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1222: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel (Hanne Wilhelmsen Novels) [Hardcover]

Anne Holt
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 27, 2011 Hanne Wilhelmsen Novels
From Norway’s bestselling female crime writer comes a suspenseful locked-room mystery set in an isolated hotel in Norway, where guests stranded during a monumental snowstorm start turning up dead.

A TRAIN ON ITS WAY to the northern reaches of Norway derails during a massive blizzard, 1,222 meters above sea level. The passengers abandon the train for a nearby hotel, centuries-old and practically empty, except for the staff. With plenty of food and shelter from the storm, the passengers think they are safe, until one of them is found dead the next morning.

With no sign of rescue, and the storm continuing to rage, retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is asked to investigate. Paralysed by a bullet lodged in her spine, Hanne has no desire to get involved. But she is slowly coaxed back into her old habits as her curiosity and natural talent for observation force her to take an interest in the passengers and their secrets. When another body turns up, Hanne realizes that time is running out, and she must act fast before panic takes over. Complicating things is the presence of a mysterious guest, who had travelled in a private rail car at the end of the train and was evacuated first to the top floor of the hotel. No one knows who the guest is, or why armed guards are needed, but it is making everyone uneasy. Hanne has her suspicions, but she keeps them to herself.

Trapped in her wheelchair, trapped by the storm, and now trapped with a killer, Hanne must fit the pieces of the puzzle together before the killer strikes again.


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1222: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel (Hanne Wilhelmsen Novels) + Blind Goddess: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hanne is a fantastic lead, dragged back into the case almost by pure instinct, but relishing the chance to get in the game…Holt makes it all work, and Hanne’s dark attitude makes for several surprisingly witty moments.”— The A.V. Club

About the Author

Anne Holt has worked as a journalist and news anchor and spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm and serving as Norway’s Minister for Justice in 1996-97. Her first book was published in 1993 and her works have been translated into over twenty-five languages. Her novel 1222 was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in Oslo with her family.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Scribner; SECOND PRINTING edition (December 27, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1451634714
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451634716
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Good character development. Kim C. Rice  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
Her novel is ok but I thought way too long and totally unoriginal. Larry Gandle  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery reminiscent of And Then There Were None December 28, 2011
Format:Hardcover
1222 is the eighth installment of Anne Holt's wildly popular (in Norway, that is) Hanne Wilhelmsen series. This is also the first of her books to be translated into English. The book was perfectly fine as a stand alone; however, having known that there were seven books prior to 1222, I really wish that I had been able to read them to get more insight into the main character, Hanne Wilhelmsen.

The premise of 1222 is that a train going from Oslo to Bergen in northern Norway derails during one of the most terrifying snow storms the area has ever seen. Of the 269 passengers, only the conductor loses his life. The accident occurs 1222 meters above sea level. The survivors are taken to a local hotel to await aid. During their stay, passengers are being murdered, and the retired paraplegic police detective Hanne begrudgingly tries to figure out what is happening.

I really loved this book. There was never a dull moment, and the interaction of the characters was very credible. If you think that this book is a rip-off of the Steig Larsson Millenium trilogy, that is certainly not the case. While Hanne's character is slightly similar to Lisbeth Salander, her withdrawn tendencies stem more from her paralysis on the job as opposed to more sociological issues. 1222 leans more towards being a classic mystery yet set in a modern time period, with nods to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Roald Dahl's Lamb to the Slaughter. Both of those stories are some of my favorite writings, so I really enjoyed the references.

While I must admit that I became more fascinated with Scandinavian mysteries after reading the Millenium trilogy, I wasn't hoping for a copycat while reading 1222, which you definitely won't get. I look forward to the English translation of Blind Goddess, the first book of the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, to be released in June 2012.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this character! December 27, 2011
Format:Hardcover
I had never heard of Anne Holt before - she's described as Norway's #1 bestselling crime writer. After finishing her latest book 1222, I can see why - and I will be hunting down her backlist.

1222 features one of Holt's recurring characters - Hanne Wilhelmsen. Hanne is not a stereotypical protagonist. She's wheelchair bound, having been paralyzed from the waist down in a police shoot out four years ago. She's a lesbian, a loner and astute. Oh, and she really doesn't like people at all, even more so since her accident.

'It's having people close to me that I find difficult. I am interested in people, but I don't want people to be interested in me. A very taxing situation. At least it is if you surround yourself with friends and colleagues, and if you have to work in a team - as you do in the police. When I got shot and almost died, I ran out of strength. I was perfectly happy sitting there, all by myself."

Hanne is on a train to see a specialist about her paralysis. When the train derails in a snowstorm high above any settlement, the passengers are forced to take refuge in a hotel at the top of the mountain. Communication is cut off as the storm rages on. And someone else is full of rage as well - a clergy man is found shot. Hanne is recognized and reluctantly conscripted to the team that seems to be taking charge - a lawyer, a doctor, and the hotel manager. The storm is increasing in ferocity - and there's a murderer among them. And what about that extra car on the train - the one with armed guards?

I loved this book so much! The character of Hanne was different, not a by the numbers detective. She somewhat reminded me of Inger Ash Wolfe's Hazel Micallef character. Stubborn, sardonic, irascible and highly observant.

"Like other practised liars, he had stuck close to the truth. As a rule, it's the sensible thing to do, but Adrian had given me a piece of a jigsaw puzzle without realizing that I only needed a fragment of sky to sense the outline of the entire finished picture."

1222 has been likened to Agatha Christie's 'locked room' mysteries. The comparison is quite apt. Hanne herself notes "I thought about Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. I immediately tried to dismiss the thought. And Then There were None is a story that doesn't exactly have a happy ending."

Each chapter has a clever title page listing the Beaufort Scale, a wind rating that starts at one and rises to 12, ratcheting up as the tension increases in the hotel.

I truly had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. The hotel is populated with many possibilities. Indeed, the various characters are half the fun of this read. Hanne's unveiling of the perpetrator at the end and her reasoning were right there before me the whole time, but I hadn't seen it.

This was a five star read for me - and a perfect read for a blustery winter day.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars It was okay. January 30, 2012
By Sarah
Format:Hardcover
The cover and blurb grabbed me straight away and it started out as a really promising novel. The main character is wheelchair bound and disgruntled though strangely likeable, which is helped by the first person storytelling.
About halfway through I found the storytelling reached a plateau. I didn't care about who died, there was no one in the hotel who was actively looking for them or mourning so there felt no sense of tension. I didn't feel any sense of danger for the remaining characters with a killer on the loose and I ended up just reading it because I don't like to leave books unfinished.
It was okay. I'd add another half star if I could.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars CABIN FEVER
A train breaks down, the passengers make their way to an issolated cabin/hotel, and then people start dying. So what's not to like? Read more
Published 9 days ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
Some don't like the protagonist but I found her a great departure from the usual detective. It's a good read and a little different from the usual nordic thriller.
Published 2 months ago by Kate Levitz
3.0 out of 5 stars It's dark - but then again,it's Norwegian
And I'm allowed to say that since I am married to a Norwegian. Anyway, if you don't like dark Scandinavian mysteries, don't read this. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Oakleaf
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but fell short of my expectations
From the description I was expecting an Agatha Christie type book. I love the mystery books from the Scandinavian countries. Read more
Published 5 months ago by dollswest
5.0 out of 5 stars A good book.
It is a good book and finist it in a copal of days. I will defiantly read more of Anne Holt books.
Published 5 months ago by gunnibrems
3.0 out of 5 stars Beware: spoiler?
I greatly enjoyed reading the book, although I agree with some of the complaints voiced here.
However, the very last page left me furious. Who was the mystery person? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. A. M. J. Wigmore
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good 'cozy'.
I found the translation just a little awkward at first, but either I got used to it or it got better. A very good 'cozy' mystery with an interesting sleuth.
Published 6 months ago by Claire C. Valentine
5.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery read
I bought this for my Kindle app after reading a positive review by our library reviewer. I was glad to be introduced to another Nordic mystery writer, and a woman, at that. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Joanne Walen
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story and setting; bit of a fizzle out at the end. Overall...
One of my favorite sub-categories of the mystery genre is the "isolation" mystery, in which a group of people, small (dinner party) or large (private school), are trapped together... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Meg Brunner
4.0 out of 5 stars A mystery that will hold you captive.
During what is quite possibly the worst snowstorm ever, a train on its way to Bergen, Norway derails at a point about 1222 meters above sea level. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ti
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