Palm Beach Finland by Antii Tuomainen (trs David Hackston) @antti_tuomainen @countertenorist @OrendaBooks #blogtour #PalmBeachFinland #bookreview

It’s a real pleasure to host a stop on the blog tour for Palm Beach Finland by Antii Tuomainen today! My thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater for the invitation to join and the review copy! Make sure you also check out my tour buddy Mairead’s post over on Swirl and Thread.

Author : Antii Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)
Title : Palm Beach Finland
Pages : 304
Publisher : Orenda Books
Publication date : October 18, 2018 (UK paperback)

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 dark noir, Palm Beach, Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams, and people struggling at turning points in their lives—chasing their fantasies regardless of reason.

Sunshine, sandy beaches, palm trees. What more could you want?

Welcome to Palm Beach … Finland!

Wait, what? *screeches to a halt*

Yes, Palm Beach Finland. The hottest beach in Finland. Where everything is bright neon lights, it’s cold, the beaches are mostly empty and the palm trees are made of plastic. Not exactly the paradise you find offered in the glossy brochures.

But something is afoot in this not-quite paradise. There has been a mysterious death and Jan Nyman is sent undercover to find out what happened. And thus begins one of the oddest books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. With references to tv shows like Baywatch and Miami Vice and a nod to Fargo, Palm Beach Finland is full of quirky and eccentric characters that will either have you laughing or rolling your eyes.

Because some of it is a tad over the top, a bit outlandish, almost bordering towards the slapstick genre but there is also dash of subtly dark and black humour throughout that you just don’t find anywhere else but will have you chuckling throughout. Palm Beach Finland is original, unique and highly unusual. This is crime fiction with a difference and I dare say nobody does it better than Antii Tuomainen does.

So a mystery to solve, although not quite for the reader since we know pretty much what happened from the start. But the characters in this story are all so incredibly unpredictable, there is no way of knowing what they’ll get up to next or even if their actions will be successful. That’s half the fun right there. Yet, there is also a more serious undertone to the story. That of residents in this sleepy community with ambitions and dreams of a better life, desperately grabbing at opportunities to make a change.

Once again, David Hackston’s translation is faultless, enabling an English speaking audience to enjoy Antii Tuomainen’s unique way with words and his delightful sense of humour. Wonderfully weird, fabulously funny and extremely entertaining.

Palm Beach Finland is available in ebook format now! The UK paperback will be published on October 18th and can be pre-ordered.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

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.

Author links : Facebook | Twitter