Lucifer's Tears (Inspector Vaara, Book 2) - Hardcover

Thompson, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039915700X ISBN 13: 9780399157004

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011

Synopsis

Inspector Kari Vaara returns, more haunted than ever, in the follow- up to Snow Angels, "a must for fans of the international crime novel." (Booklist)

The Sufia Elmi case left Kari Vaara with a scarred face, chronic insomnia, a constant migraine, and a full body count's worth of ghosts. Now it's a year later, in Helsinki, and Kari is working the graveyard shift in the homicide unit, terrified that his heavily pregnant wife will miscarry again after she lost the twins just after Christmas.

Kari is pushed into investigating a ninety-year-old national hero for war crimes committed during World War II. The Interior Minister demands a conclusion of innocence, preserving Finland's heroic perception about itself and its role in the war, but Germany wants extradition.

In a seeming coincidence, Kari is drawn into the murder-by-torture case of Iisa Filippov, the philandering wife of a Russian businessman. Her lover is clearly being framed for the crime-and Ivan Filippov's arrogance and nonchalance point the finger at him. But he's being protected from above, leading Kari to the corrupt corridors of power. Soon the past and present collide in ways no one could have anticipated.

About this title

About the Author

James Thompson, eastern Kentucky born and raised, has lived in Finland for the past decade and currently makes his home in Helsinki with his wife. Before becoming a full-time writer, Thompson studied Swedish and Finnish, in which he is fluent, and worked as a bartender, bouncer, construction worker, photographer, rare coin dealer, and soldier.

Review

An anti-racist public official has been beheaded, and so far only her head has been found. Vaara gets the case because the public needs to see that Finland's best is working the case; that the authorities really do their utmost to solve the crime. It's a hot potato: Race and ethnicity are for the first time becoming issues in the historically heterogeneous Finnish society, and racism is on the rise...The plot is rich and interesting, and Thompson's writing is outstanding.
Nordic Bookblog

An impossible-to-put down read. Thompson's second book, even better than the first, will surely be one of the best Nordic mysteries published in 2011. Essential reading for all fans of Arnaldur Indridason, Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, and Jo Nesbo."
Booklist, starred review

“Thompson's style is on the dark end of the ‘Nordic Noir’ spectrum. The genre — with its stark and often violent police procedurals — has proved wildly successful...The marquee names have come from Sweden — think Stieg Larsson's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, or Henning Mankell's Wallander series — but Norway's Jo Nesbo and Iceland's Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir have also made their mark with international readers. Thompson stands out from that crowd by writing in English and telling Vaara's gritty narrative in the first person. ”--The New York Times

“In his dozen years of living in Finland...Thompson has absorbed enough cold, dark atmosphere for a spot on the roster of top Nordic crime writers—Mankell, Nesbø, Indrioason and the like.”—The New York Post

“The laconic voice of Inspector Kari Vaara is at the same time dangerous and human, his world cold, barren, yet intriguingly exotic.”—Peter Høeg, New York Times bestselling author of Smilla’s Sense of Snow

Praise for the Inspector Vaara Novels

Snow Angels

“The tone evokes Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, but the plot takes off fast, the themes are universal and James Thompson tells a nighttime tale as only a bartender can.”—Michael Simon, author of The Last Jew Standing

“The stark Nordic setting will appeal to fans of Scandinavian crime fiction...Will remind readers of Martin Cruz Smith’s Gorky Park.”—Library Journal

“Thompson’s portrait of Lapland in the depths of winter is starkly and realistically drawn...An outstanding series debut.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Intriguing glimpses of Finnish culture...Tangled small-town relationships and lust also fuel this noir-ish thriller.”—Publishers Weekly

Lucifer’s Tears

“Stellar...Thompson elegantly threads Finland’s compelling national history with Vaara’s own demons in this taut, emotionally wrought novel.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Like the books of the late Stieg Larsson, Thompson’s reflect the gray cold of Nordic winters...But Thompson’s books move more quickly (and violently) than Larsson’s.”
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Impossible to put down...Essential reading for all fans of...Stieg Larsson.”—Booklist (starred review)

Helsinki White

“A must-read for fans of Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell.”—Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 039915700X
• ISBN 13: 9780399157004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336