Praise for Harri Nykänen's Nights of Awe:
The clever combination of classic Jewish themes with the traditions of
Nordic crime makes for a refreshing tale with wide appeal. And the
subtle humor makes it even better.--Booklist
Professional responsibility and ethnic affiliation clash in Nykänen's
intriguing first novel. The resolution will satisfy noir
fans.--Publishers Weekly
Ariel Kafka wins the award for most intriguing name for a fictional
detective, and it suits this impressively labyrinthine mystery
series.--Time Out
The second in the Ariel Kafka series.
There are two Jewish cops in all of Helsinki. One of them, Ariel Kafka,
a lieutenant in the Violent Crime Unit, identifies himself as a
policeman first, then a Finn, and lastly a Jew. Kafka is a religiously
non-observant forty-something bachelor who is such a stubborn, dedicated
policeman that he's willing to risk his career to get an answer. Murky
circumstances surround his investigation of a Jewish businessman's
murder. Neo-Nazi violence, intergenerational intrigue, shady
loans--predictable lines of investigation lead to unpredictable
culprits. But a second killing strikes closer to home, and the Finnish
Security Police come knocking. The tentacles of Israeli politics and
Mossad reach surprisingly far, once again wrapping Kafka in their sticky
embrace.
Harri Nykänen, born in Helsinki in 1953, was a well-known crime
journalist and is now dedicated to writing fiction. The first in the
Ariel Kafka series was Nights of Awe. Nykänen's work exposes the local
underworld through the eyes of the criminal, the terrorist, and now from
the point of view of an eccentric Helsinki police inspector.
