It is the future and the future is
not good. The changes in the Earth’s
climate have wreaked havoc on the planet.
The equatorial zones are so hot and stormy to be uninhabitable and
diseases the likes we have never seen, or haven’t seen in centuries, are spreading
like wildfire. Finland is now the place
to be but even the southern capital of Helsinki is no longer very desirable;
everyone is pushing north to the Arctic.
During all this upheaval a serial
killer calling himself the Healer is at work.
He kills the entire families of the individuals he feels contributed to
the state of the planet. The police have
a lead, but no resources. Johanna, a
reporter, decides to investigate herself.
Two days before Christmas she disappears. This is the story of Tapani’s search for his
wife which becomes the search for a dangerous killer.
I found the Finnish names really
difficult to keep track of (and to try to say!) but thankfully there are few
characters and the places are all in a short distance of each other so street
names and city zones don’t need to be remembered. The simplistic yet lyrical prose really
brings out the urgency of the situation.
The main character is a poet and that spare style shows in his words and
inner dialogue. An interesting and fast
paced mystery.
