The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen (tr. by David Hackston) #BookReview #BlogTour

 Antti Tuomainen has a true gift for devising uniquely horrible ways to commit murder and then to make his readers laugh while madness and mayhem inevitably ensues. The Burning Stones opens with death by sauna, which is as awful as it sounds, particularly when the unfortunate victim, Ilmo Räty realises why he is unable to remove himself from the wooden bench he is sitting on. This is a very Finnish book – not only is protagonist and main suspect, Anni is a sauna-stove salesperson, there is also a cameo role for Mika Häkkinen’s autographed socks but with thanks also going to David Hackston for his seamless translation, Antti Tuomainen once again proves that humour and murder crosses boundaries, and this is another unmissable gem of a book. 

Anni quickly learns that she now heads the list to be the next CEO at Steam Devil; a role originally intended for Ilmo but it proves to be somewhat of a poisoned chalice as it means she immediately becomes the main suspect in his murder. To make matters worse, the local police chief holds a long-held grudge against her family and eagerly looks forward to arresting her. With the evidence stacked against her, she realises that she will have to investigate the case itself if she has any chance of clearing her name. 

Antti Tuomainen always excels at amassing a cast of eccentric characters but while we can’t help but laugh at their interactions with one another, his humour never feels cruel and the book is imbued with empathy throughout. As Anni’s personal and professional life reaches a crisis point, The Burning Stones is also a perceptive exploration of middle-age. Still racked with guilt over events from years ago and in a marriage which is the epitome of stale, she recalls her past with regret and faces an uncertain future. 

The amalgamation of laugh-out-loud moments and poignant observations is perhaps most obviously seen with Anni’s boss Erkki. ‘The Stove King’ founder of Steam Devil is headed toward retirement but with a killer on the loose, he may not have anyone to hand over the reins to. In one of my favourite scenes, he pays tribute to another victim of the murderer; it’s genuinely funny but tinged with sadness, especially as Anni begins to understand why his own behaviour grows more unpredictable.

Although Anni is the frontrunner to take over the helm, Erkki insists that the race to succeed him is still on. It means that any of her colleagues could be engaged in a deathly plot to see off their rivals while cleverly framing her. The small-town setting lends itself perfectly to the interplay between the characters which despite being heightened for comic effect remains believable. Ambition, obsession, love and lust collide in a novel which is a wry, insightful exploration of humanity as well as a gripping murder mystery.

With its razor-sharp characterisation, vivid sense of place and a plot which effortlessly switches between droll humour and compulsive race against time, The Burning Stones is Antti Tuomainen at his warm and witty best. I loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.