Henri Koskinen is a mathematician and actuary for an insurance company. He lives with his cat Schopenhauer...

British readers might think they know what to expect from Nordic noir: a tortured detective, a bleak setting, a brutal crime that shakes a small community. Finnish crime novelist Tuomainen turns all of this on its head … The ear of a giant plastic rabbit becomes a key weapon. It only gets darker and funnier’— Guardian Antti Tuomainen beautifully creates a situation that is rich in comic humour and that breathes a dry and beautifully wrought wit. Then he merges that with some seriously wrong dudes and throws out actuary into a series of situations that are not of his making but which nevertheless he needs to not only resolve but to do so in a manner that will not bring him under suspicion. Of course, none of this is the case. The huge, German rabbit is made of hard plastic and metallic reinforcements. Even if I enjoyed reading this absurdist financial and mafia thriller with a love and philosophical twist a tad more, I cannot say it stirred me particularly, despite the delightful and wise company of the protagonist’s cat Schopenhauer and his (the protagonist’s, not the cat’s) satiric take on nonsensical management blather (or is that a pleonasm?). Henri Koskinen’s struggle to concentrate on his calculations when the insurance company he works for moves to open space premises is pretty recognisable – just like his feeling having turned into a Dinosaur, a misfit in the modern workspace when missing the necessary mindset. I agree that open-plan offices were devised by satan in the deepest caverns of hell and that they are hell on earth for introverts. But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets…

D. Αυτοί οι άνθρωποι μάλλον βλέπουν σπάνια ήλιο. Μου στάθηκε αδύνατο να γελάσω με ένα φουκαρά που τον ΑΠΑΓΧΟΝΙΖΟΥΝ εγκληματίες ενώ είναι δεμένος σε μια γουρούνα. Πείτε με αχιούμορο, δε με πειράζει. Άλλο τόσο δύσκολο ήταν να γελάσω με το ταλαίπωρο θύμα του "αρχικακού" που ήταν δεμένο στον "στύφτη". The park’s supplier, Toy of Finland seems to be dragging its feet with delivery of The Moose Chute. A visit to ToF brings an encounter with three very dubious types, who instead try to pressure him into buying the Crocodile Canyon, an outdated, unpopular and unsafe ride. Meanwhile, Juhani’s inspirations include combining ice cream with giant slides and having Pensioner Days.

I dive inside Caper Castle. I overcome the first section – the wobbly stairs – and hear the man behind me. He isn’t shouting for me to stop, isn’t bellowing. He’s come here to kill me. The room with the slanted floors is equipped with banisters that help guide me through the space. Escaping is harder and much slower than I’d expected. Light drips in through two plastic windows. The man appears at the entrance to the room. He stops, perhaps to gauge the situation. Then he sets off after me. With his free hand, he grabs the banister to give himself momentum, gripping it like he would a barbell. It works, and I’m beginning to doubt my plan. Laura works at the park but has her own mysterious story to tell. Henri is unprepared for his feelings around Laura. She is unlike anyone he has ever met and, for reasons he can’t quite fathom, she seems to like him too. As Henri negotiates with criminals and takes control of the park's unorthodox staff, he discovers that his brother was involved in some very shady dealings and that it is now up to him to rescue everyone and everything. The Rabbit Factor is an astounding read. It has the suspenseful twists of a thriller, the laugh-out-loud moments of a comedy and a tragic dimension that brings a tear to the eye’ Crime Fiction Lover as Henri is searching for another job as an actuary, he gets news that his brother Juhani has suddenly died... Tuomainen has mastered the art of transcending the dark and gloomy atmosphere Nordic thrillers are renowned for, whilst keeping up an air of intrigue and suspense. It even got my heart rate up a few times as Henri stumbled headlong into disaster! Supported by a rich cast of characters as unusual and quirky as Henri himself, THE RABBIT FACTOR both surprised and delighted me with its originality. I loved the way Henri tried to apply logic to even the most absurd situations, which made for some interesting encounters.

Q&A Asked about The Rabbit Factor

What is really puzzling is how Knife Man knew Henri was there alone, and how he got into the park. Juhani gave the staff free rein with running the place: could one of them be in cahoots with the crooks? They are an unusual bunch, and Henri knows his directness can be off-putting: I must confess that my heart does skip a little beat and dances around in my chest every time I settle down to read and review a book by the always excellent Antti Tuomainen. With every book we enter a world where the small, some would say humdrum existence of ordinary people, is suddenly enveloped in drama and absurdity, that shifts their world view, and thanks to the compassion of Tuomainen’s writing, ours too… don't ask) προφανώς στα όρια του "φάσματος" (ένα είναι το "φάσμα") παραιτείται από τη δουλειά του και αναλαμβάνει το πάρκο περιπέτειας για παιδιά του αδελφού του (που μόλις έχει αποβιώσει). Μαζί, κληρονομεί και το μπλέξιμο του αδελφού του με το οργανωμένο έγκλημα και τους υπαλλήλους του πάρκου. The smart thing about this book is that it seems to be one thing and then it takes on a life of its own. Think of a gremlin when someone feeds it after midnight! It’s a novel about someone who works in risk and uncertainty as an actuary, inherits an adventure park and then becomes involved with the mafia. Oh and it’s called YouMeFun and contains a huge plastic rabbit. I recently read two books by Antti Tuomainen, The Rabbit Factor (2021) and The Moose Paradox (2022), both published by Orenda Books. There is an upcoming film in the pipeline starring Steve Carell and, as I always rather read a book first before seeing it on screen, I felt the time was right. Also there is one more book in this series so at least now I have finally caught up!

But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri’s relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets… after the park is closed, Henri goes to the dark deserted park entrance to repair a broken ear on the large plastic rabbit that greets guests as they enter the park... As I mentioned, this is a good book to relax with. The humor is pretty good, though overdone in parts – such as during the date Henri and Laura go on. The story has quite a bit of violence, but there are no gory details in any of the episodes.Finnish crime maestro Antti Tuomainen is unique in the Scandi-crime genre, infusing his crime narratives with the darkest humour … [his] often hilarious, chaotic narrative never vitiates the novel’s nicely tuned tension’ Financial Times It really felt like Henri was in the best place as The Rabbit Factor ended, but he's obviously not as this begins with him in another risky situation. Poor Henri seems to attract every shyster and conman in Finland and the re-appearance of an unseen, but major character from the first book just throws his life into total and utter chaos. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures

Henri Koskinen is one such individual, whose positively benign existence is shaken to its core following his being fired as an actuary, having had particular problems with the open office culture, moronic ‘inspirational’ business speak and having to interact with people- a skill that charmingly eludes Henri,Charming, funny and clever, this is a novel to cheer up anyone who is finding life a little tough’ Literary Review When the "Moose Paradox" begins with such a scene, it is already perceived as a continuation of a good (well, not that kind, but you understand) tradition. And you, such. You think: "Yeah, there's no peace for a man. So we are waiting for a nice entertainment." What to do, that's how we, readers, are arranged, about how people idyllically live a trouble-free life is interesting only in the movie "Barbie", and even then, about one-eighth of the total timekeeping. As for the heroes of genre literature, the steeper the batch into which the author will dip them, the more preferable it is Ah the King of Finnish quirky crime is here and he’s got a rabbit with him, a Komodo dragon and a cat by the name of Schopenhauer. It’s a crime novel, set in an adventure park close to Helsinki. Now, with a premise and characters like that, what more could you ask for?