Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston.
Published 27th October 2022 by Orenda Books.
From the cover of the book:
Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction?Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late…
Absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly poignant and full of nail-biting suspense, The Moose Paradox is the second instalment in the critically acclaimed, pitch-perfect Rabbit Factor Trilogy and things are messier than ever…
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After the violently chaotic events of The Rabbit Factor, insurance actuary Henri Koskinen finally seems to have his adventure park YouMeFun climbing steadily towards financial stability, providing he can keep a tight rein on the purse strings.
Henri would like to be able to get his hands on the pinnacle of adventure park apparatus, The Moose Chute, which would cement in place all his dreams of a profitable future. However, his equipment supplier Toy of Finland Ltd persist in denying his request in favour of offering him the unappetising dregs of their warehouse at increasingly inflated prices, for reasons that suspiciously seem to have nothing to do with sound business practice.
In the meantime, Henri's relationship with artist Laura has hit a bumpy patch. Henri would like nothing better than to see them spending more time together, but he is not sure that Laura is as keen on being with him as he thought, and these pesky emotions are very confusing.
If keeping a handle on his private and professional affairs was not enough for a man who does not cope well with the unpredictable, Henri's world is shaken to the core when a face from the past walks back into his life and blows his careful calculations to smithereens. Henri must put his very particular, mathematical skills to the test once more to save himself, and everything he has come to care about.
Henri starts this book in an interesting place, now fully acknowledging his affection for YouMeFun and the staff that appear to appreciate his steady guiding hand. Things might not be going quite as well as he thought with Laura, but he has no qualms at all that YouMeFun is where he wants to be, and he knows exactly how to ensure a rosy future for the adventure park - through the acquisition of The Moose Chute.
But although Henri is a master of all things mathematical, it is the human element of his equation for success that causes him major problems on the financial and bodily-harm fronts once more. The three goons who have taken over Toy of Finland Ltd are more interested in demanding money with menace than fulfilling their part as an equipment supplier; and a very unwelcome visitor has arrived to throw an unsettling spanner in the works. Soon, Henri starts to lose the support of his team, and events spiral ever rapidly out of control as he finds himself backed into a very dangerous corner by multiple assailants who want upset his precise plans. And guess who is prying into the odd goings on that result? Well, Inspector Osmala, of course - just what Henri needs when he is skulking about about in the dark hiding the evidence of his battle for survival.
I love how the relationships develop between Henri and his YouMeFun team in this second book, You learn more about what makes each of them tick, and where their hopes and dreams lie, which is curiously heart-warming even when they appear to be stabbing their saviour in the back in the process. Henri has to do a lot more learning on the human nature front before he understands what is happening to the cosy team dynamic he thought he had established, and in doing so he gets to know them and their talents a lot better, which I think may be potentially very interesting in the next book.
Henri discovers how to rationalise a few more of the new feelings that overwhelm him in his dealings with affairs of the heart too, especially when it comes to the old green-eyed-monster jealousy. He constantly makes me smile at the way he sees Laura, and expresses the simple pleasure he derives from being around her, and her daughter. Bless! It also has to be said that Tuomainen does the most splendid job of shaping the exchanges between Henri and Osmala into the most delicious game of cat and mouse, as they both know more or less what is going on without ever being able to admit to each other that they do.
There were times here when I really could not see a way out for Henri, but I should not have worried. At the genius hands of Antti Tuomainen the slickest of magic happens, as Henri brings his considerable logical talents to bear to bring things to a brilliant conclusion - one that sets the scene for an exciting next instalment too. And a mention, as always, for the stellar translation skills of David Hackston, who keeps the gripping story flowing, the humour bubbling, and the emotion full-on. I adored it, and cannot wait to see what Tuomainen has up his sleeve for book three!
The Moose Paradox is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland was an immense success, with Marcel Berlins (The Times) calling Tuomainen 'the funniest writer in Europe'. Little Siberia (2020), was shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Awards and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.
The Rabbit Factor (2021), the first book in Antti's first ever series, is in production by Amazon Studios with Steve Carell starring. The Moose Paradox, book two in the series is out in 2022.
About the translator:
David Hackston is a British Translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama.
David Hackston is a British Translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama.
Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The Hummingbird, The Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories.
In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation.
David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.
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