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Title: THE RABBIT FACTOR
Author: Antti Tuomainen
Publisher: Orenda Books
Read: April 2022
Expected publication: 1 May 2022
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
What makes life perfect? Insurance
mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything
down to the very last decimal.
And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After
suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother –
its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of
the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal
quarters … and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.
But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri
crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre
and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme
lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens,
he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be
pinned down on his spreadsheets…
Warmly funny, rich with quirky characters and absurd situations, The
Rabbit Factor is a triumph of a dark thriller, its tension matched only by
its ability to make us rejoice in the beauty and random nature of life.
My musings:
If I’d had any concerns that a book about an
adventure park starring a giant plastic rabbit would not be my thing, then
these were rapidly dispelled as Antti Tuomainen’s quirky protagonist and black
humour soon drew me into the story and kept me enthralled. THE RABBIT FACTOR
reads like a mix between Nordic noir and dark comedy, and I really enjoyed the
unusual blend of genres.
Mathematician Henri Koskinen seems
like an unlikely character to inherit an adventure park, but this is by far not
the most absurd situation he is about to encounter, nor the last. Despite his
best intentions and careful planning, he soon finds himself on the wrong side
of a group of criminals who intend on collecting a debt and will stop at
nothing to get what is owed to them. With an atmospheric setting in a Finnish
adventure park, there is nothing ordinary or predictable about this novel, and
it was like a breath of fresh air in the sea of same-old murder mysteries that
are flooding the market.
Tuomainen has mastered the art of
transcending the dark and gloomy atmosphere Nordic thrillers are renowned for,
whilst keeping up an air of intrigue and suspense. It even got my heart rate up
a few times as Henri stumbled headlong into disaster! Supported by a rich cast
of characters as unusual and quirky as Henri himself, THE RABBIT
FACTOR both surprised and delighted me with its originality. I loved the
way Henri tried to apply logic to even the most absurd situations, which made
for some interesting encounters.
Summary:
All in all ,THE RABBIT FACTOR was a delightful mix
of nordic noir and dark comedy which will appeal to readers who are looking for
mysteries that stand out from the rest. Quirky and original, it is difficult to
pigeonhole it in any particular genre, though the mystery element definitely
lies at its core. For those readers who like a bit of action or a hint of
romance, it caters for all of you as well. I am surprised that I haven't read
any other novels by this author before, but will certainly look up all his
backlist now.
Thank
you to Orenda Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving
me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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