Kati Hiekkapelto

Rate a thriller at five stars? That's something I almost never do, but this one is different. To begin with, it's a terrific thriller -- briskly paced, well plotted, with an unusual twist at the end. The story, the second available in English from this Finnish author, is set in a northern Finnish city: the backdrop, in particular the influence of climate, is vividly realized. Most of the characters are interesting and highly individualized (if not always highly likable). The central show more character is both convincing and appealing. And the writing/translation is supple and clear.
But what gets it that fifth star is something that puts it beyond the usual thriller -- the central theme is right out of today's headlines, and it is treated brilliantly. That theme is refugee immigration into Europe, and the book gives us a 360 degree view of the issue. Our heroine is herself a refugee, though highly "Finnicized", her family having fled to Finland during the Balkan wars of the 1990's. The most obvious suspect is a Pakistani in Finland illegally, while a group of suspects who emerge gradually are members of a Muslim gang. Some of the native Finns are friendly to immigrants, while others are strongly anti-immigrant. And neither immigrants nor anti-immigrants are treated as being entirely good or bad, entirely right or wrong, or at all homogenous. This gave me an inside view of what large-scale Muslim immigration into Europe is like, from the point of view of the immigrants and from the point of view of the native-born. That's a lot more complexity, and a lot more insight, than Iusually get from a thriller. show less

It was written before last year’s migrant ‘crisis’ in Europe had news watchers transfixed but that just makes Kati Hiekkapelto appear to have excellent predictive skills in addition to her writing chops. Because I couldn’t help but think what an incredibly timely and topical book THE DEFENCELESS is (and that, Ian Rankin, is why I read crime fiction, not because I am fascinated by evil).

Only the second installment of a series set in northern Finland, the book tackles the subject of show more immigration from many angles and gives a strong indication that Hiekkapelto is set to walk in the footsteps of writers as diverse as Sjöwall and Wahlöö and Sara Paretsky who choose the crime genre as an overlay for incisive social commentary.

The first person we meet is Sammy; a young man who made his way into the country illegally because, as a Christian, his life was in danger when the Taliban took over his home. His plight, which plays out across the length of the novel, would, surely, make even the iciest heart melt a little as his choices narrow and his future becomes bleaker.

From another angle we watch a grizzled old (well old-ish I guess at 56) policeman tackle the brutalities of an immigrant gang working very hard to gain a foothold in the country as they have done elsewhere in Europe. Esko, the aforementioned policeman, is hard to like as he holds some confronting attitudes but nor can he be dismissed simply as a right-wing reactionary. Not all his views are questionable and even those which are do not stem from evil intent. In short, he is a complicated person, neither all right nor all wrong, just like most real humans and unlike almost everyone with a voice in modern media.

Anna Fekete is surely the poster girl for successful immigration; having arrived in the country as a child when her family had to flee what was Yugoslavia she has stayed on to serve first in the army and now as a policewoman. But she still has strong feelings of being outsider, especially as it looks as though she will be the last of her family to remain in her adoptive home. In this novel she investigates what appears, at first, to be a simple motor vehicle accident and through this is introduced to yet another kind of immigrant. The woman who ran over Vilho Karppinen is a young au pair in the country on a temporary visa, looking to have a bit of fun (and possibly snare a husband) and she soon irritates Anna. The investigation takes a more interesting turn though and exposes yet more sides to the immigration issue.

Unlike most of the so-called commentary I’ve caught concerning the world’s latest refugee crisis THE DEFENCELESS explores a tangential subject in all its complexity, requiring more than sound bites and hand-ringing if things are to improve. In fact it was probably grumpy, sometimes reprehensible Esko who comes closest to a single solution, even if the motivator for his thinking might have been a selfish one.

THE DEFENCELESS is probably a bit too grim to be called enjoyable but I found it a satisfying and thought-provoking read and a great way to kick off my year’s reading. show less

The setting of The Hummingbird-- especially when Hiekkapelto is describing the forests of Finland-- is extremely atmospheric and suspenseful, even a bit claustrophobic. It was difficult for me to stop feeling as though I were being watched.

The mystery that begins with the deaths of joggers on deserted running tracks is complex and unfolds slowly over a period of four months. I had no problem with the case taking that long to solve, but I do feel that the writing could have been tightened a show more bit in order to keep the story flowing smoothly.

The occasional italicized chapter is a sort of diary written by a young girl, and this ties into a second case that Anna takes very personally. She is absolutely convinced that a young immigrant girl is in very real danger of honor killing, and when she isn't spending hours trying to find a serial killer, she's spending her nights in a marked patrol car parked outside the girl's home hoping her presence will stop the girl's family from doing anything rash. It's a subplot that makes you wonder about Anna's behavior, and Anna's behavior is the only real stumbling block I had in this book.

Anna keeps not only her fellow characters at a distance but the reader, too. Combine this with the fact that I always had the feeling that more was going on than I was being allowed to see, and I soon became puzzled and a tiny bit unhappy. Once all was revealed, I did find out that I was right; there was more going on than readers were being allowed to see. Originally, this made me feel as though I could not be trusted. Once I knew what was what, I understood that there was an excellent reason for the secrecy... but I still felt snubbed. I think this means that I can be a very subjective reader from time to time. But becoming subjective means that Kati Hiekkapelto engaged my emotions as well as my mind. She's telling a story from the perspective of an immigrant woman, and in this day and age, it's a story that should always involve both heart and intellect.

The Hummingbird is a complex mystery that is a pleasure to unravel, and that's partly due to the fact that the characters do not always behave in ways that you would expect them to. Now that I've become acquainted with Anna Fekete, I want to know more, so it's on with the series I'll go! show less

Set in Helsinki, this case begins with an old man being run over by a Hungarian au pair. She claims that he was just lying there on the road, his eyes open, and that her car slid on the icy road, and she was powerless to stop it.

The title is the clue that this translated novel is more than just about what on the surface is a road accident. It is also about immigrants and refugees who have come to Finland looking for a better life, and the reality of what they find.

Policewoman Anna Fekete is show more herself an immigrant and knows well how many of those she deals with from day to day feel. But she has a determination to make the best of life and to get on with things, which many of the victims of crime don't have.

THE DEFENCELESS is the author's second novel and won the best Finnish Crime Novel in 2014 show less