Sunday, 13 November 2016

The Mine by Antti Tuomainen - The Finnish Invasion Blog Tour

I am DELIGHTED to be today's stop on the Blog Tour for The Mine by Antti Tuomainen, which is being published by Orenda Books on 15 November 2016. Read my review below and follow the Blog Tour for some more reviews and author guest posts.

The Mine is one of two Finnish books being published by Orenda Books this month under the banner The Finnish Invasion. The other book is The Exiled by Kati Hiekkapelto. I featured my review of The Exiled on 6th November, so don't forget to take a peek.


My review of The Mine

The Mine
By Antti Tuomainen
Published by Orenda Books (15 November 2016)
ISBN: 978-1910633533



Publisher's description
A hitman. A journalist. A family torn apart. Can he uncover the truth before it's too late?

In the dead of winter, investigative reporter Janne Vuori sets out to uncover the truth about a mining company, whose illegal activities have created an environmental disaster in a small town in Northern Finland. When the company's executives begin to die in a string of mysterious accidents, and Janne's personal life starts to unravel, past meets present in a catastrophic series of events that could cost him his life.


My verdict
The Mine is an emotionally-charged thought-provoking Finnish environmental thriller. It's stunningly written and translated seamlessly - no word is out of the place and the descriptions provide an amazing sense of the chilling frozen setting. I was totally gripped throughout and struggled to put the book down (other than to sleep).

Investigative reporter Janne Vuori discovers corruption, secrets and lies as he investigates a mining company in a small town in Northern Finland. His life is in danger, there's a killer on the loose and he fears that he and his family are being watched. While The Mine is essentially a thriller, it has an underlying sensitivity about it - with themes of morality and family running through the plot. When Janne's investigations put his own family life in jeopardy, he is forced to make some difficult decisions.

The Mine is also a book about how our past and family can shape us and our future - and how family secrets often come back to haunt us. There's some violence, but nothing too graphic, and some unexpected revelations, twists and turns. I really felt like I cared about Janne and his family by the end - and believed in the characters as if they were real people (not all crime thrillers have that effect on me).

I will admit the ending of the book 'broke' me. I finished it late one evening and it left me with a sense of discomfort and longing for more. I struggled to sleep that night - thoughts churning over in my mind about the plot, the characters and the final chapter. If you like resolution, be warned you may not be satisfied - although I do feel the author had this planned all along.

This is a stunning book - yet another winner from Orenda. The Mine is a book that will stay with me for a long while (especially as I'm desperate to know what happens next...)

I received an Advance Reader Copy.

Follow The Finnish Invasion Blog Tour!



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