The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen

Happy Wednesday! The week is halfway over. Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Antti Tuomainen's latest, The Winter Job. 

All Ilmari Nieminen wants to to buy his daughter a piano for Christmas. With six days to go, his wages as a postal worker in 1982 Helsinki aren't near enough to make the purchase. So he takes a small, last-minute gig, requiring him to take time off from his job, transporting an antique couch across Finland. 

But Ilmari isn't the only one with eyes on this job or this couch. He's being tracked by a Saab and a Lada and the people inside each have their own agendas. 

Ilmari's own vehicle has issues from the start and a fortuitous stop to tackle some repairs not only helps him elude his followers (unbeknownst to him) but also puts him in the path of a friend from long ago who joins him on his journey. 

Antti is known for his humor and heart. There's a reason Steve Carrell is attached to an adaptation of his work Rabbit Factory.

The Winter Job continues that tradition in what is essentially a buddy road trip crime novel. 

Poor Ilmari is so bright eyed and full of hope. The reader wants him to succeed because his motivations are pure: to please his daughter in the wake of his divorce. But he has no money. It's all going to child support and rent. Which is why the job of transporting a couch is impossible to resist. 

 But this isn't an ordinary job from the start. The antique dealer responsible for passing over the couch (and securing the van Ilmari will be using) is only out for himself and tries to trick Ilmari. And the job only fell into Ilmari's lap because the first guy got sick. Ilmari has no idea what is so special about this couch. He has no idea he's being tracked. And he has no idea the lengths the others will go to in order to take it all for themselves. 

Meanwhile, he's thrown into a confrontation with an old friend that's been years in the making as the two men travel cross country. Needless to say, in Tuomainen style, hijinks ensue well beyond just faulty windshield wipers and crazy old aunts. 

This is a perfect addition to Tuomainen's growing list of titles. A great starting place for readers who are new to his work as well.

(This would be a great holiday crime movie, to anyone out there with the power to make it happen!)

Huge thanks to Random Things and Orenda for having me on the tour today!

The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

Happy Friday! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Antti Tuomainen's latest, The Rabbit Factor!

Henri is an actuary with an insurance company. He finds order through math and numbers. What he doesn't have time for, though, is idle chit chat and gossip. Which apparently means that he no longer fits into his company's culture. 

And so he finds himself very unexpectedly unemployed. 

And then finds himself, also very unexpectedly, the new owner of YouMeFun, the adventure park his brother owned. Because, as it turns out, his brother has passed away and left everything to Henri. 

The park is fully staffed and, mostly, functional. But it's also not exactly doing well financially. And apparently Henri's brother had gotten tied in with some quite unsavory types! 

But amidst dealing with the park's troubles, a new staff of people he barely knows and has to manage, and the chaos that goes along with all of that, Henri also finds himself surprisingly drawn to the park's manager. Suddenly, his carefully ordered world has been turned upside down. And Henri doesn't know if he's equipped to deal with it all. 

Antti Tuomainen is an author whose reputation truly does precede him! His quirky Finnish thrillers have been on my must read list for some time now. Which is why I jumped at the opportunity to be part of this tour! And I have to say I am very happy that The Rabbit Factor turned out to be everything—and more—than I expected it to be!

First, the premise is pretty funny in an of itself. And once we really meet Henri, it becomes even more oddball and fun! 

The book begins just over three weeks into inheriting the park with Henri being chased around and forced to defend himself with a rabbit ear. I mean, I don't know how else we could better be set up for what's to come.

But the Henri prior to YouMeFun is stuck. Stuck in his ways. Stuck by himself. Stuck in a rut. Stuck without friends, a job, or even his own brother. And imagining that Henri becoming the Henri from the opening chapter seems like a pretty impossibly leap. Joining him on that journey is pure entertainment! 

Tuomainen clearly enjoys what he does and that enjoyment comes through in his prose. Albeit via translator David Hackston. 

And in a surprise twist, this is actually being adapted for film with Steve Carrell set to star. Which is quite possibly the most perfect casting I can imagine for Henri!

And I just want to take a quick minute to give some serious props to the cover designer here. That is, quite possibly, the most perfectly eye-catching and fantastic cover design I've seen in a while!

The Rabbit Factor is an excellent read, perfect for anyone who enjoys dark comedy and caper-style thrillers! I sincerely hope that it's also the book that makes Tuomainen the household name he should be worldwide!