Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen

 A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel.

But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately, Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his.

As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is.

 My Thoughts

Picture this...you are driving along minding your own business...along a snowy road, going about 240 km/hr (149 mph). Taking swigs of warm Koskenkorva vodka and contemplating life. How did you get to this point in your life where you are no longer a rally driver even though that is your identity? Then a meteorite falls from the sky, rips through the roof of your car and smack dab lands on the seat next  to you. Whatttt??? What in hell did I just read?

I have been wanting to read something by Antti Tuomainen for ages and I could not say yes fast enough when I got an invitation from Anne Carter to be on this blog tour. This book was an entertaining crime drama that was filled with dark, sarcastic and gritty humor.

As word is spread across the world about this spectacular meteorite that has landed on the passenger seat in a car in Finland, it becomes clear it must be transferred to a secure location. It is speculated that the meteorite is worth million of dollars. So what do we do with it in the meantime? We leave it in a tiny museum in the village with a pastor named Joel to protect it. Joel alone is going to keep the Russian mobsters and everyone else in the world from stealing this precious piece of rock.

Sounds absolutely crazy right?! Yet Antti Tuomainen somehow has the ability to pull you in and make you believe this is perfectly rationale that this is all happening. I found myself yelling yeah Joel you get them!

Maybe even more intriguing than the mobsters and various others after their piece of the pie with the meteorite, was Joel himself. I was completely drawn into Joel's personality as he had me curious as to how a pastor got involved in this. He seemed a bit "street smart" shall we say. I began to question his past and his motives. He  is expecting his first child with his wife Krista and yet, he was told he can't have kids.....so whose child is it? I found myself thinking, well hell we have a meteorite falling from the sky, could this be immaculate conception? I couldn't imagine his loving wife cheating on him. Especially in such a small village where he is the sole person that people confess to!

This book was much darker than I expected and I loved it. When I least expected it the author would throw in a humorous line and catch me off guard. A mysterious story filled with crime, mobsters, family drama and a touch of humor this book had me flipping the pages late into the night!

Thank you so much to Anne Carter inviting me along on this fantastic blog tour!

 

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’.