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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
4 stars
I enjoyed reading this book, translated from Finnish. It is set in Espoo, Finland and is book 9 in the series, but worked fine for me even though I haven't read any of the other books in the series.
The book opens when a young woman is found badly cut up in her genital area. Maria Kallio, head of the VCU(Violent Crime Unit), is called to the scene and then goes to the hospital to interview the victim, who is evidently a Russian prostitute who speaks very little Finnish or English, Maria's 2 languages. Maria realizes the woman is very afraid. The woman disappears from the hospital the next day and then a celebrity call girl, Lulu Nightingale is found dead from poison. Maria believes that there is a connection between the 2 and starts to investigate, putting her family life on hold.
The plot line shows that much of police work is tedious and boring, endless hours of viewing videotapes from various video cams connected to the crime scenes and interviewing every possible witness, and canvassing the neighborhood for more information.
Maria and her team do narrow the suspect list down to 1 person after some false leads. I liked the way the plot developed and the way the various police officers are portrayed, balancing personal lives against a demanding investigation.
There is some violence, and 1 graphic scene of rape, if that disturbs you.
Some quotes: Lulu's apartment: "The light was dim, the tiles black and red, as was the toilet, the sink, and the bidet. Somewhere Lulu had even managed to find black toilet paper."
Meeting a possible suspect: "He shook my hand, but his smile didn't reach his eyes."
Maria's boss: "Kaartomo was talking like George W. Bush trying to convince the rest of the western world to support his bombing campaign in Iraq. I believed him just as little as I believed George double-idiot."
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for sending me this ARC ebook.
I enjoyed reading this book, translated from Finnish. It is set in Espoo, Finland and is book 9 in the series, but worked fine for me even though I haven't read any of the other books in the series.
The book opens when a young woman is found badly cut up in her genital area. Maria Kallio, head of the VCU(Violent Crime Unit), is called to the scene and then goes to the hospital to interview the victim, who is evidently a Russian prostitute who speaks very little Finnish or English, Maria's 2 languages. Maria realizes the woman is very afraid. The woman disappears from the hospital the next day and then a celebrity call girl, Lulu Nightingale is found dead from poison. Maria believes that there is a connection between the 2 and starts to investigate, putting her family life on hold.
The plot line shows that much of police work is tedious and boring, endless hours of viewing videotapes from various video cams connected to the crime scenes and interviewing every possible witness, and canvassing the neighborhood for more information.
Maria and her team do narrow the suspect list down to 1 person after some false leads. I liked the way the plot developed and the way the various police officers are portrayed, balancing personal lives against a demanding investigation.
There is some violence, and 1 graphic scene of rape, if that disturbs you.
Some quotes: Lulu's apartment: "The light was dim, the tiles black and red, as was the toilet, the sink, and the bidet. Somewhere Lulu had even managed to find black toilet paper."
Meeting a possible suspect: "He shook my hand, but his smile didn't reach his eyes."
Maria's boss: "Kaartomo was talking like George W. Bush trying to convince the rest of the western world to support his bombing campaign in Iraq. I believed him just as little as I believed George double-idiot."
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for sending me this ARC ebook.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well. TW rape. I'm also just disappointed by the trajectory of the philosophy. Maybe this series peaked at book 2 or 3.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Maria Kallion Ei niin kuin muut tytöt -rooli on läsnä tässäkin kirjassa, tosin nyt ei onneksi enää niin voimakkaana kuin sarjan ensimmäisissä osissa. On jännä, miten teoksen teksti on välillä todella feminististä, mutta samalla se tuntuu välillä vain pinnalliselta tehokeinolta ja paikoin tarina vaikuttaa aivan (setä)miehen kirjoittamalta erityisesti naiskuvaustensa osalta. Tarinassa oli vaikea pysyä kärryillä, hahmotin tapahtumien kokonaiskuvan täydellisesti vasta luettuani noin 90%, eikä kerronnan sävykään ollut mieleeni. Aivan kuin teoksen keskeinen aihe, seksityötä tekevät naiset, olisi jotenkin antanut voimakkaan, epämukavan ja hieman esineellistävän sävyn koko kerronnalle, siis niin että Lehtolainen/Kallio/kirjan ääni katsoisi tekstiä kuin parittaja seuraavaa naisuhriaan. Aiheena seksityö on minusta tärkeä ja mielenkiintoinen, eikä kirja kuvannutkaan seksityötä tekeviä huonossa valossa, mutta rivien välistä vain välittyi erilainen tunnelma kuin mitä rivit itse kirjaimellisesti kertoivat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Trafficking, Alcohol
Minor: Racism
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes