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A review by thoughtsfromapage
Swiss Vendetta by Tracee de Hahn
5.0
4.5 stars
Tracee de Hahn’s debut novel, Swiss Vendetta, is a must-read for mystery lovers. The mystery itself is highly entertaining and the resolution believable (to me this is where a lot of mysteries fail), but my very favorite part of the novel is the Swiss setting, particularly the Chateau Vallotton.
As the book opens, Agnes Luthi, a Swiss police detective, has recently switched from Financial Crimes to Violent Crimes following the death of her husband. Lausanne, Switzerland is in the midst of the snow storm of the century when Luthi gets called to the Chateau Vallotton to investigate the murder of a young woman, Felicity Cowell, who was stabbed on the Chateau’s lawn. The wealthy Vallotton family had hired Felicity to inventory the family’s priceless art collection and other valuable treasures. Two weeks into her inventory project, she is found stabbed on the lawn of Chateau Vallotton in the height of the horrific storm. The blizzard has knocked the power out across the entire region, and the roads are nearly impassable by the time Luthi gets to the Chateau. Luthi and her team are tasked with solving the crime before someone else is killed.
Swiss Vendetta contains a fabulous cast of characters, each with their own agendas and secrets. My favorite character is Luthi who feels guilty about being apart from her children during the blizzard but finds peace in focusing on something other than her husband’s suicide. Count Arsov who lives in the neighboring mansion has his own mysterious past and meticulously kept home. The Vallottons are an insular group who are not used to sharing their home with the myriad of visitors brought there by the murder and seem more concerned with their own lives than who murdered Felicity. There are numerous other carefully created characters that play significant roles in this very entertaining mystery.
De Hahn’s vivid, thoughtful descriptions of the Chateau and the eeriness created by the lack of electricity create a somber, spooky setting for Swiss Vendetta. The candlelight in the Chateau’s cavernous rooms cast shadows in corners and leave large areas in the dark adding to the mood. De Hahn capitalizes on this mysterious atmosphere and the various odd rooms that ancient chateaus might have such as dungeons, long, dank tunnels, and hidden rooms to create the perfect setting. Her equally fabulous depiction of the bitterly cold weather Luthi and her crew endure made me feel like I was right in the midst of the storm.
I highly recommend Swiss Vendetta and cannot wait to read the next installment in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tracee de Hahn’s debut novel, Swiss Vendetta, is a must-read for mystery lovers. The mystery itself is highly entertaining and the resolution believable (to me this is where a lot of mysteries fail), but my very favorite part of the novel is the Swiss setting, particularly the Chateau Vallotton.
As the book opens, Agnes Luthi, a Swiss police detective, has recently switched from Financial Crimes to Violent Crimes following the death of her husband. Lausanne, Switzerland is in the midst of the snow storm of the century when Luthi gets called to the Chateau Vallotton to investigate the murder of a young woman, Felicity Cowell, who was stabbed on the Chateau’s lawn. The wealthy Vallotton family had hired Felicity to inventory the family’s priceless art collection and other valuable treasures. Two weeks into her inventory project, she is found stabbed on the lawn of Chateau Vallotton in the height of the horrific storm. The blizzard has knocked the power out across the entire region, and the roads are nearly impassable by the time Luthi gets to the Chateau. Luthi and her team are tasked with solving the crime before someone else is killed.
Swiss Vendetta contains a fabulous cast of characters, each with their own agendas and secrets. My favorite character is Luthi who feels guilty about being apart from her children during the blizzard but finds peace in focusing on something other than her husband’s suicide. Count Arsov who lives in the neighboring mansion has his own mysterious past and meticulously kept home. The Vallottons are an insular group who are not used to sharing their home with the myriad of visitors brought there by the murder and seem more concerned with their own lives than who murdered Felicity. There are numerous other carefully created characters that play significant roles in this very entertaining mystery.
De Hahn’s vivid, thoughtful descriptions of the Chateau and the eeriness created by the lack of electricity create a somber, spooky setting for Swiss Vendetta. The candlelight in the Chateau’s cavernous rooms cast shadows in corners and leave large areas in the dark adding to the mood. De Hahn capitalizes on this mysterious atmosphere and the various odd rooms that ancient chateaus might have such as dungeons, long, dank tunnels, and hidden rooms to create the perfect setting. Her equally fabulous depiction of the bitterly cold weather Luthi and her crew endure made me feel like I was right in the midst of the storm.
I highly recommend Swiss Vendetta and cannot wait to read the next installment in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.