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liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
I first met Inspector Vaara in book 3, Helsinki White, and this is the first book in the series and he's a very different man. Vaara is the cop in his home town and has just married an American who manages a plush resort in Lapland, within the Arctic Circle. It sounds like a pretty cold and depressing place-perfect for drinking and violence. A sensational hate/sex murder occurs of a visiting Somali born Finnish actress and puts Vaara in the national news. He's connected to the principal suspect in the case too. The obvious suspect is just too convenient. You know it's going to get complicated and boy does it. It gets more violent too with lots of unsuspected violent action. The ending is wild and pretty unpredictable and I can see how Vaara ended up back in Helsinki. On to book two now.
bookworm_42's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
karieh13's review against another edition
4.0
Wow did this book get to me at the right time. A thriller set in Finland in the middle of December…dark and depression and cabin fever. Reading this in the middle of December when I am so sick of the darkness and the cold – perfect timing.
That aside, “Snow Angels” is just a plain old good read. It’s a thriller, with maybe a few too many gory details for my taste, but one that has a very strong, compelling main character. Inspector Kari Vaara is the antithesis of the stock “hard bitten detective” that turns me off most books in this genre. To the point where after discovering a brutal murder, his emotional reaction draws the reader even closer.
“I’ve seen murder before, bad car wrecks, nothing like this.”
…”She looks ate me, reads my pain. I don’t want her to see it but don’t know how to hide it. “I just don’t get how one human being could do something like that to another.”
I suppose it’s odd when talking about murder to say that it is refreshing to read that, but it’s certainly different and far more believable that the usual hard-bitten detective that most books usually trot out.
Part of what makes Vaara so interesting is his heritage, the details of which I found fascinating. I know next to nothing about Finland/Finnish culture and there are many details of it included in the book. Whether or not they are 100% true, they certainly set an interesting stage…one totally different than the culture that I am used to.
“Next to medicine, law enforcement is the most admired profession in Finland. The national police force is one of the best in the world and almost free of corruption. As an inspector, I’m one of the most respected members of the community.” As envious as I am of this, it does my jaded heart good to believe that might be true.
The writing in clean and crisp and my major complaint is that I read this book too quickly. According to my copy of “Snow Angels” – it appears that this may be the first book of a series – so I will make note of James Thompson’s name and look forward to his next book.
That aside, “Snow Angels” is just a plain old good read. It’s a thriller, with maybe a few too many gory details for my taste, but one that has a very strong, compelling main character. Inspector Kari Vaara is the antithesis of the stock “hard bitten detective” that turns me off most books in this genre. To the point where after discovering a brutal murder, his emotional reaction draws the reader even closer.
“I’ve seen murder before, bad car wrecks, nothing like this.”
…”She looks ate me, reads my pain. I don’t want her to see it but don’t know how to hide it. “I just don’t get how one human being could do something like that to another.”
I suppose it’s odd when talking about murder to say that it is refreshing to read that, but it’s certainly different and far more believable that the usual hard-bitten detective that most books usually trot out.
Part of what makes Vaara so interesting is his heritage, the details of which I found fascinating. I know next to nothing about Finland/Finnish culture and there are many details of it included in the book. Whether or not they are 100% true, they certainly set an interesting stage…one totally different than the culture that I am used to.
“Next to medicine, law enforcement is the most admired profession in Finland. The national police force is one of the best in the world and almost free of corruption. As an inspector, I’m one of the most respected members of the community.” As envious as I am of this, it does my jaded heart good to believe that might be true.
The writing in clean and crisp and my major complaint is that I read this book too quickly. According to my copy of “Snow Angels” – it appears that this may be the first book of a series – so I will make note of James Thompson’s name and look forward to his next book.
rumbledethumps's review against another edition
2.0
In what can be described as noir-procedural, James Thompson introduces Inspector Vaara, a Police Chief limping among the villages and ski resorts of northern Finland. Snow Angels is the first novel of an expected series, and it opens with the mutilation murder of a Somali-born star of Finnish B-movies.
As the mystery begins to wend its way into Vaara's personal life, the bodies pile up and his home-life suffers. He never seems to take action, letting events roll over him until he is forced to act, then inevitably makes the wrong decision. He is blind to the simple explanations, instead choosing to believe his own concoction of wealthy conspirators and international intrigue. In the final pages, little he has done has helped solve the mystery.
Thompson writes all of this in the present tense, which I presume is meant to make it feel more immediate, but just feels more like a gimmick than anything else. Plus, it creates confusion: "I've still never figured out if [he] is a good actor, smarter than he seems, or if he really is the complete dolt I take him for." When did this thought happen? Is it at the time of the events happening in the next sentence, or is it in retrospect, after the case has been closed?
But, Thompson is excellent at conveying a sense of place. His Finland in December is dark, depressing, and drunk, and through Vaara's American wife, the reader understands exactly how forbidding this place is to outsiders. It's rare for a novel set in Europe to feel foreign, but Thompson accomplishes this quite well.
Overall, Snow Angels was uneven and unbelievable, but Thompson shows some promise.
As the mystery begins to wend its way into Vaara's personal life, the bodies pile up and his home-life suffers. He never seems to take action, letting events roll over him until he is forced to act, then inevitably makes the wrong decision. He is blind to the simple explanations, instead choosing to believe his own concoction of wealthy conspirators and international intrigue. In the final pages, little he has done has helped solve the mystery.
Thompson writes all of this in the present tense, which I presume is meant to make it feel more immediate, but just feels more like a gimmick than anything else. Plus, it creates confusion: "I've still never figured out if [he] is a good actor, smarter than he seems, or if he really is the complete dolt I take him for." When did this thought happen? Is it at the time of the events happening in the next sentence, or is it in retrospect, after the case has been closed?
But, Thompson is excellent at conveying a sense of place. His Finland in December is dark, depressing, and drunk, and through Vaara's American wife, the reader understands exactly how forbidding this place is to outsiders. It's rare for a novel set in Europe to feel foreign, but Thompson accomplishes this quite well.
Overall, Snow Angels was uneven and unbelievable, but Thompson shows some promise.
susbro's review against another edition
3.0
Even on the scale of Nordic Noir, this one is grim. It's written for an American audience, and does a little bit of explaining about Finland and northern Finnish culture.
slhandy45's review against another edition
3.0
Love the icy northern Finland setting and the no-nonsense writing, but the ending was a hot mess. I'll give #2 a try and see how it goes.
menfrommarrs's review against another edition
4.0
Had I not won a “first reads” book by James Thompson, I might never have discovered him, and now I'm glad I have.
This book is not the one I won, but since I am obsessive about reading books in order, I HAD to read this one first. Next is [b:Lucifer's Tears|8854839|Lucifer's Tears (Inspector Kari Vaara, #2)|James Thompson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Mk%2BPHN3VL._SL75_.jpg|13729960].
With this twisting mystery, I was not only introduced to a talented author, but to a whole new world and culture(or two), and to a very promising Inspector Vaara series.
Thompson describes so well the depressive sunless cold of Finland during Kaamos and its stoic inhabitants, that you will put an extra blanket on your bed and make sure that the hairs on the back of your neck are covered.
This book is not the one I won, but since I am obsessive about reading books in order, I HAD to read this one first. Next is [b:Lucifer's Tears|8854839|Lucifer's Tears (Inspector Kari Vaara, #2)|James Thompson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Mk%2BPHN3VL._SL75_.jpg|13729960].
With this twisting mystery, I was not only introduced to a talented author, but to a whole new world and culture(or two), and to a very promising Inspector Vaara series.
Thompson describes so well the depressive sunless cold of Finland during Kaamos and its stoic inhabitants, that you will put an extra blanket on your bed and make sure that the hairs on the back of your neck are covered.
rocio_voncina's review against another edition
5.0
Titulo: Angeles en la nieve (Inspector Kari Vaara #1)
Autor: James Thompson
Año publicado: 2010
Motivo de lectura: #NavidadInfernal
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 5/5
Lo que disfrute este libro!!
Es el mejor libro Nordic Noir que he leido? No, pero esta tan exquisitamente escrito que cada pagina fue un placer a la retina.
La ambientacion y los distintos lugares estan tan bien detallados, James es excelente, da mucha pena saber que el ya no esta fisicamente entre nosotros, pero soy de las personas que creen que los escritores no mueren realmente, ellos viven en cada pagina leida.
La construccion de los personajes es magnifica, aun los personajes mas pequeños o los que no tienen mucho peso en la historia cuentan con una historia y nadie pasa desapercibido.
La historia es adictiva, no podia parar de leer, queria saber mas y mas. La lapicera de James no aburre, no decae, no hay cabos sueltos, no abusa de los plot twist. Todo esta en su justa medida para hacer que la lectura sea amena.
James Thompson, donde quiera que estes..soy tu fan!
Autor: James Thompson
Año publicado: 2010
Motivo de lectura: #NavidadInfernal
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 5/5
Lo que disfrute este libro!!
Es el mejor libro Nordic Noir que he leido? No, pero esta tan exquisitamente escrito que cada pagina fue un placer a la retina.
La ambientacion y los distintos lugares estan tan bien detallados, James es excelente, da mucha pena saber que el ya no esta fisicamente entre nosotros, pero soy de las personas que creen que los escritores no mueren realmente, ellos viven en cada pagina leida.
La construccion de los personajes es magnifica, aun los personajes mas pequeños o los que no tienen mucho peso en la historia cuentan con una historia y nadie pasa desapercibido.
La historia es adictiva, no podia parar de leer, queria saber mas y mas. La lapicera de James no aburre, no decae, no hay cabos sueltos, no abusa de los plot twist. Todo esta en su justa medida para hacer que la lectura sea amena.
James Thompson, donde quiera que estes..soy tu fan!
jsmithborne's review against another edition
3.0
I've been following my friend Molly's list of Scandi-crime novels, and just had to try some of it out. Enjoying this a lot so far, but I'll be pissed if the wife dies. I hate detective series where in the first book the wife or girlfriend dies so that for the rest of the books in the series, the detective can be tormented and sad. Maybe the Finns won't be so cliched.
Yay--the wife didn't die! But this book just struck me kind of weird. Every time the detective gets a new suspect, he immediately says "I'm almost certain this is the killer"--he says something along those lines about 5 times in the book. A lot of the times it seemed like there wasn't actually that much evidence to base that leap on. But I enjoyed the atmosphere and info about Scandanavian culture.
Yay--the wife didn't die! But this book just struck me kind of weird. Every time the detective gets a new suspect, he immediately says "I'm almost certain this is the killer"--he says something along those lines about 5 times in the book. A lot of the times it seemed like there wasn't actually that much evidence to base that leap on. But I enjoyed the atmosphere and info about Scandanavian culture.