1222 is the remarkable story of how a small group of people find themselves stuck in a hotel during an apocalyptic snow storm. Following a dramatic...
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reviews
Dec 13, 2011
Luanne
rated it: 
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, More...
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, More...
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Feb 21, 2012
Marleen
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1222 metres above sea level the train travelling from Oslo to Bergen derails during the start of the worst snow storm in Norwegian history. With the snow and freezing temperatures getting steadily worse, the 269 passengers have no hope of a quick rescue and no choice but to take refuge in centuries old mountain hotel close to the crash site.
The hotel has withstood anything nature could throw at it for hundreds of years and is well stocked so the passengers should be safe from the elements a More...
The hotel has withstood anything nature could throw at it for hundreds of years and is well stocked so the passengers should be safe from the elements a More...
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Feb 15, 2012
Kat
rated it:
Described as Norway's #1 bestselling crime writer, Anne Holt had fashioned together a most intriguing story of deceit, mystery and murder. Her latest book, 1222, is written in a very unique fashion, eluding familiar concepts of strong writing and story telling. One example of this can be seen in her main character, Hanne Wilhelmsen.
Hanne is not your typical protagonist.
Having been paralyzed from the waist down in a police shoot out four years ago, she is wheel chair bound. As More...
Hanne is not your typical protagonist.
Having been paralyzed from the waist down in a police shoot out four years ago, she is wheel chair bound. As More...
Feb 07, 2012
KarenC
rated it: 
Well presented stand alone, although it's the eigth installment in a series. Author took the time to develop her series character, Hanne Wilhelmsen, so she seemed real; a mature policewoman, retired due to a gunshot wound suffered on the job, now curmudgeonly, an introvert who prefers being left alone and who has not fully learned to deal with her disability. I was left with the impression that her life revolved around her disability and was nearly limited to her wheelchair, although she has a l
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Jan 21, 2012
Richard
rated it:
Okay, here is a translation from Norwegian to English that I enjoyed. This would be very easy to adapt to stage or screen since all action in the story starts with a train crash very near a mountain resort 1222 meters (4000 Feet) above sea level.
The story is held tightly to the survivors awaiting rescue in the large resort/train station named, appropriately 1222. Oh, yes, there is a storm raging outside that is worse than any other in known history, eventually blowing away lesser bui More...
The story is held tightly to the survivors awaiting rescue in the large resort/train station named, appropriately 1222. Oh, yes, there is a storm raging outside that is worse than any other in known history, eventually blowing away lesser bui More...
Jan 03, 2012
Saxton B. Little
rated it:
The premise of 1222 interested me from the start. I wish I knew where I heard about this book. I thought the main character, Hanne Wilhelmsen, an ex-police woman, paralyzed by a bullet, living a bland life in her wheelchair, sounded intriguing. I didn't realize at the outset that it was the eighth in a series from Norwegian author Anne Holt but the first to be translated into English. It can easily be read as a stand-alone but you probably will want to know more about that bullet and some other
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Jan 02, 2012
Carol
rated it:
The premise of 1222 interested me from the start. I wish I knew where I heard about this book. I thought the main character, Hanne Wilhelmsen, an ex-police woman, paralyzed by a bullet, living a bland life in her wheelchair, sounded intriguing. I didn't realize at the outset that it was the eighth in a series from Norwegian author Anne Holt but the first to be translated into English. It can easily be read as a stand-alone but you probably will want to know more about that bullet and some other
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Dec 18, 2011
Emma
rated it: 
Why do I keep getting talked into reading books like these?
Yes, I get it, Hanne is an anti-hero. She hates people. She is extremely, antisocial, embittered and intolerant…… hmm BECAUSE she’s a wheelchair user!? (Ta-da! Makes sense now doesn’t it?) Despite being gay, disabled, married to a Muslim, she still finds room to be totally repellent and prejudiced towards someone with Dwarfism (i.e. the doctor Magnus Streng.)
I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I read her c More...
Yes, I get it, Hanne is an anti-hero. She hates people. She is extremely, antisocial, embittered and intolerant…… hmm BECAUSE she’s a wheelchair user!? (Ta-da! Makes sense now doesn’t it?) Despite being gay, disabled, married to a Muslim, she still finds room to be totally repellent and prejudiced towards someone with Dwarfism (i.e. the doctor Magnus Streng.)
I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I read her c More...
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Nov 30, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
I knew I would like this book when our at-first anonymous narrator, confined to a wheelchair and injured in a train accident, is attended by a dwarf physician. Anne Holt writes, "His voice was surprisingly deep. I had expected some kind of helium voice, as if he were an entertainer at a children's party."
This is the eighth Hanne Wilhelmsen story but the first to be translated into English from Norwegian. It really doesn't matter that we haven't read the other seven, a stateme More...
This is the eighth Hanne Wilhelmsen story but the first to be translated into English from Norwegian. It really doesn't matter that we haven't read the other seven, a stateme More...
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Nov 26, 2011
Maxine
rated it:
At 1222 metres above sea level, the train to Oslo is derailed by icy tracks and the passengers are forced to move to a nearby hotel. Outside, the worst storm in Norwegian history rages while, inside, a murderer is at work.
1222, by Norwegian author Anne Holt, is a locked room mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie's 'Then There Were None'. As the number of possible suspects dwindles, Hanne Wilhmson, once a police detective, now wheelchair bound, uses her considerable deductive skills wi More...
1222, by Norwegian author Anne Holt, is a locked room mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie's 'Then There Were None'. As the number of possible suspects dwindles, Hanne Wilhmson, once a police detective, now wheelchair bound, uses her considerable deductive skills wi More...
Mar 11, 2011
Marianne
rated it:
Anne Holt’s latest novel is “1222”. The numbers refer to the height above sea level of the town where this modern version of the classic crime story takes place. The story starts with a derailment just as the train leaves Finesnut on its journey from Olso to Bergen. Plenty of injuries, but the train driver is the lone casualty. Amongst the 269 passengers who are evacuated to the nearby century-old mountain hotel are self-indulgent teens, German tourists, a church group, a sports team, the unseen
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Jan 16, 2011
Sonia
rated it:
Back in November, I spent a day driving to various places for work, and so was listening to Radio 4 and there was an interview with Anne Holt who I had never heard of.
She is Norwegian, and they were talking about the sudden popularity of Scandinavian crime books, the fact that she seems pretty scathing about Norwegians in her books and her latest book that had just been translsated and was about to be released in the UK – 1222. I added it to my wishlist, and was delighted to get an Ama More...
She is Norwegian, and they were talking about the sudden popularity of Scandinavian crime books, the fact that she seems pretty scathing about Norwegians in her books and her latest book that had just been translsated and was about to be released in the UK – 1222. I added it to my wishlist, and was delighted to get an Ama More...
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Dec 13, 2010
Boekenbuzz.nl
rated it:
Tijdens een zware sneeuwstorm ontspoort een trein bij het hoogstgelegen station in Noorwegen. De passagiers moeten noodgedwongen een onderkomen zoeken in Finse 1222, het plaatselijke hotel. Het zal enige tijd duren voor er hulp bij het dorp kan komen en de gasten zijn op elkaar aangewezen.
Al tijdens de eerste nacht in het hotel wordt er een mysterieuze moord gepleegd; slachtoffer is Cato Hammer, een beroemde televisiedominee. Op dat moment begint voor Hanne Wilhelmsen, voormalig politi More...
Al tijdens de eerste nacht in het hotel wordt er een mysterieuze moord gepleegd; slachtoffer is Cato Hammer, een beroemde televisiedominee. Op dat moment begint voor Hanne Wilhelmsen, voormalig politi More...
Jan 07, 2012
Paul
rated it:
“1222” by Anne Holt, published by Scribner.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
Hanne Wilhelmsen, a former police inspector, who is now wheel-chair bound because of a bullet to her spinal cord is on a train heading for northern Norway. The train jumps the track in a violent snow storm caused by Hurricane Olga. The passengers are snowmobiled to a hotel and find themselves stranded for several days.
Hanne is drawn back into police work when one of the passengers is found murde More...
Category – Mystery/Thriller
Hanne Wilhelmsen, a former police inspector, who is now wheel-chair bound because of a bullet to her spinal cord is on a train heading for northern Norway. The train jumps the track in a violent snow storm caused by Hurricane Olga. The passengers are snowmobiled to a hotel and find themselves stranded for several days.
Hanne is drawn back into police work when one of the passengers is found murde More...
Jan 28, 2012
Loretta
rated it:
So I am on a Scandinavian literary tour. And maybe by the time I have a few more of these under my belt, I will acquire more comfort with the difficult names. Which, in this book, were handled very well by the translator. I don't know if there were just fewer of them, or if Norwegian names are easier to pronounce, or what. But the reading was much smoother for me this time.
The story was a classic "locked room" murder mystery. The lead character a tragic wheelchair bound form More...
The story was a classic "locked room" murder mystery. The lead character a tragic wheelchair bound form More...
Dec 15, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
Originally published on Cozy Up With A Good Read
I found this book thanks to a great post over at Book Spark that highlights some new releases on Netgalley. This one sparked my interest because I love mystery books. I was intrigued with the idea that there are so many people trapped in this hotel together that it makes it hard to figure out who the culprit is.
I had some difficulties in the beginning with this book, not that it was bad, I just couldn't seem to find myself getti More...
I found this book thanks to a great post over at Book Spark that highlights some new releases on Netgalley. This one sparked my interest because I love mystery books. I was intrigued with the idea that there are so many people trapped in this hotel together that it makes it hard to figure out who the culprit is.
I had some difficulties in the beginning with this book, not that it was bad, I just couldn't seem to find myself getti More...
Dec 28, 2011
Diana (Random Pabulum)
rated it:
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 du More...
The premise of 1222 is that a train going from Oslo to Bergen in northern Norway derails du More...
Dec 27, 2011
Antonomasia
rated it:
First, a caveat. I don't read much crime fiction, nor watch a great deal of it on TV, and this was the first modern crime novel I'd read in over 15 years. I came to it because of my interest in Nordic culture; it was on a university Scandinavian Studies reading list that had been posted online, I liked the sound of the character and the story didn't sound too gruesome.
It certainly won on the last count; it was quite old fashioned in not dwelling on gory details and whilst there was a More...
It certainly won on the last count; it was quite old fashioned in not dwelling on gory details and whilst there was a More...
Jan 27, 2012
Sarah
rated it:
I read 1222 over Christmas when the wind was howling around the Derbyshire hills and I was ensconced in a warm house. It was an ideal winter read as it relates the story of train 601 from Oslo to Bergen that is derailed by a severe snowstorm. Trapped 1222 metres above sea-level, the train’s 269 passengers are forced to abandon their carriages and take refuge in a nearby hotel. The travellers are intrigued by an unseen passenger who is given special treatment and secreted in a separate wing More...
Nov 28, 2011
Linda
rated it:
The title - 1222 - refers to the meters above sea level in the Norwegian Mountains.
As train 601 leaves Oslo, a mysterious car is added. As the train heads to Bergen, it crashes off the iced rails in the worst snowstorm in Norwegian history.
The 269 passengers are forced to abandon the train, but fortunately, there is an old mountain hotel nearby that takes in the passengers. It will be several days before a rescue is possible.
The passengers make them selves More...
As train 601 leaves Oslo, a mysterious car is added. As the train heads to Bergen, it crashes off the iced rails in the worst snowstorm in Norwegian history.
The 269 passengers are forced to abandon the train, but fortunately, there is an old mountain hotel nearby that takes in the passengers. It will be several days before a rescue is possible.
The passengers make them selves More...
Jan 17, 2012
Kathy
rated it:
I really enjoyed the book. I had never heard of Anne Holt before but am glad I picked up her book.
It a Norwegian book translated to English so no all the references to places and people were known to me but that didn't matter.
The main character Hanne Wilhelmsen is in a wheelchair and very bitter but ad the story goes on she does loosen up. She was hurt in the line of duty, a police officer, and has been out of the force for many years. She was able to use her police skill More...
It a Norwegian book translated to English so no all the references to places and people were known to me but that didn't matter.
The main character Hanne Wilhelmsen is in a wheelchair and very bitter but ad the story goes on she does loosen up. She was hurt in the line of duty, a police officer, and has been out of the force for many years. She was able to use her police skill More...
Jan 22, 2012
Monica
rated it:
Hanne Wilhelmsen is a terrific character and this book is a great read. Hanne is a police veteran, crippled by a bullet in her spine, on her way to consult a specialist surgeon. Her train is derailed in a Norwegian mountaintop village by a blizzard with hurricane force winds. The engineer is killed, and the passengers take refuge in a nearby resort hotel. As the storm intensifies, tempers grow short, people die and/or are killed, and Hanne is forced to bring her police experience to bear on
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Feb 06, 2012
Larry
rated it:
Hanne Wilhemsen is almost unique among detectives. She is a former police inspector who is paralyzed from the waist down from a gunshot wound a decade ago. She is also a lesbian and a serious introvert. Traveling by train to northern Norway to see a specialist, she is marooned in a hotel with the other passengers when the train goes off the track in a storm. Forced to wait in a run-down hotel, and recovering from slight injuries (hers a ski pole through the leg) Hanne is able to examine the natu
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Jan 26, 2012
Maddy
rated it:
PROTAGONIST: Hanne Wilhelmsen, retired police inspector
SETTING: Northern Norway
SERIES: # 8 of 8 (first translated into English)
RATING: 4.0
WHY: During a ferocious storm, a train from Oslo to Bergen, Norway, is derailed. The passengers, including retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen, are transported to a local hotel where they are stranded. At first an inconvenience, things become dangerous when several people are murdered. Hanne is a fascinating character, who only wan More...
SETTING: Northern Norway
SERIES: # 8 of 8 (first translated into English)
RATING: 4.0
WHY: During a ferocious storm, a train from Oslo to Bergen, Norway, is derailed. The passengers, including retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen, are transported to a local hotel where they are stranded. At first an inconvenience, things become dangerous when several people are murdered. Hanne is a fascinating character, who only wan More...
Nov 10, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Hanne Wilhelmsen is traveling by train through Norway when, in the midst of a blizzard, the train is derailed. Nearly 300 passengers on board are taken to a nearby lodge to await transportation. As the blizzard rages a body is discovered and Hanne, formerly a police officer, draws upon old skills to study the other passengers for clues.
This closed room mystery draws from the likes of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Hanne's character is bitter and gruff, confined to a w More...
This closed room mystery draws from the likes of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Hanne's character is bitter and gruff, confined to a w More...
Jan 04, 2012
Kim
rated it:
I enjoyed the storyline very much but her writing style is very choppy to me. This could be just the way a Norwegian crime novel should read and I am used to a different style. The story is of a train wreck (accident or on purpose) and then all the survivors from the wreck are stranded in a hotel waiting out the snowstorm of the century with a killer on the loose- yummy. As people are picked off Hanne and others must try to figure out why and who may be next. I enjoyed Hanne Wilhelmsen's style
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Feb 10, 2011
Marte
rated it:
I am a little sad that I have to resort to reading Norwegian authors in their English translation on my Kindle, since they are not available digitally in Norwegian, and presumably won't be for years. Norway is way behind when it comes to ebooks and even when they start to become available, they will presumably be epub and hideously expensive. Anyway... Onto the review!
I found this novel very easy to get into, and gripping, and it is set in a very familiar setting - I haven't been to th More...
I found this novel very easy to get into, and gripping, and it is set in a very familiar setting - I haven't been to th More...
Jan 06, 2012
Kestrell
rated it:
I love the protagonist and the setting, a lesbian ex-cop who finds herself snowbound in an isolated hotel and must solve the series of murders, but she's also a wheelchair user, soher ability to follow up on clues and such is restricted even further. I'm sure some readers find the character dislikeable, because she definitely is reluctant to get emotionally involved inother people's lives and just wants to be let alone, but I found her reasons for this very understandable. Also, it's really refr
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Jan 26, 2012
Lisa
rated it: 
I really thought that I was going to love this book. The main character, however - Hanne Wilhelmsen - is so utterly unlikable that I almost didn't want to keep reading. She hates people and readily admits it, and also admits that she has no desire to try and be a better person. Her hatred of religion and callousness towards other people were terribly off-putting. In the end, I only continued reading to find out who the killer was, and even then I wasn't really satisfied. I don't think the reader
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May 29, 2011
K.S.
rated it:
My pet peeve with mystery writers, especially with modern mysteries, is that the writers try so hard to be gritty and realistic and the major way they achieve that is through physical dirtiness.
I enjoyed this book but was really put off by the amount of "dirt" in it. A group of passengers are on a train and it gets derailed and they are rescued and spend some time in an old hotel while a blizzard rages outside.
We're constantly told how cold it is. How cold the h More...
I enjoyed this book but was really put off by the amount of "dirt" in it. A group of passengers are on a train and it gets derailed and they are rescued and spend some time in an old hotel while a blizzard rages outside.
We're constantly told how cold it is. How cold the h More...
