The Hummingbird by Kati Hiekkapelto

First Line: That night the Sandman arrived like a Gestapo henchman.

As a child, Anna Fekete fled the wars in Yugoslavia. Now she's the newest member of the Violent Crime Unit in a coastal town in northern Finland. Her new team welcomes her, except for one person-- her partner, Esko, a middle-aged grouch who drinks too much and doesn't hide his hatred of immigrants.

Anna and the team are immediately thrown into a high-profile case in which joggers are being killed on deserted running paths. The case progresses and everything points to a serial killer, but the clues are few and far between. How are the victims connected?

The setting of The Hummingbird-- especially when Hiekkapelto is describing the forests of Finland-- is extremely atmospheric and suspenseful, even a bit claustrophobic. It was difficult for me to stop feeling as though I were being watched.

The mystery that begins with the deaths of joggers on deserted running tracks is complex and unfolds slowly over a period of four months. I had no problem with the case taking that long to solve, but I do feel that the writing could have been tightened a bit in order to keep the story flowing smoothly.

The occasional italicized chapter is a sort of diary written by a young girl, and this ties into a second case that Anna takes very personally. She is absolutely convinced that a young immigrant girl is in very real danger of honor killing, and when she isn't spending hours trying to find a serial killer, she's spending her nights in a marked patrol car parked outside the girl's home hoping her presence will stop the girl's family from doing anything rash. It's a subplot that makes you wonder about Anna's behavior, and Anna's behavior is the only real stumbling block I had in this book.

Anna keeps not only her fellow characters at a distance but the reader, too. Combine this with the fact that I always had the feeling that more was going on than I was being allowed to see, and I soon became puzzled and a tiny bit unhappy. Once all was revealed, I did find out that I was right; there was more going on than readers were being allowed to see. Originally, this made me feel as though I could not be trusted. Once I knew what was what, I understood that there was an excellent reason for the secrecy... but I still felt snubbed. I think this means that I can be a very subjective reader from time to time. But becoming subjective means that Kati Hiekkapelto engaged my emotions as well as my mind. She's telling a story from the perspective of an immigrant woman, and in this day and age, it's a story that should always involve both heart and intellect.

The Hummingbird is a complex mystery that is a pleasure to unravel, and that's partly due to the fact that the characters do not always behave in ways that you would expect them to. Now that I've become acquainted with Anna Fekete, I want to know more, so it's on with the series I'll go!

The Hummingbird by Kati Hiekkapelto

Translated by David Hackston

eISBN: 9781909807754

Arcadia Books © 2014

eBook, 364 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Anna Fekete mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Cruel Is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen

First Line: When Ludwig van Beethoven composed the theme for his famous Bagatelle in A minor, he scarcely could have imagined that it would be playing more than two hundred years later in a luxury flat in London. 

Four Finnish friends meet for dinner in an opulent London apartment. It's been ten years since the host, Robert, has seen his former best friend, Mikko. Their friendship had them parting ways over ideology: Robert the banker made millions off unethical interest rate manipulations while Mikko is an investigative journalist who's dedicated himself to bringing down corrupt financiers and politicians. Rounding out the foursome are Robert's trophy wife Elise and Mikko's wife Veera. 

By the end of the evening, three ringing cell phones go unanswered because their owners are all dead.  Which one survived?

From a fantastic prologue featuring unanswered ringing phones, Cruel Is the Night quickly became a chore for me to read-- despite an added incentive of trying to recognize the Agatha Christie references. The reason why reading this book was such a chore may make some of you sit up and take more notice: it had a cast of characters straight out of Gone Girl. I only lasted twenty-five pages into Gillian Flynn's novel because I wasn't going to waste any more of my life on such repulsive main characters. The cast of Hämäläinen's novel is almost-- but not quite-- as bad as Flynn's, which must be the reason why I was able to finish reading the book. 

In addition to the cast, the pace was glacially slow, inviting readers to decide which character was the sole survivor through acres of backstory, but I really didn't care who walked out of there alive. Cruel Is the Night was just not my cup of tea. Your mileage may vary-- and I hope it does.  
  

Cruel Is the Night by Karo Hämäläinen

Translated from the Finnish by Owen Witesman

ISBN: 9781616956813

Soho Crime © 2017

Hardcover, 320 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: D

Source: the publisher  

Helsinki Blood by James Thompson

First Lines: July eleventh. A hot summer Sunday. All I want is some goddamned peace and quiet.

Inspector Kari Vaara's career in law enforcement has been the polar opposite of easy. He's still recuperating from the severe injuries he sustained in Helsinki White as well as recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor. He may still be a wreck physically, but one of the side effects of the tumor and its removal-- feeling no emotions whatsoever-- is slowly fading, and Vaari feels himself becoming a bit more comfortable in his own skin.

He'd feel even better if his American wife weren't suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Kate, after ignoring him for weeks, has dropped off their infant daughter Anu and then disappears. But no matter how bad things get, Vaara feels that he deserves it-- and he wants to redeem himself. Possible redemption arrives in the form of an Estonian woman who begs Vaara to find her daughter, Loviise. Loviise, a young girl who suffers from Down Syndrome, has been enticed to Helsinki with promises of a better job, and her mother fears that she's fallen prey to human traffickers. For an understaffed police department, Loviise is just one more missing girl. For Varra, she's a chance to prove that he's capable of being the man he once was. He soon finds himself playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with enemies old and new.

I have been a fan of James Thompson's books from the very first, Snow Angels, and this is one series that I do recommend people read in order. His main character, Inspector Kari Vaara, is made to walk through fire, and if you pick up a book at random to read it, you're probably going to miss too much for you to fully appreciate what he's going through. Furthermore, this is not a comfortable series to read. The picture Thompson paints of both Helsinki and of Finland is often depressing and violent, but through all four books, he's never let me forget that beauty has always been there and is worth fighting for.

The inspector is a good man capable of doing terrible things-- and he does do them. Vaara reminds me of how many of the best "good guys" have a touch of the criminal about them. There's almost something mythic about this character-- the insurmountable odds he faces, how he is scarred as he fights monsters both real and imagined, how he always strives to do right and feels remorse and the need to atone when he doesn't measure up to his own standards (and those of his beloved wife).

The success of these books will definitely depend upon each reader's comfort zone. If you don't like violence, don't read these books. If reading about a good man doing bad things makes you uncomfortable, stay away. And if you don't like the idea that there are men in high government positions all around the world who are corrupt and capable of the most heinous crimes, James Thompson is not for you. However, if you savor complex, dark, gritty, beautifully written stories about a flawed man determined to be and to do good, I highly recommend James Thompson.

Helsinki Blood by James Thompson

ISBN: 9780399158889

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2013

Hardcover, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #4 Inspector Kari Vaara mystery

Rating: A

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers program

My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen

First Line: Riki woke up to a vicious call of nature.

It was supposed to be a fun weekend for the choir group at Tommi Peltonen's seaside Helsinki villa. Instead Tommi is found floating facedown in the water off the dock, a victim of what is soon determined to be murder. It is up to rookie detective Maria Kallio to focus on the choir members in an attempt to solve her very first murder case. It doesn't take long for her to realize that what on the surface appears to be a happy and close-knit group is really a collection of young people filled with bitterness, passion and jealousy. It will take a lot of digging for her to find the killer.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I simply could not. Too many things just did not add up. First, a rookie cop is put in charge of the murder investigation into the death of the son of a high-profile family. Yes, all her superiors are on some sort of leave or vacation, but why should that let the police put someone in charge who isn't even sure she wants to be a detective? One of Kallio's supervisors is a well-known drunk who often takes personal days to sleep off his latest bender. The other has taken vacation simply because he's sick and tired of doing all the drunk's work. This does not inspire much faith in East Helsinki's police force.

The pace of the book also drags quite a bit. There are several digressions while Kallio and the others are pulled away from the murder investigation to take care of other crimes. Although I know this happens in real life, these interruptions really impede the flow of the narrative-- to the point where I almost started shaking the book and telling the author to get a move on.

Maria Kallio talks a lot in the book. Too much of it is about her indecision over whether or not she should commit to a career in law enforcement. (Many times it sounds as though she thinks law enforcement is beneath her.) Once again I nearly began speaking to the book to tell Maria that, if she's so undecided, maybe she should resign and let someone else take over the investigation. I never really got any glimpses into her thought processes or how she was trying to solve the murder. By book's end it appeared that she just talked to all the choir members until she fell into the solution. Maria was a character who did not hold my interest-- and neither did any of the others.

All in all, I was very disappointed in this book. Even the Finnish setting was rather generic. Since it's the first book in a long-running series, I have to think that the books that follow show a great deal of improvement. However... I don't think I want to test this theory.

My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen

Translated from the Finnish by Owen F. Witesman

ISBN: 9781612184371
AmazonCrossing © 2012
Paperback, 257 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Maria Kallio mystery
Rating: D
Source: Amazon Vine

Helsinki White by James Thompson

Title: Helsinki White
Author: James Thompson
ISBN: 9780399158322
Publisher: Putnam, 2012
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #3 Inspector Kari Vaara
Rating: A-
Source: The author

First Line: It's May second, a sunny Sunday, a chilly spring evening.

The national chief of police wants Kari Vaara to head a black ops unit intended to put the drug dealers in Helsinki out of business. Any money confiscated will be divided between the chief of police, various political figures, and Vaara and his team-- with the bulk of the money being used to finance the entire operation. Vaara agrees because he truly feels that this is his best chance to do good. First though, he has other business to attend to-- namely that of welcoming a brand-new baby daughter into his life... and brain surgery.

Vaara can't wait to be rid of the blinding daily migraines he's had for over a year. He doesn't even care about the side effects the doctors tell him of. In fact, he has other, elective, surgery done at the same time. All surgeries are a success, especially the one to remove the brain tumor. The unfortunate side effect is that Vaara is now an emotional zero. He feels nothing. Vaara watches his two hand-picked team members get a little over-zealous with the violence, and although he warns them to be more careful, it's as though nothing's happened. His beloved wife Kate finds out what's going on, and her behavior begins to change. Vaara looks on with a dispassionate eye.

Those looking for the Kari Vaara of the previous two novels, Snow Angels and Lucifer's Tears, will not find him here. Surgery has rendered him monochromatic, an emotionless sociopath, and the world about which he tells us is made even more chilling by Vaara's impassive narration.

Vaara's henchmen are good at what they do. The drugs disappear from Helsinki's streets, and the dealers turn on each other as their money and contacts dry up. While the other two target the drug dealers, Vaara's recuperation means that he's focused on other matters; in particular a year-old kidnap and murder, and the recent murder of a woman who was a staunch advocate of immigrants' rights.

As in so many other countries, there is a rising tide of racial hatred in Finland as thousands of immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Mideast flock there to live. To have Vaara listen to bigots spout disgusting racial slurs and not even bat an eye makes the entire experience almost surreal.

As I mentioned before, if you've read Thompson's previous two novels featuring Kari Vaara and you're expecting a "more of the same" novel, you are not going to get it. Surgery has changed him, and it's anyone's guess as to whether or not he will ever return to his old self. Thompson believes that the times are a-changing, and the days ahead aren't necessarily going to be pretty. The "new" unsettling Kari Vaara of Helsinki White is the perfect harbinger of doing the wrong things for the right reasons, for the well meaning amongst us being taken advantage of by the corrupt, by this age of technology making hatred every bit as easy to spread as love and acceptance.

To have a character whom we know is a good guy to stand quietly in the middle of this maelstrom as his marriage disintegrates, as his career crumbles, and as he sees all the overwhelming corruption around him, adds a layer of horror to Helsinki White that would not have been there if Vaara had been his old self. If you can leave any preconceived expectations you may have at the door before you begin reading this book, you're in for an excellent-- if disquieting-- read.

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Lucifer's Tears by James Thompson

Title: Lucifer's Tears
Author: James Thompson
ISBN: 9780399157004
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011
Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #2 Inspector Vaara mystery
Rating: A
Source: Publicist

First Line: The baby kicks against my hand and rouses me from my nap.

It's been a year since Inspector Kari Vaara solved the Sufia Elmi case, and he's been left physically and emotionally scarred. Now living and working in Helsinki, Finland, his very pregnant wife is adjusting well, but Vaara is not. He is not trusted by his fellow police officers in the homicide unit and finds himself working graveyard shift with another officer who's not trusted either. Vaara suffers from insomnia and with chronic headaches that last for weeks.

Vaara's superiors force him to investigate a ninety-year-old national hero for war crimes committed during World War II. The Finnish government is pressing for a conclusion of innocence, which will preserve the country's heroic perception of itself, but Germany (among others) wants extradition. What makes this a sticky case for Vaara is the fact that his own grandfather served side-by-side with this hero during the war.

Vaara is also drawn into the murder case of Iisa Filippov. It is obvious that her lover is being framed for the crime, but while the evidence points towards her arrogant husband, Ivan Filippov is being protected by highly connected members of the police force.

As icing on his cake, Vaara's wife invites her brother and sister to stay with them. With all the different personalities involved, it's not going to be an easy family reunion.

I really enjoyed Snow Angels, the first book in this series, for its depiction of the life and customs of the Fins living at the Arctic Circle, for the character of Kari Vaara, and for the story itself. This second book, with its new location in Helsinki, is a strong and welcome addition to the series.

Once more, the history and customs of Finland are deftly woven into the story, and the murder investigation keeps the pages turning as Vaara has to figure out a way to bring the right man to justice. But as strong as the setting and plot are, it is the characters who truly bring this book to life.

The brother and sister visiting from the United States have overtones of the "house guests from hell", but they are not one-dimensional characters. They both have depth and help to make Vaara's wife come into much clearer focus.

Of course, Inspector Kari Vaara is the most clearly delineated character of all. He is a man who loves his wife so much that he would move from the place he loves to a city that he hates. He is willing to put up with her brother and sister living with them during the last stages of his wife's pregnancy no matter that they are both thorns in his side. He continues to deal with a partner who's often insufferable because he has the feeling that, buried somewhere deep inside, there exists a good cop. And Vaara is the kind of man who must find the truth and who must work for justice, even though it may forever tarnish his memories of a beloved grandfather.

Lucifer's Tears is a fast-paced, involving story with many added extras. Even though it stands alone well, I think you'll want to read these two books in order so that you can get to know Inspector Kari Vaara. The acquaintance is one that I have learned to savor.

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Snow Angels by James Thompson

Title: Snow Angels
Author: James Thompson
ISBN: 9780399156175, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010
Genre: Police Procedural, #1 Inspector Kari Vaara mystery
Rating: A

First Line: I'm in Hullu Poro, The Crazy Reindeer, the biggest bar and restaurant in this part of the Arctic Circle.

I've been feasting from the smorgasbord of Scandinavian mysteries for the past couple of years, so when I discovered a new-to-me crime fiction author from Finland, I couldn't wait to get a copy of the book.

One thing you may have noticed up above in the "Just the Facts" section of this review is that I don't list a translator. James Thompson is Kentucky -born and -raised. He's fluent in Swedish and Finnish and has lived in Finland for the past ten years. He's in the enviable position of not needing a translator. But I digress.

It's Kaamos, the bleakest time of year in Lapland just before Christmas. The unrelenting darkness and extreme cold above the Arctic Circle seem to make the residents drink to excess and do crazy things. Inspector Kari Vaara is used to this, but when a beautiful Somali immigrant's mutilated body is found in a snowfield, he knows that he has a potentially explosive situation on his hands. This murder could be a hate crime. It could be a sex crime. It could be both, but it's essential that Vaara keeps this case out of the national news because it could rock this small xenophobic nation to its foundations.

Once again I found myself immersed in a story where the setting is a character in itself. In this case, it was a very unsettling character for me because one of my ideas of hell is a place that's always dark and always cold. Thompson skillfully lets the landscape work its way under the skin without going over the top. I liked that.

I also liked the character of Vaara. Vaara is haunted by his rough childhood and his failed first marriage. His young American wife is finding it very difficult to adjust to Arctic climate and Finnish isolation and silence.

The pacing of Snow Angels flowed smoothly, and although I found the identity of the killer rather easy to solve, learning about Finland, the characterizations and the setting of the book more than made up for that one glitch. I'm really looking forward to reading Thompson's next book.


[Source: Amazon Vine Program.]