Reviews

• “The villain in Antti Tuomainen’s new novel could have stepped straight out of a Martin Scorsese film or The Sopranos by David Chase. (…) Saw Hard bends and stretches genre conventions in every direction. Witty, surprising aphorisms, absurd humour, and vividly portrayed Finnish summer nights give way to bursts of action. (…) Amid the gangster skirmishes, people end up in bumper-car collisions—then in hospital, and finally, the morgue. A host of eccentric side characters fuel the death dance of disastrous misunderstandings. (…) Tuomainen’s novel, written with great warmth, possesses the irresistible allure of an adult fairy tale. ”

• “Antti Tuomainen reigns supreme in his genre – let’s call it the comic crime novel – without rival. (…) I have long admired the way he transforms ordinary settings and everyday people into something resembling a fairytale adventure. What he narrates could happen, yet the pace and intensity of the events, amplified by his dry, dark humor, lift the story beyond the mundane. (…) Tuomainen writes in a vividly visual style, making it easy for the reader to see each scene unfold.”

• “Antti Tuomainen writes crime fiction with black humour and tenderness. (…) The surprising, multifaceted, and inventive encounters between the characters provide delightful entertainment, allowing the reader to experience every scene as if they were there themselves. (…) Tuomainen is one of those authors who, within the framework of crime fiction, can write as much about love as about crime. (…) There is humour, often dark and marked by laconic remarks. Tuomainen meets all expectations, and from experience, I can say that his books are most often read in one sitting.”

• “A picaresque novel with delicious black humor (…) Tuomainen’s sharp language and clever plot twists drive the story forward like a fast-flowing spring river. With just a few words he captures the souls of his characters and the full range of their moods. The joyous humor, dark though it is, is always present, sometimes obvious, sometimes slyly woven into the text. (…) There are sudden, ever more surprising plot twists where Tuomainen truly shows his skill.”

• “Honestly, I’ve never laughed so hard reading a crime novel. Of course, I should have expected it. The Finnish author Antti Tuomainen has built up a reputation for dry humour and unpredictable capers. /…/ The situational gags and the delusional antics of his made villain made me laugh so hard I cried. Literally. /…/ the setups are masterfully connected. /…/ Gripping, funny and touching (…) everything about The Fresh Cut is sharp as can be. ”

• “Tuomainen, the reliable Carl Hiaasen of Finland (or should Hiaasen now labelled the Tuomainen of Florida?), is on fine form. /…/ Not only is Finnish trickster Tuomainen clockwork-prolific but the overall quality of his quirky novels never abates and this follow-up to the CWA Dagger-winning The Winter Job is yet another guilty pleasure, full of bizarre and sympathetic, downtrodden characters and his customary knack for evoking the camaraderie and complexity of small businesses environment. /…/ The pace never falters and Tuomainen has a unique skill in raising sympathy for low brow characters and turning Finland into a bizarre version of the Wild West. One to savour slowly. ”