Today it's my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen. It's a quirky venture into witty noir with a cheeky nod in the direction of an 80s cult crime series. Only Tuomainen could pull this off.
Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. The critically acclaimed My Brother’s Keeper was published two years later. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for ‘Best Finnish Crime Novel of 2011’ and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. Two years later, in 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards.
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Buy Palm Beach Finland
About the book
Jan Nyman, the ace detective of the covert operations unit of the National Central Police, is sent to a
sleepy seaside town to investigate a mysterious death. Nyman arrives in the town dominated by a
bizarre holiday village – the ‘hottest beach in Finland’. The suspect: Olivia Koski, who has only recently returned to her old hometown. The mission: find out what happened, by any means necessary.
With a nod to Fargo, and the darkest noir, Palm Beach, Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a
wicked black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams and people struggling at turning points in
their lives … from the 'King of Helsinki Noir’.
Review
I shouldn't really be surprised that Tuomainen has managed to write a crime novel, which takes place in Finland, that is an ode to the 80s and the very memorable cult police series Miami Vice. Think sun, palm trees, detectives dressed to the nines in bright suits and blazers, and streets lined with blinking neon signs. Now think cold breezy Finland, plastic palm trees, gaudy neon signs, uniforms a la Baywatch that barely cover body parts and a detective who dresses with a Woodstock vibe.
Olivia has returned to her hometown after the death of her father to find his house is smack-bang in the middle of a very ambitious beach resort. It puts her in a precarious situation and on top of that the house is falling apart around her. It's an expensive money-pit and she has no money.
Jan Nyman is an undercover cop who is sent into the middle of a curious murder case, which also happens to take place in the middle of this peculiar 'luxury' beach resort. In fact everything and everyone is connected to the Palm Beach Finland.
'Bookings are being taken for the summer season 2019 as we speak, don't delay - rooms are going quicker than an Aldi cashier zapping items through on the cash desk conveyor belt.' - Palm Beach Finland Resort.
In his own way the author shows how shallow, desperate and greedy the human race can be when it comes down to cold hard cash. Friends betray friends, honest people become criminals and the supposedly morally correct suddenly get selective memories.
It's a quirky venture into witty noir with a cheeky nod in the direction of an 80s cult crime series. Only Tuomainen could pull this off. He has a talent for creating bizarre storylines and making them not only enjoyable but also seem completely normal. Definitely an author to check out.
Buy Palm Beach Finland at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Orenda Books, Publication Date: October 2018
Read my review of The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen.
Huge thanks for this Blog Tour support Cheryl x
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