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The Rabbit Factor – Antti Tuomainen

Just one spreadsheet away from chaos…

What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal.

And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters … and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.

But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri’s relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets…

Warmly funny, rich with quirky characters and absurd situations, The Rabbit Factor is a triumph of a dark thriller, its tension matched only by its ability to make us rejoice in the beauty and random nature of life.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for The Rabbit Factor.

The exciting news about The Rabbit Factor (which I am sure you know already) is that Steve Carell loves the book and will play Henri in a movie adaptation for Amazon Studios. I don’t believe it is possible to know this and NOT picture Carell as Henri – I felt I knew the character from the outset.

But maybe that is because I had a bit of a head start? Henri is an actuary and works in Financial Services. Although I am not smart enough to be an actuary I have certainly worked with a fair few actuaries down the years and could easily identify with Henri and the dilemmas he faced. You see, Henri craves order, precision and mathematics. He knows where he stands with mathematical accuracy – it is CORRECT. It can be qualtified. It does not entertain frivolity or feelings.

So when his employers stop putting their focus behind the calcuations and start synergizing and working in teams to consider how best to drive their corporate missions forward he feels decidedly out of his comfort zone. Things come to a head when his boss lays it out to Henri – embrace the softer, team focused ethos or take a hike. Henri walks, confident he will be snapped up by another firm. But Henri has misjudged the modern workplace – it’s all buzzwords and corporate bullshit these days and he doesn’t find a place as easily as he had expected.

Fate is to intervene though. Henri’s brother, the last of his family has sadly passed away. Henri inherits everything. But everything is a children’s Adventure Park and a whole lot of debt – debt which Henri isn’t used to dealing with as it did not come from the bank but from some unsavoury characters who don’t accept “no” for an answer.

Soon Henri is trying to deal with frustrated artists, ticket collectors with aims to become General Manager, broken machinery, absent staff and planning how best to avoid being killed by a frustrated loanshark. It’s an absolute riot but in Antti Tuomainen’s skilled hands it is also a delight to read.

The Adventure Park (never Amusement Park) becomes Henri’s focus. He can make it work, he can make it profitable and more importantly…he thinks he can use it to keep the moneylenders off his back. However Henri had not considered the possibility someone may just decide that they want him dead – can he survive long enough to outfox the criminals?

The Rabbit Factor delivers fun by the bucketload. Henri and the other Adventure Park staff are hugely engaging and the whole story is quirky and charming – well as quirky and charming as you can get with hitmen, dead bodies and hostile lapdancers.

Don’t sleep on this one.

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January 16

Evil Things – Katja Ivar

Hella Mauzer was the first ever woman Inspector in the Helsinki Homicide Unit. But her superiors deemed her too ‘emotional’ for the job and had her reassigned. Now, two years later, she is working in Lapland for the Ivalo police department under Chief Inspector Järvi, a man more interested in criminal statistics and his social life than police work.

They receive a letter from Irja Waltari, a priest’s wife from the village of Käärmela on the Soviet border, informing them of the disappearance of Erno Jokinen, a local. Hella jumps at the chance to investigate. Järvi does not think that a crime is involved. After all, people disappear all the time in the snows of Finland.

When she arrives, Hella stays the village priest and his wife, who have taken in Erno’s grandson who refuses to tell anyone his grandfather’s secret. A body is then discovered in the forest and she realizes that she was right; a crime has been committed. A murder. But what Hella doesn’t know, is that the small village of Käärmela is harbouring another crime, a crime so evil, it is beyond anything any of them could have ever imagined.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things for the chance to join the Evil Things blog tour

First blog tour of the year for me and it is great to start with a book I enjoyed.

Evil Things took me into new territory as I cannot think of any other books set in 1950’s Finland. We are quickly introduced to Hella Mauzer and given an insight into her challenging life. Hella is a female police officer at a time where women were not expected to join the force. She appears driven and determined but as the story unfolds the reader also gets to see how Hella has left a role in a busy Helsinki station to a role at a more remote outpost.

Working under a boss who believes effective policing is keeping careful files and not taking on difficult unsolvable work (which would ruin his efficiency statistics) Hella wants to head into the deep woods to follow up a report of a missing man. Her boss is extremely reluctant to let Hella leave. The prospect of a change to the weather could mean Hella is stranded in the wilderness for weeks.

Fortunately Hella prevails and he heads to the village of Käärmela where she will stay with the local priest and his wife. They are also looking after the grandson of the missing man. The boy is too young to fend for himself and his missing grandfather was his only carer. Hella tries to question the boy and realises he has a secret but something is scaring him and he will not reveal anything useful.

By the time she arrives in Käärmela Erno Jokinen has been missing for several days. There are searches of the woods being conducted and before long human remains are found. Hella realises that there are secrets in Käärmela but she really could not have been prepared for what was to follow.

Evil Things played out very well. Hella is a complex character, she is no fan of herself and seems to be quick to focus on her own shortcomings. Her initial interactions with colleagues and strangers make her seem unapproachable or even hostile. Yet it is easy to like Hella too. I cringed at some of her behaviour but still empathised with her situation and became angry on her behalf over how her colleagues had treated her.

Location is another very important aspect of the story. The setting is the remote Finnish woods and the isolation is conveyed really well – couple this with the lack of technology (1950’s remember?) and the reader feels Hella is all alone and extremely vulnerable. Hella will feel that too.

Atmospheric reading which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Evil Things is published by Bitter Lemon Press and is available in audiobook, digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evil-Things-Katja-Ivar-ebook/dp/B07GT7QDHD/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1547668803&sr=8-1

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July 28

Blood Cruise – Mats Strandberg

On the Baltic Sea, no one can hear you scream.

Tonight, twelve hundred expectant passengers have joined the booze-cruise between Sweden and Finland. The creaking old ship travels this same route, back and forth, every day of the year.

But this trip is going to be different.

In the middle of the night the ferry is suddenly cut off from the outside world. There is nowhere to escape. There is no way to contact the mainland. And no one knows who they can trust.

Welcome aboard the Baltic Charisma.

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy which I received through Netgalley.

The Baltic Charisma has been cruising the Scandinavian coastline for many a year. The crew work long hours and have a strong team spirit (evidenced by the return of a former colleague who has brought his boyfriend onboard to propose).

Also on board are party goers who plan to hit the bar (hard). A former Eurovision contestant who now finds himself hosting the onboard karaoke nights. A single woman trying to treat herself to a new adventure. A party-going couple of ladies who will drink and hope to hook a night of fun with a stranger…and on it goes. The variety of passengers is endless but special note should be taken of the woman traveling with a young boy. She is hiding her face and nobody seems to want to look at her twice…she will change the course of many lives – forever.

As the ship leaves shore all the crew and passengers become cutoff from the safety of the outside world. Their journey will be unforgettable as onboard is an evil, generations old and used to hiding from the public eye. But things are about to change for this evil entity is hungry and has decided that the days of hiding are over.

In the claustrophobic confines of a cruise ship a battle is about to rage and it gets mighty bloody.

I do love a horror tale and Blood Cruise ticked all the horror boxes. Evil power, lots of blood and murder, resilient spirited heroes try to thwart/evade/hide from the big bad and not everyone will survive. It was nicely done on the whole and I enjoyed following some the characters who (from a crowed passenger manifest) get the chance to have their stories told.

Definitely a read I would only recommend for horror fans. I did feel I was losing track of some of the characters in the middle of the book, some characters that I had thought to be dead popped up unexpectedly still very much alive. I got the name mixed up more than once so had to backtrack to work out exactly who I was reading about. This is more of a reflection on my ability to keep track of characters than the author’s storytelling but it did slow me down a bit.

If nasty, bloody fun is what you crave in a book then Blood Cruise is one for you. The strongest characters, who are given most time to shine, do just that and there are some powerful and emotive scenes as the crew and passengers face the prospect of an unpleasant death.

If the ship should get to shore can the evil be contained?

Blood Cruise is published by Jo Fletcher books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Cruise-thrilling-chiller-Stephen-ebook/dp/B0746M2TBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532723156&sr=8-1&keywords=Mats+Strandberg

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December 7

The Mine – Antti Toumainen

A hitman. A journalist. A family torn apart. Can he uncover the truth before it’s too late?

In the dead of winter, investigative reporter Janne Vuori sets out to uncover the truth about a mining company, whose illegal activities have created an environmental disaster in a small town in Northern Finland. When the company’s executives begin to die in a string of mysterious accidents, and Janne’s personal life starts to unravel, past meets present in a catastrophic series of events that could cost him his life.

A traumatic story of family, a study in corruption, and a shocking reminder that secrets from the past can return to haunt us, with deadly result.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

An investigative reporter, Janne Vuori, is digging into the background behind the 2 Euro sale of a large mine in Northern Finland. The story becomes his sole focus and the distraction is having a detrimental impact on an already strained home life. As Janne uncovers more detail on the mine and the personnel behind the scenes the bigger the story becomes.

I really enjoyed how Toumainen depicted Janne’s dogged pursuit of his story, we could see how Janne was chasing down leads, quizzing involved parties whilst hoping for a nugget of information which would open a new line of questioning. You can’t help but get caught up in his quest for the truth – something decidedly wrong has happened at Finn Mining Ltd and you want to know what.

As if the whiff of corruption and scandal was not enough to keep me reading I was (disturbingly) delighted when the directors of the mining company started to die…a hitman had entered the mix. The killer will cross paths with Janne and with a totally unexpected outcome.

I read The Mine over a couple of days (it was my commute book) and I found myself wholly absorbed by the story. Big shout to David Hackston who has done a phenomenal job with the translation of the original work as I was completely sucked in by the telling of the tale. The locations felt real and I could easily visualise the bleak Northern landscapes. The tension between Janne and his partner Pauliina made me feel uncomfortable and the awkwardness when Janne meets an unexpected face from his past was handled superbly. There are so many layers of story and characterisation to The Mine which give the story that extra edge.

I was disappointed when The Mine ended as I wanted more – that can only be a good sign! One to watch out for.

The Mine is published by Orenda Books in paperback and digital format and you can get a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mine-Antti-Tuomainen-ebook/dp/B01BOGQDS6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1481147967&sr=8-1

And YES there is a bad pun in the first sentence of my review but I’m not going to apologise for it.

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December 3

The Exiled – Kati Hiekkapelto

Anna Fekete returns to the Balkan village of her birth for a relaxing summer holiday. But when her purse is stolen and the thief is found dead on the banks of the river, Anna is pulled into a murder case. Her investigation leads straight to her own family, to closely guarded secrets concealing a horrendous travesty of justice that threatens them all. As layer after layer of corruption, deceit and guilt are revealed, Anna is caught up in the refugee crisis spreading like wildfire across Europe. How long will it take before everything explodes?

My thanks to Karen at Orenda for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

The Exiled sees the return of Anna Fekete (first encountered in The Hummingbird and then The Defenceless). Ordinarily Anna is found in Finland where she is a member of the police force, however, in The Exiled Anna has returned to her homeland in the Balkans to enjoy a summer holiday in the company of her family.

Soon after her arrival, Anna is attending a party in the town square of her hometown and her purse and passport are stolen. But Anna has realised something is amiss and gives chase. Her pursuit takes her out of town where she loses sight of the thief (and the young girl who accompanied him). Anna finds herself at a Romany settlement where she asks if anyone has seen the suspected thief. There are denials and Anna is uncomfortably aware that she is guilty of appearing to believe a stereotypical view that the Romany are thieves.

The Exiled is a wonderfully well timed story, released at a time where racial tensions are at a level higher than we have seen for many a long year but Kati Hiekkapelto is challenging these. Anna denounces the prejudices and the author also ensures she highlights the plight that refugees face, it is done with simple elegant prose and the story benefits from the compassion displayed.

Anna’s hunt for her thief takes an unexpected development when his body is found the next day. The local police do not seem keen to investigate and declare the death accidental. Anna has doubts and begins her own investigation but someone is not happy with this decision and soon Anna will find herself in danger.

Despite being the third book in the series it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel and for new readers this is a great introduction to Kati Hiekkapelto’s books. I enjoyed The Exiled (as I did The Defenceless when I read it last year) and would encourage everyone to seek out these books.

The Exiled is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy by clicking HERE.

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September 21

The Defenceless – Kati Hiekkapelto

When an old man is found dead on the road – seemingly run over by a Hungarian au pair – police investigator Anna Fekete is certain that there is more to the incident than meets the eye. As she begins to unravel an increasingly complex case, she’s led on a deadly trail where illegal immigration, drugs and, ultimately, murder threaten not only her beliefs, but her life.

Anna’s partner Esko is entrenched in a separate but equally dangerous investigation into the activities of an immigrant gang, where deportation orders and raids cause increasing tension and result in desperate measures by gang members – and the police themselves. Then a bloody knife is found in the snow, and the two cases come together in ways that no one could have predicted. As pressure mounts, it becomes clear that having the law on their side may not be enough for Anna and Esko.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.

The Defenceless opens with two drug dealers enjoying some of their wares in suburban flat being confronted by an elderly neighbour. There is an argument and an accident and the first thread in the elegant tapestry of the story is sewn. Next we find lead character Anna Fekete has been called to investigate what appears to be a hit and run accident, however, the victim appears to be on a road in totally inappropriate clothing for a winter night.

More threads soon follow: gang wars are spilling into Finland from Denmark. We follow a boy in Finland who is (topically) an illegal alien trying to avoid the authorities and inevitable deportation. A Hungarian au pair who is a suspect in an investigation but also wants to be Anna’s new best friend as she feels a connection through their Eastern European heritage. All these elements, and more, are skillfully pulled together as the story unfolds and we are treated to a captivating thriller.

The Defenceless is the second book featuring Anna and her partner Esko, both were introduced in The Hummingbird (another must read title). Despite this being the second in the series I do not feel it is essential to have read The Hummingbird to enjoy The Defenceless. Everything I needed to know about Anna was smoothly integrated into the story without feeling I was reading a recap.

One key observation I would make about The Defenceless (and this is also true other Orenda titles) there is that there is a magnificent sensation of location to be experienced when you read. Although I have never been to Finland Kati Hiekkapelto made dark woods and icy cold Finish towns come alive around me. Despite reading The Defenceless by a Spanish swimming pool in the height of summer I felt the chill of a Finish winter – the creeping darkness in the cold Northern nights. The sensation of ‘being there’ lifts an already strong story and makes the reader feel they are part of the adventure.

The Defenceless is a terrific read, atmospheric with the great mix of twists and unexpected discoveries playing out with a strong and likeable lead character. I am very much looking forward to the next book from Kati Hiekkapelto.

The Defenceless is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format.

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