A desperate father''s Christmas promise sparks a wild Finnish road trip involving an antique sofa, unexpected passengers and danger . A darkly humorous and warmly touching suspense novel about friendship, love and death, The Winter Job flies at 120 kilometers an hour straight into the darkest heart of a Finnish winter night. "Another wonderfully lean slice of European noir by one of its finest exponents. As darkly fun as any Coen brothers'' offering" -- Vaseem Khan "The king of the humorous crime caper" -- Abir Mukherjee "With echoes of writers such as Christopher Brookmyre and Carl Hiassen, this is delicious stuff, expertly juggling dark humor and quirky characterization against the backdrop of a frigid northern landscape" -- Financial Times "A quirky, murderous road trip . Imagine blending a Donald Westlake comic mishap caper with some famous Nordic levity, and you might have something like The Winter Job " -- Irish Times The NEW standalone darkly funny, poignant and uber-tense thriller from 'The funniest writer in Europe´ ( The Times ) Fargo meets Carl Hiassen and Fredrik Backman . via the Coen Brothers ____ Sofas, secrets and a snowbound road to trouble. Helsinki, 1982. Recently divorced postal worker Ilmari Nieminen has promised his daughter a piano for Christmas, but with six days to go - and no money - he''s desperate.
A last-minute job offers a solution: transport a valuable antique sofa to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland. With the sofa secured in the back of his van, Ilmari stops at a gas station, and an old friend turns up, offering to fix his faulty wipers, on the condition that he tags along. Soon after, a persistent Saab 96 appears in the rearview mirror. And then a bright-yellow Lada. That''s when Ilmari realizes that he is transporting something truly special. And that''s when Ilmari realizes he might be in serious trouble. A darkly funny and unexpectedly moving thriller about friendship, love and death - The Winter Job tears through the frozen landscape of northern Finland in a beat-up van with bad steering, worse timing, and everything to lose. ____ "A madcap chase through a bleak winter landscape .
damn hilarious and Tuomainen''s dark humor is displayed at its best in what must surely be the best road movie of the year" -- CrimeTime "This suspenseful tale of a desperate father''s journey across the frozen landscape is filled with Tuomainen''s trademark dark wit and unexpected thrills. Another winner" -- Culturefly "It may seem hard to find good comic crime-writers, but clearly we haven''t been looking in Finland" -- Telegraph "Are you ready for the latest dose of dark humor, clever plotting, great characterization and touching insights into the human soul? . A joy to read" -- Nordic Lighthouse Praise for Antti Tuomainen "Humor drier than a desert snake''s belly" -- Ian Moore "You don''t expect to laugh when you''re reading about terrible crimes, but that''s what you''ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen''s decidedly quirky thrillers" -- New York Times "Laconic, thrilling and warmly human" -- Christopher Brookmyre "Right up there with the best" -- Times Literary Supplement "Finland''s greatest export" -- M.J. Arlidge "A refreshing change from the decidedly gloomier crime fiction for which Scandinavia is known" -- Publishers Weekly "Charming, funny and clever" -- Literary Review "Thrilling and hilarious" -- Liz Nugent "A delight from start to finish" -- Big Issue "Tuomainen has a talent for creating offbeat characters that you can''t help rooting for" -- Guardian.