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. A traumatic story of family, a study in corruption, and a shocking reminder that secrets from the past can return to haunt us, with deadly results … The Mine is a gripping, beautifully written, terrifying and explosive thriller by the King of Helsinki Noir.
This is the latest book to come from the very popular publishers Orenda and I have to say that they certainly have another bestseller on their hands.
When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately intrigued, as the plot of the book reminded me of something out of a John Grisham tale. A little person taking on a multi million corporation in a fight to get to the truth. Lots of drama, intrigue, betrayal and of course romance beckoned. I was certainly not disappointed.
I must admit that to start with, I found the environmental aspect a bit confusing as I didn’t understand the whole concept of what was wrong with putting the mine where it was and depleted stocks etc. It was a bit technical for me in that aspect to start with but I soon got to grips with the terminology.
As a character, Janne really worked. He is a workaholic, who is a bit like a dog with a bone in that he is not easily dissuaded from a course of action and he will certainly fight like mad to get to the truth. His dedication to his career comes at a cost though as shown in his personal relationships. He is married but the marriage is struggling and I got the sense that they were only together for the sake of their little girl. Janne’s father, Emil comes back into the picture too after a thirty year absence. There is a little twist, which I didn’t really see coming but I won’t reveal it as I don’t want to spoil it for anybody.
The book is really well written and the author painted such a vivid picture of Finland, that I could imagine I was there. In fact, all the descriptions of the snow made me dig out my fleecy blanket and thermal socks as I really began to feel that cold. Due to the author’s description of Finland, I have now put it down on my list of places to visit.
In short, I did enjoy this book overall and I really would recommend it to others. I award this book 4* out of 5*.
(Many thanks to Orenda Books and Karen Sullivan for an Advance Review Copy of this book).
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