voice but it's been a difficult read due to the nature of the crime. I knew since the beggining this wasn't going to be easy. They murdered a child, but still... Despite I've read worse in the past but this time it's been too much. The crime is horrible but when you discover the truth laying behind the crime, it's even worse.
I will need cute and easy for a while now.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Gripping Story

This is another of Inger Wolf's very well done and gripping stories. The solving of the crime (mystery) is paramount of course, from the first page to the last, but the characters are what is truly engaging. The cold winter landscape of Denmark is a character too, and it truly chills many of these characters. I hope you will give this story and this author a try. it's worth your time.

[Bryan Higgs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 'Scandinavian Noir' novel. I find it interesting how so many Scandinavian detective novels have a very dark outlook. I thought that Scandinavians were positive people with national cultures that are very successful. Perhaps it has to do with the weather, and the darkness of the winter season?
Whatever the reason, this book was OK, but not something that would attract me to other books in the series.

[Nadishka Aloysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. There was a strong message about child pornography in the and I liked the author's message at the end about how and why she wrote this.
The pace was a little slow, but the murderer at the end was a great twist.
If you like crime fiction is a Scandinavian setting, you will love this one!

[Robin Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children’s nightmares

A lot of true investigative data went into the story of this book. How do we contain the evil in society, and in the lives of children, who have a right to be safe, not a life of abuse and deprivation. The story within the story of The turbulent life of the investigative police who are also dealing with a missing cousin was good. It reminds the reader that they are only human too

[Sean Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4-star Danish murder mystery

Amazing book, very well written: Wolf's prose is excellent; plot development excellent as well; narrative is very good; characters are fleshed out and multi-faceted – even ancillary characters are presented as interesting. The plot is fairly straightforward: a puzzling death, seeming suspicious and quickly determined to be murder. As the investigation progresses, dead ends and blind alleys string out the investigation and occasionally changes the strategy and even the scope.

Through the entire yarn, Wolf keeps each and every actor in character, and the personalities are almost all consistently believable; the roles are supported with accurate details; and the path to the denouement, while uncomfortable and taxing, is thoroughly enjoyable.

[Diego González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angustiosa novela negra ambientada en Aahrus, Dinamarca. Sigue el patrón tradicional de la novela de procedimiento, con los monólogos interiores del inspector (de pasado oscuro y torturado, en su caso porque es croata y ya sabemos que la Croacia de la primera mitad de los noventa fue el Eurodisney de la casquería), que vive absorbido por su trabajo y demás. Un día alguien creará un inspector de policía de ficción que juegue al pádel o que sea hincha del Estudiantes o que juegue al mus con sus amigos de la universidad y la singularidad resultante destruirá la obra completa de Henning Mankell.

En fin, la novela es bastante retorcida, en ocasiones durísima y desde luego no es ni remotamente previsible, así que uno pasa un buen rato enganchado a la trama.

[José Luis Parra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entretenida trama policiaca

Me ha gustado mucho la trama y, por fin, de mis últimas novelas terminadas, consigo leer una novela policiaca y detectivesca pura, sin necesidad de ahondar en los problemas personales de los protagonistas que al final la convierta en un drama psicológico más que en una investigación. Bien narrada y manteniendo el interés del lector en cada capítulo.
Muy entretenida y con mucho suspense sobre todo cuando empiezan a descubrirse pistas importantes con las que ya no pude dejar de leer. Aunque sí es cierto, como dicen otras opiniones, que parece precipitarse y cerrarse más rápido quizás de lo que hubiese necesitado.

[Susan Trinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysteries abound

This was a fun book to get a glimpse into police work in another country. Me Wolf manages to capture the feel of police work in Denmark in the cold winter. She does a great job of bringing in suspense and keeps the reader guessing where the novel will take you next.it was a good read.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great Nordic Noir book, and is second in the Daniel Trokics series. I'm hoping that they will continue to translate this series into English. It is indeed noir, but the mystery is well plotted and the clues distributed fairly. And I do enjoy the characters.

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, like the author’s way of presenting things. Characters are presented so well you can picture them. A few twists, but patient work finds the culprit. Scandinavia is pictured as a very dark place again. But good stories.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book but was distressed by the theme. The author handled the topic well. This was Book 2 of the series following Detective Daniel Trokic. I will go back and read the first book. I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.

[Beverly Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and hypnotic

Frost and Ashes is a dark hypnotic book that left me having bad dreams for a couple of nights. It got right under my skin.
I’m ready to read more in this series!

[storm grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author for me and I was pleased to have read this book. Well written and a good story. I read this on my kindle and for some reason it broke some of the lines of text.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Really good development of characters and plot. Looking forward to her next book. Lots of information about living in a different place out of the United States.

[Майя Ставитская · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Dane Inger Wolf with a gloomy Scandinavian noir and a through character Croat Daniel Trokic. Burned by the war, he knows more about cruelty than he would ever like to know and is inclined to appreciate the quiet comfort of a provincial Aarhus. What can not be said about the inhabitants of the town. Not that people are really so arranged that when everything is good, they need it to be worse, not that depression is in the air in the Nordic countries, or that Scandinavian noir requires rivers of blood from printing ink to avert real troubles (according to the principle: yes, we don't live well at all, don't envy).

"Frost and Ashes" begins with a terrible event, eight-year-old Lucas, who disappeared the day before, was found strangled with a fishing line in a local river. His hands are burned. Why burns, was the boy tortured? Someone from the locals killed him, which means everyone is under suspicion. The investigation grows into details, and now a similar case that happened thirty years ago, when the body of an eleven-year-old boy was found in the same river, has already surfaced. And then an elderly neighbor dies in a barn set on fire, Trokich talked to her the day before and then she didn't tell him anything, but maybe she remembered something she saw and didn't attach importance?

Wolf, to be fair, does not deliver history to a thousand-page talmud, fitting into a compact volume of less than three hundred pages. What does not prevent her from filling the story to the brim with trigger themes: violence at home, at school, on the Internet; sexual crimes against children; the perverted interest of the world in other people's suffering and cruelty, which suddenly becomes a way of gaining social capital; the vulnerability of lonely elderly people - the flip side of raising living standards; suddenly, child pornography, it seems to me, is completely superfluous in this story, and added on the principle of "so that it was."

Где ваши дети?
Это датчанка Ингер Вольф с мрачным скандинавским нуаром и сквозным персонажем хорватом Дэниелем Трокичем. Обожженный войной, он знает о жестокости больше, чем хотел бы когда-нибудь узнать и склонен ценить тихий уют провинциально Орхуса. Чего не скажешь об обитателях городка. Не то люди впрямь так устроены, что когда все хорошо, им нужно, чтобы было хуже, не то в северных странах депрессивность разлита в воздухе, не то скандинавский нуар требует рек крови из типографской краски, чтобы отвести реальные беды (по принципу: да вовсе мы не хорошо живем, не завидуйте).

"Мороз и пепел" начинается со страшного события, в местной речке найден задушенный рыболовной леской восьмилетний Лукас, который пропал накануне. Руки его обожжены. Почему ожоги, мальчика что, пытали? Убил кто-то из местных, а значит, под подозрением каждый. Расследование обрастает подробностями, и вот уже всплывает похожий случай, произошедший тридцать лет назад, когда тело одиннадцатилетнего мальчика нашли в той же реке. А после погибает в подожженном сарае пожилая соседка, Трокич беседовал с ней накануне и тогда она ничего ему не сказала, но может быть вспомнила о чем-то, что видела и не придала значения?

Вольф, надо отдать должное, не развозит историю на тысячестраничный талмуд, укладываясь в компактный объем меньше трехсот страниц. Что не мешает ей под завязку набить историю триггерными темами: насилие дома, в школе, в интернете; сексуальные преступления против детей; извращенный интерес мира к чужим страданиям и жестокость, которая внезапно становится способом обретения социального капитала; беззащитность одиноких пожилых людей - оборотная сторона повышения уровня жизни; внезапно детская порнография, как мне кажется - совершенно лишняя в ��той истории, и добавленная по принципу "каши маслом не испортишь".

И вот с этой чрезмерной зрелищностью, с переполненностью романа взрывоопасными темами его сила оборачивается слабостью. Все-таки детектив - жанр довольно специфический, глубин психологизма от него не ждешь, но их суррогат - четкие мотивировки, в первую очередь злодеев, читателю нужно дать. С положительными персонажами все ясно, с ними мы себя ассоциируем. Мы ждем от автора объяснений, что движет преступниками. Пусть даже нам в тысячу первый раз объяснят: эта мразь стала такой, потому что в детстве заставляли надевать колготки. Самое тупое объяснение сойдет, главное - чтобы было.

В целом "Мороз и пепел" увлекательный детективный триллер со сплетением нескольких преступлений и обаятельным следователем, для разнообразия не подверженным деструктивным порокам и депрессии. Самый большой грех Трокича - любовь к "Раммштайну" на предельной громкости (но предается он этому в одиночестве собственного дома).

#датская литература, сканди-нуар, Ингер Вольф, Дэниель Трокич #2, преступления против детей, пиромания, перевод Анатолия Чеканского, издательство Фолиант

[Ken Fredette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was taken back to my past when Inger Wolf made this story unfold with Daniel Trokic as a half Danish half Croatian man with people still in Croatia. He had a cousin Sinka who went missing during the war in Croatia and he just heard that she was seen after 15 years or so in Serbia. Another woman that just came into Trokic's life was Sidsel who was house sitting working on her dissertation. We learn more of her life in detail and wonder if she's being set up as Trokic's new heart throb. The story is around Lucas Mørk a second grader 8 years old who was found in a creek under some branches with fishing line around his throat. No leads, other than burn marks on his body. Lisa was another policewoman that helped in finding the killer with wondering about a grandfather clock that showed up in her previous job. We have other characters involved in the case but you would have to read this in the story to find out if they are red-herrings. What we find out in the end is that Trokic was propositioned by Sidel but he used the excuse that he was going to Serbia to find Sinka.

[Arthur Okun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inger Wolf has written another excellent mystery to add to the Daniel Trokics series.
The place:Denmark. The murder of Lucas Mork took place by the creek. Lucas was the son of
Karsten Mork and Jytte.Not only was Lucas in the water filled creek----He was missing a day.
It was also discovered that he was strangled. A fishing line was around his throat.He was strangled.

The novel was filled with strange pasts.Another murder in the 70's was now part of the investigation/
Eigil Riise a neighbor of the Mork's. Also found in this creek.

All of sudden fires broke out They were small----in basements. Another death. Burnings.

Who killed Lucas? Mathias Riise a friend of Lucas was tortured by his mother.
Lucas had a friend -- name Frederick. Whever he went so did Lucas.
I cannot divulge more----Read this Inger Wolf series featuring Detective Daniel Trokic.