A review by flying_monkey
Palm Beach, Finland by Antti Tuomainen, David Hackston

dark funny fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Apparently this guy in the 'king of Helsinki Noir', but this, his third novel, is supposedly a dark comedy crime caper. The set up is that a clueless entrepreneur, Leivo, has converted an ailing Baltic beachside motel into a Miami Vice-inspired resort, which is about as ridiculous as it sounds. To make it perfect he wants a marina and for that he needs the land next door owned by a lovely and stubborn middle-aged divorcée, Olivia Koski. Unfortunately his useless minions' clumsy attempts to persuade her result in a man being killed and thus both an undercover detective from Helsinki, Jan Nyman, and the psychotic gangster brother of the dead man also get involved and come 'on holiday' to Palm Beach Finland. Unfortunately, despite the promising set-up, this is not Coen Brothers territory, nor is it much like Carl Hiassen or Elmore Leonard, the writers he is clearly trying to emulate. It's well-written enough, an easy read, and there are some farcial situations, but it's at once too nice and not ridiculous enough to generate much in the way of laughs. Or maybe I just don't like the comedy crime sub-genre.