The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston)

Henri Koskinen, intrepid insurance mathematician and adventure park entrepreneur, firmly believes in the power of common sense and order.

That is until he moves in with painter Laura Helanto and her daughter…

As Henri realises he has inadvertently become part of a group of local dads, a competing adventure park is seeking to expand their operations, not always sticking to the law in the process…

#TheBeaverTheory @antti_tuomainen @OrendaBooks
#RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #BlogTour 

Is it possible to combine the increasingly dangerous world of the adventure-park business with the unpredictability of life in a blended family? At first glance, the two appear to have only one thing in common: neither deals particularly well with a mounting body count.

In order to solve this seemingly impossible conundrum, Henri is forced to step far beyond the mathematical precision of his comfort zone … and the stakes have never been higher…

My Review

And Henri Koskinen is back! Everyone’s favourite actuary and his Adventure Park ‘YouMeFun’. All the usual suspects are here too – artist Laura Helanto and her daughter (they have just all moved in together) – the staff at the park (see The Moose Paradox review), and Detective Inspector Pentti Osmali of the Joint Division of the Helsinki Organised Crime and Fraud Units, with his tiny, too small, brown, leather shoes and his love of art. Osmala is almost my favourite character (Schopenhauer the cat is up there too) – I picture him a bit like a smartly dressed version of Columbo, minus the glass eye. Osmala that is, not the cat.

I’m not quite sure how there is so much crime in an adventure park (Alton Towers is hardly a seat of lawlessness and felony), or how Henri manages to accidentally get involved in murder. It all starts when a new adventure park called Somersault City opens up nearby and tries to put him out of business by offering free entry and free food. Of course Henri knows that the maths doesn’t add up and it’s only a matter of time before they go bust.

But now to the Beaver of the book’s title. Beavers are definitely playing second fiddle to horses, but The Horse Theory just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Neigh it does not (sorry). The Beaver is actually ‘eighteen metres high, and its countless activities include a foam DIY dam, a tail with a bouncy castle and a network of slides. It’s the number one attraction at Somersault City’ and it’s where all the ‘fun’ begins.

I do still wonder if I have a warped sense of humour (along with the author), but this really tickled me: ‘We cautiously approach the Banana…..Even if Joonas’s box is in fact a bomb, I can’t imagine him using his explosives to blow up the bare interior of a seven-metre-long plastic fruit and, thereby, himself too.’ No-one is that dedicated.

I’m really sorry this is Henri’s last outing. He’s been great fun and I shall miss him.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, his third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards and now a Finnish TV series. Palm Beach, Finland (2018) and Little Siberia (2019) were shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the first book in the trilogy will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios, and the first two books were international bestsellers. Antti lives in Helsinki with his wife.

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.