The Beaver Theory (Rabbit Factor Book Three) by Antti Tuomainen

 

The Beaver Theory (Rabbit Factor Book Three) by Antti Tuomainen.

Translated by David Hackston.

Published 12th October 2023 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Can everyone’s favourite insurance mathematician, Henri, combine the increasingly dangerous world of adventure parks with the unpredictability of blended-family life? He’s about to find out in the final instalment of the hilarious, nail-biting Rabbit Factor Trilogy.

Henri Koskinen, intrepid insurance mathematician and adventure-park entrepreneur, firmly believes in the power of common sense and order. That is until he moves in with painter Laura Helanto and her daughter…

As Henri realises he has inadvertently become part of a group of local dads, a competing adventure park is seeking to expand their operations, not always sticking to the law in the process…

Is it possible to combine the increasingly dangerous world of the adventure-park business with the unpredictability of life in a blended family? At first glance, the two appear to have only one thing in common: neither deals particularly well with a mounting body count.

In order to solve this seemingly impossible conundrum, Henri is forced to step far beyond the mathematical precision of his comfort zone … and the stakes have never been higher…

***********

Insurance actuary, Henri Koskinen is all set for a new adventure by moving in with his girlfriend, painter Laura Helanto, and her daughter, Tuuli. Many things about blended family life are bewilderingly incompatible with Henri's tenets of order and logic, and he is not too sure about the responsibilities that appear to come with being a 'school dad', but nevertheless he feels things are really looking up.

As Henri is getting his head around his new living arrangements, and the utter chaos of the extra-curricular activities of his fellow 'school dads', a challenge far greater than anything that has come before suddenly crops up where YouMeFun is concerned. Across town, a new adventure park, Somersault City, has just opened and it is hitting Henri's business hard. Henri and his faithful team are at a loss to work out how to compete with the newer attractions, free entry and food, and star-studded entertainments for parents, that are taking away their customers.

Henri decides to check out the competition for himself, and when he meets the shady crew running the operation, headed up by wannabe cowboy Ville-Pekka 'VP' Hayrinen, he is shocked to discover that they not only seem to be following a non-sensical business model, but they also want to grind YouMeFun into the dust in the process. When 'VP' subsequently ends up dead with an over-sized ice cream cone where nature never intended, Henri finds himself being fitted up for the murder by two hot-shot cops who have an agenda all of their own. Henri is going to need more than his mathematical skills to overcome the biggest hurdle of his adventure park career yet, especially now has family responsibilities...

Welcome to the final, joyful instalment of the Rabbit Factor trilogy by Antti Tuomainen. Henri is back in the thick of it once more, fighting to save YouMeFun, and his own skin, from the unscrupulous!

This third book is all about family, with three storylines that weave seamlessly together. As Henri takes baby-steps in the roles of live-in partner to Laura Helanto and father to her daughter Tuuli, his emotional development hits the steepest learning curve yet. On the YouMeFun front too, new feelings are stirring, with the team backing Henri to the hilt while he gets to grips with another fine mess that is not of his making. And in a triple, heart-string-plucking whammy, Henri works mathematical magic with the disorganised 'dads' group' to bring hope on the Parisian horizon. Amongst all the marvellous mayhem that ensues, Henri's capacity to understand love, friendship, human connection, and the benefits of 'going with the flow' blossoms, but he has many trials and tribulations to work through before the warm and fuzzy ending eventually dawns. 

Henri's mathematical superpowers remain his core strength, despite being disparaged by his unwitting enemies, but he also has a lot of other skills and qualities at his disposal, honed through the battles he has been forced into since becoming the unexpected owner of an adventure park. The courage, determination, and resourcefulness of Henri and his team are not to be underestimated; and in a lovely twist, the inscrutable Detective Inspector Pentti Osmala has an intriguing role to play too, as he and Henri continue their 'so-much-left-unsaid' sparring.

I adored this book from start to finish. It is packed with Tuomainen's brand of dark, tongue-in-cheek humour that I have come to love so well. The absurd situations Henri continues to find himself in bring chuckle-worthy thrills and spills, with investigations of a giant beaver; the well-timed use of a spray can; some eye-opening horseplay; and ninja-like reactions with household implements... and if that was not enough to keep you entertained, there is the perfect level of emotional content to warm the cockles of your heart sufficiently to keep you toasty through the chills of a Finnish winter.

I am utterly bereft that this is the last book of Henri's adventures, but it is a fine conclusion to everything that has come before, and I tip my hat to the talented translator David Hackston for doing such a cracking job bringing Tuomainen's quirky comic genius to an English-speaking audience. A truly epic ending, to a fabulous trilogy!

The Beaver Theory is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats. You can support the very best in indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a proof of the 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: 

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author in 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the 'King of Helsinki Noir' when Dark as My Heart was published. 

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 was out in 2022.


About the translator:

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.