Review: Mine

Mine by Antti Tuomainen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE MINE by Antti Tuomainen

Wow! This author is incredibly gifted! I was expecting gritty Finnish crime; he is, after all, considered "The King of Helsinki Noir." I couldn't have expected his talent at exploring sensory imagery, riffing on each and every sense. He must have a hundred different metaphors, similes, and analogies for snow (which is important to me). He views the world as a painter would, drawing out the lines, then vivifying the natural world. And oh, does his love of the environment shine, in the pristine beauty of frozen Finland, but throughout the planet at large, that poor, environmentally toxic ecosystem which is all we have.

When he turns his view to humanity, he is a genius here too. A contract killer who suddenly determines to enter the life of his son after an absence of 30 years. A journalist driven by his need to expose Truth, even at the expense of his relationship and his own fatherhood {and yes, also driven by his own unacknowledged self-righteousness}. An earlier journalist whose quest for truth resulted in tons of research, but few completions. A suspicious Northern Finland nickel mine purchased for two euros, which is not as purported, whose board of directors are dying one by one, in bizarre "accidents."

I couldn't stop reading this fabulous mystery of Literary Noir.

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