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mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
I was lucky to win the third installment in the Maria Kallio mystery series via a First Reads giveaway contest. Although this was the first book I've read in the Finnish series (I currently have the first one -- [b:My First Murder|17181489|My First Murder (Maria Kallio, #1)|Leena Lehtolainen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356889872s/17181489.jpg|1808038] -- sitting in my "to read" pile and was happy to see that my library has a copy of the second one), I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading other books in this series. The first few books in the series was originally published in the 1990s in Finland and have recently been made available in English in the U.S. The main character -- Maria Kallio -- has returned to her tiny hometown, Arpiklyä, for the summer to fill in as the acting deputy sheriff. Despite misgivings, she decides to take the job while her boyfriend Antti continues his studies in the U.S. Her visions of a boring, quiet summer are shattered when a local artist is found murdered and she must investigate some of her childhood friends to determine whether one of them is the killer. Complicating matters even more is the appearance of her former crush, the oh-so-gorgeous Johnny, especially when his relationship to the murder victim makes him one of the top suspects. This was a fast-paced book that provided a satisfying mystery and shed light on Kallio's background and small town secrets and politics, raising the question of whether you can go home again. If the other books in the series are equally enjoyable, I can see myself adding it to my list of favorite mystery series. Thanks again to the First Reads program for another excellent read!
m4rtt4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
on vähän ironista, miten Maria Kallio on olevinaan feministi ja silti koko teksti on täynnä "en ole niin kuin muut tytöt"-juttuja... muuten tarina oli kyllä hyvä ja koukuttava, kivaa että se sijoittui vaihteeksi paikallisiin maisemiin — toisaalta Arpikylä on niin ilmiselvästi Outokumpu, että nimenvaihto on ihan turha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
danskubansku's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kgraham10's review against another edition
2.0
boring. Why is she spending the entire book mooning about some high school crush -- a has been?
emminkirjakasa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Kolmas Lehtolaisen kirja, ja olen kiintynyt Maria Kallioon toden teolla. Onneksi monta kirjaa vielä lukematta!
Kallio joutuu taas tutkimaan tutun murhaa tahtomattaan. Mutkikkaat vanhan kotikylän ihmissuhteet ja entinen ihastus tekee tutkinnasta vaikeaa, mutta mikään ei pysäytä Kalliota.
Kallio joutuu taas tutkimaan tutun murhaa tahtomattaan. Mutkikkaat vanhan kotikylän ihmissuhteet ja entinen ihastus tekee tutkinnasta vaikeaa, mutta mikään ei pysäytä Kalliota.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
anniina's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
reettis's review against another edition
3.0
Tämä oli aika yllätyksetön tarina, mutta silti ihan mukiinmenevä dekkari. Tykkään kovasti Maria Kalliosta hahmona, ja peukutan Marian feminististä asennetta täysillä. Tämä oli mielenkiintoinen kirja myös siksi, että itse Joensuulaisena olen tutustunut myös "Arpikylän" elämään jonkin verran. Täytyy toivoa, että pikkukylissä asuvilla on nykyään paremmat oltavat kuin silloin joskus ennen.
verumsolum's review
3.0
I wish I could give an enthusiastic recommendation, but… arms flail, as the reviewer seeks the right words fruitlessly
These are good books. But… something about them seems awkward. Part of it is Maria Kallio herself. She seems so reluctant to do the work she trained for. And then she keeps finding herself absurdly connected to the people in each case.
I wonder whether there are two factors at play: one, these aren't new books. They were first published about a quarter-century ago. And… that's in that awkward in-between where it isn't always clear how old it is when you're reading it. (Especially given the delay before the series began to be published in English translation.) Speaking of translation, it is the other factor I wonder about. Not that I know whether it's a good or bad translation, but I wonder whether, despite the efforts of the translator, something of the original is lost as it is translated from Finnish to English. Or it could be cultural: that I don't have the background, as somebody who's lived all my life in North America, that the author had in mind, presumably writing for a domestic audience.
I think I liked this better than I remember feeling about the second book. But it's definitely in that zone where I really end up thinking before deciding to add the next book to my TBR list, not an automatic decision.
These are good books. But… something about them seems awkward. Part of it is Maria Kallio herself. She seems so reluctant to do the work she trained for. And then she keeps finding herself absurdly connected to the people in each case.
I wonder whether there are two factors at play: one, these aren't new books. They were first published about a quarter-century ago. And… that's in that awkward in-between where it isn't always clear how old it is when you're reading it. (Especially given the delay before the series began to be published in English translation.) Speaking of translation, it is the other factor I wonder about. Not that I know whether it's a good or bad translation, but I wonder whether, despite the efforts of the translator, something of the original is lost as it is translated from Finnish to English. Or it could be cultural: that I don't have the background, as somebody who's lived all my life in North America, that the author had in mind, presumably writing for a domestic audience.
I think I liked this better than I remember feeling about the second book. But it's definitely in that zone where I really end up thinking before deciding to add the next book to my TBR list, not an automatic decision.
meghan_is_reading's review against another edition
technically the genre this month is scandi-noir not scandi-cozy-mystery.