James Thompson - Snow Angel

review by showhost
I just happened to see this book on the bookshelf in my brothers house and started to read it. What a find! It is a crime novel based in and around Finland.

Its called Kaamos, and its just before Christmas, the bleakest time of the year in Lapland. The sun does not rise, blending day into night. The perpetual darkness and extreme cold above the Arctic Circle drive nearly everyone to alcohol and a little insane. Inspector Kari Vaara, the lead detective of the small-town police force, is called to the scene of a violent murder. A beautiful Somali, now film star, immigrant, is found dead in a snow covered field, but she has been brutally mutilated and a racial message carved on her chest.
Inspector Kari is recently married to Kate, she is American and pregnant with their first child and is slightly homesick. She is struggling to adapt to the extreme temperature and the Finnish culture and language.
The investigation leads Kari to places he doesn't want to go, his ex-wife and her husband, and he finds himself being accused of trying to pin the murder on the husband for retribution for taking his wife. He should come off the case as it is too personal to him but he doesn't. Then when he does offer, his boss won't let him.
On top of this Kari has his own past remorse's to cope with, one being the death of his sister, for which he has always blamed himself and the fact that another body was found on the site where his sister died does not go unoticed. Within a short space of time Kari is also dealing with a suicide and a domestic killing. The possible suspects start piling up. There are plenty of clues and twists to come in this Nordic noir novel.

When I first started the book I was quite excited as I thought I had found an author who although not as good as 'Steig' would be a good third. There are many suspects and good forensics. The character Inspector Kari is nowhere as good as Lisbet Salander but I thought he had potential. In the beginning I kept rushing to pick it up and read more. I still wanted to read it at the end but it was starting to lose incredulity. I was trying to imagine someone playing the part of the inspector in my mind but there was nothing. He comments that the Finnish police are supposed to be the best in the world yet Kari seemed to jump at the first conclusion that came along and although looking at other suspects not letting go of it. I wasn't sure about the ending either, would a good cop go to such dicey extremes? Or was that the point that he had become slightly crazed or desperate? I don't know.
I did enjoy the book and enjoyed the info about Finland and their culture. I will definitely read another of his - in fact the next one kind of follows on from this but a year later.