Cold Courage

by Pekka Hiltunen

The Studio Series (1)

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A gripping psychological thriller debut by award-winning Finnish author Pekka Hiltunen—skillfully paced, intense, and intelligentWhen Lia witnesses a disturbing scene on her way to work, she, like the rest of the city of London, is captivated and horrified. As details unfurl in the media, the brutal truth emerges—a Latvian prostitute has been killed, her body run over by a steamroller and then placed in the trunk of a car to be found. As the weeks pass and no leads are found, the news show more story dies, but Lia finds herself unable to forget. When she meets Mari, another Finn living in London, she thinks it fortuitous, but Mari has engineered the meeting for her own advantage. There is much more to Mari than meets the eye: she possesses an unnatural ability to "read" people, to see into their innermost thoughts and preempt their actions. Mari heads up a unit she calls the "Studio"—a group she employs made up of four disparate people: a hacker, a set designer, a private detective, and an actress. They are loyal to Mari, and she has bound them to her by granting them life-changing favors. When Lia shares the thoughts plaguing her about the murder, Mari thinks she and the members of the Studio can help where the police have failed. But Mari and Lia are about to set foot into extremely dangerous territory, especially as Mari is not above using the Studio to unscrupulous ends. show less

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2 reviews
Definitely different, this is a slow burn with a noir type feel throughout. Lia a Finnish graphic designer who has a life changing experience when a murdered Latvian prostitute is found dead in broad daylight, the tragic circumstances do not leave Lia she becomes somewhat obsessed with any progress on the case.

Lia meets Mari, an enigmatic woman with an almost supernatural power, who has an innate ability to read people, running a secretive organisation called 'The Studio'. Here they try to put right injustices which come in many wide and varied forms. they manipulate the system and are often on the wrong side of the law to gain the results they want. All in all an enjoyable read.
Nyt on ylisanoista runsaudenpula! Älykästä, mukaansatempaavaa, psykologisesti tarkkaa, sosiaalisesti havainnoivaa rikosviihdettä! Suomalaiset tytöt Lontoossa!

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Picture of author.
9+ Works 138 Members

Some Editions

Witesman, Owen (Translator)

Awards and Honors

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Cold Courage
Original title
Vilpittömästi sinun
Original publication date
2011
People/Characters
Lia Pajala; Mari Rautee; Rico; Bertil Berg; Maggie Thornton; Patrick Moore (Paddy) (show all 19); Matt Thomas; Mr Chanthavong (Vong); Arthur Fried; Tom Gallagher; Gareth Nunn; Sarah Hawkins; Kazimirs Vanags; Olafs Jansons; Daiga Vītola; Henrieta Vītola; Elza Berklava; Anita Klusa; Peter Gerrish (Detective Chief Inspector)
Important places
London, England, UK
First words
Panic spread through the street, rippling in a viral wave of contorted faces and anxious gestures.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Only thirty-eight seconds elapse before Mari's reply arrives, and during those thirty-eight seconds Lia thinks about how she is not sure what she is choosing but knows that she could not choose otherwise.
Original language
Finnish

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Suspense & Thriller
DDC/MDS
894.54134Literature & rhetoricAsian LiteratureLiteratures of Altaic, Uralic, Hyperborean, Dravidian languages; literatures of miscellaneous languages of south AsiaFinno-Ugric languagesFinnic languagesFinnishFinnish fiction2000–
LCC
PS3557 .R198 .H558Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
65
Popularity
463,963
Reviews
2
Rating
½ (3.53)
Languages
English, Finnish, French, German
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
16
ASINs
2