Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa is called to the local hospital in which his young wife died several years before. An unidentified woman in a coma has been murdered by someone who wept over the body, their tears staining the sheets around her. The death marks the start of a series of killings, with the unknown patient at their centre.

As autumn turns to winter, and Christmas fast approaches, Kimmo’s attempts to unravel the case and identify the first victim are complicated by the disappearance of his sometime girlfriend, who has vanished after a party thrown by the head of the police force, and by a colleague’s spiral into the depths of a gambling addiction.

You never know when you start reading a series a few books in whether you'll get the gist of the characters relationships. Or will you be missing too much back history for things to make sense? I did think that was going to be the case here. What was I missing from the previous book about Kimmo & the mysterious Larissa? I didn't fully understand their relationship & it didn't make any more sense by the end! There seemed to be quite a few loose ends left dangling which I guess...or rather hope...will be cleared up in a later instalment. Along with the choppy writing style & a lot of unfamiliar names to keep track of, I was very nearly put off reading further but I'm glad I carried on.

The "Financial Times" describes this as "Snow- noir of the highest order"...mmm.... "SLOW-noir" would be more accurate to my mind. I'm not meaning that as a criticism, after all not every murder novel needs to be a face paced gory read & it's in its favour that these murders are quite inventive, that being due to their "risky" locales - one in particular was rather daring & came as a surprise! This steadier pace suited what (little) I learnt about Kimmo's seemingly reflective personality.

Overall, a good enough read & though I found it a bit muddling & disjointed, I'd read more in the series if I happen across them.

Saving for bookbox or neighbour

(Delete)

Left on a bench outside the MacMillan unit

Released as part of the 2021 CHRISTMAS IN JULY CHALLENGE (#27)




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