Ice Moon

The story opens with Kimmo Joentaa, a young Finnish detective, sitting by the bedside of his wife, Sanno, who has just passed away. He cannot talk to anyone about her death and goes back to work without giving himself a chance to grieve. He is assigned to the investigation of the case of a woman who has been suffocated in her sleep and this murder is followed by two more, all victims having died peacefully in their sleep. The murderer is revealed to us at the outset and he and Kimmo alternately narrate the story. As the murders occur Kimmo becomes overly involved in the cases and feels a strong connection with the killer because he has spared his victims any suffering.
Ice Moon is about Kimmo's attempts to come to terms with Sanno's death and the effect that grief has on him, his ability to communicate with those around him and to do his job. His struggle is very moving.

There was a character introduced at the end of the book who seems superfluous to the plot but overall I was pleasantly surprised by Ice Moon and would like to read more by Jan Costin Wagner.