3 September 2016

Review: THE DEFENCELESS, Kati Hiekkapelto

  • Format: Kindle (Amazon)
  • Series: Anna Fekete
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Orenda Books (December 1, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1910633135
  • ISBN-13: 978-1910633137
  • Translator: David Hackston
Synopsis (Amazon)

When an old man is found dead on the road—seemingly run over by a Hungarian au pair—police investigator Anna Fekete is certain that there is more to the incident than meets the eye. As she begins to unravel an increasingly complex case, she’s led on a deadly trail where illegal immigration, drugs, and, ultimately, murder threaten not only her beliefs, but her life. Anna’s partner Esko is entrenched in a separate but equally dangerous investigation into the activities of an immigrant gang, where deportation orders and raids cause increasing tension and result in desperate measures by gang members—and the police themselves. Then a bloody knife is found in the snow, and the two cases come together in ways that no one could have predicted. As pressure mounts, it becomes clear that having the law on their side may not be enough for Anna and Esko.

My Take

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 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.

My Rating: 4.7

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