The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

Author: Antti Tuomainen 

Title: The Rabbit Factor 

Publisher: Orenda Books

Published: 2020

Pages: 300

Genre: Crime Thriller 

      What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal. And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother - its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters ... and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back. But what Henri really can't compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets...

     The Rabbit Factor is the second book by Finish author Antti Tuomainen that I have come to read. The first was The Man Who Died a book that I had a great time with all be it a few years ago. Sometimes It takes me a little while to circle back to authors I've enjoyed.  I suppose the never-ending to-be-read pile might just have a little something to do with that. So with the announcement that this book is about to be another major motion picture, I thought I would give it a read before it came out. in my opinion, the correct way round to do it. So to the book in hand, the blurb sounded like such an unusual premise that I was immediately drawn in. I suppose that hero of this work has a job that not many would consider to be the first choice of a thriller. It is one of those situations where your brain tries desperately to work out how the author is going to make this an interesting story What twist and turns can they throw in my path that will keep me going to the very last page. 

     Henri Koskinen is someone who believes in the order of life. That a good schedule is the key to a happy life. And if everything can be narrowed down to a set of numbers then order can be established and there is little chance for anything to go wrong. It is probably safe to say that we all know someone a little like Koskinen. He is without meaning to sound mean the guy at work that we don't want to get stuck next to on break. It is not his fault you understand just his way of dealing with a world that to him seems to be out of control and spiraling ever closer to chaos. Luckily for us, the author has decided to throw several spanners into his path and send a once-order life into complete disarray. And in doing so we are treated to an adventure that neither us nor our dear Koskinen could ever have imagined. Along the way, we will also come into contact with a positive rouges gallery of characters. Some for a short time others for the length of this story. But each one seems to add a little bit to the overall yarn the author is spinning. Each one pushes our heroe this way and that but always moving forward racing toward its inevitable outcome. 

     This is one of those books that may not tax your brain to the max but there are a few threads you need to keep hold of. He has crafted out a tale that whilst at times seems very believable, it is also one that on the other side will leave you with your head in your hands as to just how much can befall one man. I suppose in part this is down to how our hero tries to tackle the problems that are thrown at him. Within the framework the author has set out they all make sense to Koskinen. And I guess they can be seen as the most logical but life very rarely drums to that rhythm. And it is here that our story blooms into its own magical ride. The consonances from each decision can lead to a desperate race to outrun some nefarious criminals but just as likely cause you to burst out into laughter. The author has this great way of capturing the true absurdity of life. That no matter how much we meticulously plan, create lists, or lock down plans, we can never be truly in control of anything. And that is where I found the joy in reading this book. 

     It is with his light touch that the author has taken the scandi noir genre and lifted the lid a little. It lets some of the oppressive nature slip away. What we are left with is a book that is sure to give you as many laughs as it is to make your brain race to work out how our hero is going to escape the predicament he has gotten himself into. Tuomainen has created yet another book that I am so grateful that I picked up. And as this is the first in  trilogy I look forward to jumping into the next installment