Crime mystery set in 1953 HELSINKI

26th December 2022

Trouble by Katja Ivar, crime mystery set in 1953 Helsinki.

(Heller Mauzer Series #3)

The story opens as a father and some of his family are mown down by a logging lorry in 1942. Hella lost her whole family in that accident and subsequently trained with the police murder squad but had to leave and now works as a PI. It is 1953 and of course this is style a period in time when women were very much the underdogs, so working in this field was very unusual for a woman.

She is invited by the police,  byher erstwhile boss in fact, to carry out a background check on a member of the Finnish Secret Service, SUPO, and in return she asks to delve into the files surrounding her family’s death… murder, even.

As she starts to make headway, various characters are introduced who might just warrant a closer look as she goes deeper into the past. This novel is a very solid mystery, that is well paced, it feels very reliable as the narrative progresses and it is certainly very readable; it won’t perhaps set the world on fire but it is satisfying in its own way.

It is worth being  aware of words that would/would not have been in use in the 1940/50s – thus “stroller” in 1942 should in fact be pushchair to offer a true sense of the era.

The sense of place is quite strong, the sun is in the sky until the wee small hours and the relentless light adds to the ambience of the story. Helsinki feels very tangible as Hella makes her way around the city, to the station, to Cholera Basin (which is the name for the western harbour basin in front of Market Square), heading for meet ups or sleuthing in her methodic way. It is no.3 in Hella Mauzer series and can be read as a standalone.

Tina for the TripFiction Tea

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