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Death at the Village Christmas Fair by Debbie Young #Review #CotswoldCuriosityShopMysteriesBook3 #PublicationDay

  I am delighted to feature this cozy crime novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair  by Debbie Young . It is published today by Boldwood Books on August 16th.   It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run. But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum's knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he's found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item. Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there's more to his murder than meets the eye. She's determined to solve the mystery - including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for. With the help of her charming neighbour Rob...

The Moose Paradox by Antii Tuomainen Translated by David Hackston #PaperbackPublication #Review

 

Having loved The Moose Paradox by Antii Tuomainen, I am delighted to repost my review to celebrate the publication of The Moose Paradox in paperback, today, June 22nd. 

Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction?

Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late… 

Absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly poignant and full of nail-biting suspense, The Moose Paradox is the second instalment in the critically acclaimed, pitch-perfect Rabbit Factor Trilogy and things are messier than ever…

 My Thoughts

The second in the series continues the black humour and dry wit of The Rabbit Factor. Henri Koskinen  is taking the same calculated, mathematical approach to his life and to trying to run the amusement park as ever. It is not an easy task. Along with Henri, the reader is in for some gigantic surprises along the way.  Henri seems to get himself into some situations which his logical thinking has to try to find a way through. It is a quirky thriller with some curious characters who work within the park and a whole variety of enemies.

    As soon as Henri feels that he is getting his life into some sort of order, chaos reigns. Some of the situations seem absurd, but it is the humour within the suspense which entertains. Henri also has to apply his mathematical thinking to his struggling romance with Laura, who as an artist, is as far frmm his way of looking at life as you can get. However, their conversations work and contain a rich seam of laconic wit. David Hackston has produced a lively translation which certainly captures the individuality of the author's voice. I am looking forward to where Book 3 takes us.

In short: thrills and spills

About the Author

 

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. 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 (2017) became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’.

 You can read my review of The Rabbit Factor here.
 
You can follow Antti here: Website   |  Twitter   |  Instagram
                                           | Facebook  

Book links: Amazon UK
 

Thanks to Antti Tuomainen, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the Blog Tour.
 
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