As always, many thanks to Orenda Books for including me on the blog tour for Antti Tuomainen's "The Winter Job". I've been a fan of Tuomainen ever since I read the highly entertaining "The Rabbit Factor" trilogy. I reviewed another of Tuomainen's mysteries, "The Burning Stones", in October 2024.
In "The Winter Job", Antti Tuomainen turns a seemingly mundane cross-country furniture delivery into a darkly humorous thriller. Tuomainen's dry tone and witty observations, which made the "Rabbit Factor" trilogy so much fun to read, are also found in abundance in "The Winter Job".
The action starts in Helsinki, the week before Christmas in 1982. Postal worker Ilmari Nieminen is separated from his wife and daughter. His fervent wish is to buy his beloved daughter Helena a piano for Christmas and maybe, patch up his marriage. There's only one problem: he doesn't have the money. But Nieminen has a plan. He persuades a piano store salesman to reserve a piano for him until Christmas Eve. In return, he will pay full price, plus a "reservation and storage fee". The salesman reluctantly agrees.
Nieminen is banking on a tip-off about a job from Riekkonen, one of his older colleagues at the sorting office. Riekkonen was offered good money to transport a valuable antique couch from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland. He couldn't do the job, so he passed it on to Nieminen. The instructions are straightforward: pick up the van with the couch from "Finest Antiques & Furniture" and deliver it to a designated drop point. Nieminen also plans to make two personal stops along the way, in Ilomantsi and Vaasa.
When Ilmari gets to the antiques warehouse, everything looks a bit shady. The warehouse is full of junk. The Fiat Ducato he was told to expect turns out to be an older British Thames van. When Nieminen notices that the van has "newish" tires of two different types on each side, he thinks it must be stolen. The proprietor, Leinonen, is altogether untrustworthy and tries to rip Nieminen off on expense money for the trip. Nieminen isn't having any of it and insists on his payment, dismissing the other warning signs. But when he sees the couch, he forgets his doubts:
The trouble begins as soon as Nieminen gets behind the wheel. The windshield wipers don't work, and he's driving into a snowstorm. He stops at a repair place, but they can't help him. He's at a loss until he walks back to the van, and hears a stranger making him a miraculous offer. If Nieminen can get some tools, he will fix the wipers.
In a bizarre coincidence, (or is it?) Nieminen knows the stranger offering help. It's Antero Kuikka, a friend from boyhood. They haven't seen each other in over twenty years. Antero is broke, and looking for a ride up north. He fixes the van's wipers and he and Ilmari hit the road. Ilmari tells Antero the story behind the furniture delivery trip and his belief that he's not transporting anything illegal. Why would he be going AWAY from the big city if he's carrying contraband to a place where prices are lower?
This belief does not last long.
It's a good thing these men have joined forces, because the van is the target of two very different, equally incompetent pursuers. First, a distinctly odd pair of communists, Erkki Liljalampi and Anneli Kukkorinne. They're carrying out the orders of a mysterious figure, the Secretary, who has ordered them to steal the couch. Anneli is a fervent believer in the cause but has suspicions that Erkki may not be; she's noticed something different about him on their last few missions. Since Erkki sounds the same whether he's being sincere or sarcastic, Annelli is not sure whether to trust or suspect him. It makes for an unsettling dynamic.
Also in close pursuit is a world-weary criminal, Otto Puolanka. He's one of Tuomainen's most hilarious and volcanic characters. Otto's inner (and outer) soundtrack is "Eye of the Tiger" from his favorite movie, "Rocky III". He doesn't react well when a man in a bar plays a different song on the jukebox. Not to mention what he'll do if someone dares to speak to him in Swedish. Otto's violence, absurd and frightening, makes him a great character and an unpredictable antagonist. (Otto's chapters begin with crudely funny similes regarding various body parts and functions. I don't want to spoil them by quoting them here, but Otto's inner thoughts are not a pretty picture.)
So Nieminen and Antero go on their merry way with the couch, stopping only for food and petrol. To begin with, they're unaware of their multiple pursuers. The two listen to music, cope with various weather- and transport-related setbacks, and re-visit unpleasant childhood memories. They also make a startling discovery about their valuable cargo which, to no one's surprise but Nieminen's, is not just a couch.
So Nieminen and Antero, communist duo Erkki and Anneli, and Otto the not-very-smart psychopath make their way to Kilpisjärvi, with several memorable encounters along the way. It's Nieminen's good fortune that he's not taking the most direct route, and his two stops do a lot to confound his pursuers. But soon enough it's obvious they're being followed. More than one client desperately wants this mysterious couch and the two parties will do anything to get it.
Tuomainen uses the couch as a MacGuffin, a term familiar to Alfred Hitchcock fans. It's necessary to the plot, but is insignificant in comparison to the gripping tale of the cross-country pursuit. Erkki and Anneli learn that they're not the only ones chasing the furniture van, and begin to question their mission's contribution to the cause. Otto bungles and rampages his way across Finland, giving in to his worst impulses. It's anyone's guess as to who will get to the couch first, and why so many people want to get their hands on it.
As it turns out, it's a good thing that Nieminen paired up with Antero, whose skills extend to a lot more than car repair. Their attempts to outwit and outrun the bad guys make for a great chase story. Until the very end, it's uncertain whether Nieminen will realize his dream of giving his daughter her piano in time for Christmas.
I loved the switching of the point-of-view of the characters from chapter to chapter. Nieminen and Antero are a real odd couple who come to an uneasy understanding. Erkki and Anneli get to know each other in a way they haven't done on previous missions. Otto, on the other hand, is incapable of self-realization, and violence is his only tool. It's these characters that make this book a delight from start to finish. It's in turn scary, tense, witty, scathing, facetious, and ultimately, very satisfying. In "The Winter Job", Antti Tuomainen proves that he is second to none in his ability to mix great crime stories with an almost surrealistic comic tone. It's to David Hackston's credit that none of this is lost in the English translation.
"The Winter Job" is a great introduction to Antti Tuomainen's work, and if you were already a fan of "The Rabbit Factor" trilogy, you will find much to enjoy here as well. It's the ideal holiday read, and would make a great gift for any mystery lover.
Author Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when we made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. 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.
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.
Please buy/order "The Winter Job" from your local independent bookstore, or go to bookshop.org and order there. They now offer ebooks as well.
For audiobooks, go to libro.fm.
