Nine stars
Interested in reading more of the series, I turned to James Thompson’s next novel in this Finnish police procedural collection. He keeps things edgy in Helsinki, providing a great deal of context for the social and political sentiments about immigration, crime, and the diluting of Finnish nationals within the country’s borders. There is also a significant turn away from ‘above the board’ policing, as Kari Vaara assembles a team to work for high-ranking political figures, with a newborn at home and recent brain surgery. The action is never ending and Thompson continues to showcase many of the interesting perspectives that non-Finnish readers will likely enjoy.
It is only a few days after his daughter’s birth that Kari Vaara has news for his wife, Kate. He admits that his migraines and dilated pupils are more than he thought, as he has a brain tumour. Worried this will push her over the edge, Vaara does his best to soldier on, but needs emergency surgery, which he is able to obtain after pulling some strings.While waiting to go under the knife, Vaara is approached by the head of the national police to run a rogue unit that focuses on ending crime sprees in less than legal ways. Vaara has no doubt that he will be able to accomplish this, but must keep this away from Kate, who has enough on her plate already.
With the backing of the highest ranking politicians in the country, this ragtag group has the secrecy needed to function, complete autonomy, and cash to purchase whatever they need to baffle the country’s hardened criminals. As they begin their work, various mobster groups are sabotaged and looted, though there is a stink left and retribution is high on the list of those who have been attacked, placing Kari Vaara and his team in danger.
All the while, Finland is falling apart internally, as the country is pushed to the brink with newly-elected far right parliamentarians who find their way into government portfolios with little agenda, save exacerbating xenophobia. After the country’s leading immigrants’ rights activist is decapitated and her head sent to a Somali group, Vaara is called in to investigate the murder and find a killer. What follows is a battle for truth in a place where it is hidden behind racist sentiment and long-standing issues with anyone of the pure white race. Kari Vaara will have to overcome this, while protecting his wife and new daughter, who rely on him to come home each night. Thompson does well to keep the reader engaged and uncomfortable as truths surface repeatedly.
These novels are gems hidden amongst a vast collection of books in the genre. They are not simply Nordic Noir, but truly powerful police procedurals that tackle the underbelly that is Finland in its present form. James Thompson pulls no punches as he tries to show the reader what is going on, with a strong narrative that pushes the story forward, even with the many road bumps that are reality trying to make itself known. The story morphs from simply being about crime and into something deeper and more powerful, at least for the reader who wishes to oversee the ongoing debate about race. With great characters and an ever-increasing rawness to Kari Vaara, Thompson has done well to provide the perfect protagonist for a series that is as dark as it is intense.
The plot is full of tension and twists from the outset and in each chapter. One can never know exactly where Thompson will take things and this provides an even better story to enjoy. While I am by no means a supporter of these xenophobic sentiments, it is interesting to see a country I always considered so peaceful drip with hated and divisiveness when it comes it its purity, Neo-nazi movements in the countries once occupied by Germany are apparently on the rise and Thompson gives his attentive readers a glimpse here.
Kudos, Mr. Thompson, for another fascinating read!
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