In recent years Nordic Noir has been the
irrepressible buzz phrase in crime fiction. The bookshelves heave with crime
thrillers set in some frozen locale. I must be one of the few crime thriller
fans never to have been caught up in the whole craze. Don’t get me wrong, there
are many Nordic Noir novels I’ve read an enjoyed, but for me the story has
always been paramount and I’ve enjoyed novels set all over the world just as
much. That said, one of my absolute favourite Nordic writers is Antti
Tuomainen. I loved his novel The Healer, a dark tale set in the aftermath of
catastrophic climate change, while his novel The Mine, a tale of corruption set
in Finland’s mining industry, was sublime.
While I might not be a fully paid up member of the
Nordic Noir phenomenon, I do love noir. The darker and grittier the better.
Until now, Antti Tuomainen’s work has suited me perfectly which is why I was a
little concerned to read that for his latest work he was lightening the tone
somewhat. Apparently, he was going to write something “quirky”. Was I about to
lose one of my favourite authors? Well I needn’t have worried. The Man Who Died
is a lighter novel, but in the mould of Fargo. This is quirk with a pitch-black
heart.
Jaako Kaunismaa is a mushroom entrepreneur. He and
his wife, Taina, having discovered that the Japanese have a fondness for the
mushrooms growing in the local forests, started a business that picks, freeze
dries and exports them. But Jaako’s been feeling ill of late and the book
begins with him visiting the doctor to receive some rather bad news: he’s been
poisoned. It appears that somehow he’s ingested toxins and his organs are
failing. Jaako returns home planning ion telling Taina the news only to find
her having sex with the company’s handyman. His wife’s infidelities aren’t his
only problem for their mushroom company also has a new competitor, almost
overnight some men with dubious backgrounds have opened a mushroom processing
plant complete with the latest machinery.
So Jaako now realises two things, firstly that he’s
been murdered and second that he isn’t short of suspects. Was it Taina his
unfaithful wife? The covetous handyman? His company’s new competitors? Some
combination of two or all three? The Man Who Died follows Jaako’s quest to
solve the crime of his murder, while saving his company, the last thing he care
for now he’s lost his wife.
This is a great book and I enjoyed it immensely.
The comparisons with Fargo are apt for The Man Who Died shares the same black
humour and is populated by similarly hapless characters. Reading the book, you
just know that the story is going to end badly for some and part of the fun is
trying to guess who will come to the stickiest end. Having finished the novel I
don’t feel like I’ve lost one of my favourite authors after all, rather that he’s
just reinvented himself. Will he go back to the darker noir? I hope he does occasionally,
but equally I would like to see more of these Fargoesque stories. Perhaps he
could alternate. But whatever the author chooses to write I’m sure it will be
enjoyable.
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