1222
Retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is on the train riding to see a specialist about the paralysis that keeps her wheelchair bound when the train derails. One thousand two hundred and twenty two meters above sea level the survivors are evacuated to nearby, centuries old hotel. Despite the ever-increasing blizzard outside the passengers have shelter, warmth and an abundance of food. Everything one could ask for under the circumstances. Until, the next morning, one of them is discovered dead. With the help of a height challenged doctor Hanne reluctantly starts an investigation into the murder. Soon enough another body is found, as is the existence of a mysterious traveler residing on the top floor of the hotel, surrounded by armed guards. The book has been called a locked room mystery and Hanne herself compares her situation to “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie although quickly dismissing the thought since Ms. Christie’s novel “doesn’t exactly have a happy ending”.I liked Hanne Wilhelmsen. She is an unusual character. She is smart, resourceful, anti-social, sharp tongued and stubborn. I also enjoyed the book, and found the comparisons to Ms. Christie, if they were intended as compliments, to be well deserved. It was fun to read a crime story that is solved through resourcefulness, intelligence, observation and deduction. If you decide to read this book – read carefully! Clues are dropped constantly and this reader missed the significance of them all. Despite the fact that I greatly enjoyed this book, it is #8 in a series (there was absolutely no problem in keeping up with characters and story), so I have not decided if I will be picking up another.
