I didn’t think much of this as a crime novel but, published in 2008, it must be one of the first to have climate change as such a major aspect of the narrative – and it was this part that I did feel was convincing. Laura talks of ‘big business’ . . ‘a few thousand people who were already super-rich curtailing the common drive towards counteracting climate change masking their interests ‘under the mantle of economic growth for the common good. The return to the old ways was echoed by the desire of the populace tired of momentary scarcity, of consuming less, to live like they had before: self-absorbed, greedy and irresponsible – the way they had always been taught to live. So the vision of the long-term common good was once again defeated by ever larger houses, newer cars, wider television screens, homes renovated once a year . . .’ (and so the list continued.

And Tarkiainen who murders those big business people justifies this with asking ‘who do you think those murdered people were? Benefactors? Humanists? They were selfish, indifferent narcissists. They were the real murderers’.

And I agree. That the narrator decided to kill himself and Joanna, the wife he’s been searching for the whole book, tells us how he’s decided to avoid a prolonged and inevitable death and to finish then and there – a shocking ending.

Written fifteen years ago, this book won awards but hasn’t had any impact on the dire situation we’re now facing. Depressing! I wonder what his latest book is like. Plot-wise, though, this lumbered along and was largely unconvincing. ( )

Helsinki has been rendered almost uninhabitable due to climate change, and swamped by climate refugees. Buildings are falling into disrepair, law enforcement is breaking down, and the locals are heading north to seek sanctuary.

In the lead-up to Christmas, Tapani's journalist wife goes missing. After talking to friends, he realises that her disappearance may be linked to a story that she was working on, that of a serial killer called The Healer. Tapani goes to the police working on the Healer case, but they have no resources, and cannot help him. In order to find his wife, Tapani needs to strike out on his own, and delve into the life that she led before they met.

This book's prose has a hard-boiled feel to it, and Tuomainen evokes an atmosphere of a city on the brink of collapse. While I enjoyed it overall, there a few too many loose threads left at the end for my liking. ( )

takova bezna detektivka, neurazi, nenadchne. I pres zajimavy pozadi: svet v blizke, apokalypticke, budoucnosti. ( )

Take a serial killer. Add a dose of dystopian setting. Sprinkle with a reporter and set the whole thing in Finland. Now, take the husband of the reporter and send him to look for his wife.

This seems to be the premise of the Tuomainen's novel. Unfortunately the premise sounds better than the actual execution. Not that the novel is that bad - but most of the good parts in it are underdeveloped, the author is getting rambly on points that really do not matter and the end is unsatisfactory.

The one redeeming feature of the book is the dystopian setting - the author's idea of the flooded north and his descriptions are creepy and believable. If he had tried to write a novel around this and not make it a crime novel, it would have worked a lot better. Same with having the crime novel not set there - a lot of the action was seemingly driven by the setting but... it just felt weird.

Overall - not really the best that the North can offer (not even close) but an author I would keep an eye on - different setting or genre can actually work for him. ( )

Scandicrime combined with Dystopian--what could be better for a fan of both these genres? Well, the dystopian part was passable, the Scandicrime part not so much.

It's the near future and the effects of global warming have destroyed the social fabric of many areas around the world. Those who can are moving north, and as far inland as they can get. The novel is set in Helsinki, and even residents of Helsinki, those who can afford to, are moving further north. It rains all the time and tidal waters are claiming the city. Emigrants flood the city, crime is rampant, and the police are ineffective. There is a serial killer on the loose, and he is _targeting corporate executives he believes are responsible for global warming and their families.

The protagonist is a poet. Yes, really--that's all he does--no income, no worries, no published work. His wife is a journalist who is investigating the serial killer. She calls the poet one evening to tell him she is going on an important interview and will be late. He waits up for her, but she never comes home. He is distraught, because they Love each other, and never go more than a few hours without talking, and now she isn't answering her phone. He goes to the police, who basically laugh in his face. He decides to turn detective and find his wife.

He begins his search, and along the way starts uncovering some facts about his wife that were previously unknown to him. This is surprising, because it is most of what his wife's life history was before they met. (And remember he Loves her and they always talk--he tells us so every few pages). In addition, at the beginning of his search, he comes across an emigrant taxi driver, who keeps showing up to save him when he gets in a bind.

I read somewhere that Finland really hasn't contributed much to the current Scandicrime craze, and if this book is an example, I can see why. (It even won some kind of Finnish crime novel award). I found the descriptions of life under the global warming scenario interesting and real. Not so the characters and the plot.

1 1/2 stars ( )