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The Man Who Died

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The Man Who Died

By: Antti Tuomainen, David Hackston
Narrated by: Kris Dyer
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About this listen

A successful entrepreneur in the mushroom industry, Jaakko Kaunismaa is a man in his prime. At just 37 years of age, he is shocked when his doctor tells him that he's dying. What is more, the cause is discovered to be prolonged exposure to toxins; in other words, someone has slowly but surely been poisoning him.

Determined to find out who wants him dead, Jaakko embarks on a suspenseful roller-coaster journey full of unusual characters, bizarre situations and unexpected twists. With a nod to Fargo and the best elements of the Scandinavian noir tradition, The Man Who Died is a thriller brimming with the blackest comedy surrounding life and death, and love and betrayal, marking a stunning new departure for the king of Helsinki Noir.

©2017 Antti Tuomainen (P)2017 Audible, Ltd Amateur Sleuths Crime Crime Fiction Crime Thrillers Dark Humour Fiction Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Medical Modern Detectives Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Detective Exciting Funny Witty Mind-bending Feel-Good Comedy

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This was a fantastic listen, a bit sarcastic and with some irony but also different.

Very interesting and different

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A gripping story set in the sunny town of Hamina, Finland. The only downside to this audiobook was the poor pronunciation of Finnish place names and names of characters that was very distracting and made the story at times hard to follow (e.g. the names of characters Sami and Sanni sounded awfully similar, whereas in Finnish they are pronounced distinctly differently). I wish more attention would have been paid to pronunciation of localities too as Tuomainen has clearly spent a lot of time on research for this book and describes the locations in and around Hamina in great detail. I would recommend this book if you like poetic, darkly humorous Nordic noir; don't let awkwardness of the reader put you off.

Great dark comedy

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So on the face of it a book about mushroom farmers might seem rather dull, but trust me, The Man Who Dies is far from that. The title itself almost sounds like it should be a spy novel and I guess it is a kind of whodunit.
If you found out you were going to die due to poisoning, what would you do? Would you accept your fate and just enjoy the life you have left, or would you turn detective and try to find out who had done this to you and why? Jaakko Kaunismaa decides to do the latter.
Throughout the book you are taken through events through the perspective of Jaakko. He tries to continue to run his business and stave off the competition that has recently started trading close by, whilst trying to discover the people behind the attack on his life. You really do have to admire how he handles everything even down to securing the loyalty of his staff when it becomes apparent that his rivals are trying to poach them.
I have to say I really loved this book. Listening to it on Audiobook I found I was out for over 1 ½ hrs and 15 chapters in before I even thought to check what the time was. I was easily drawn into the life of Jaakko and his work colleagues and was rooting for him to find out not just who but also the why. Just as he was mentally ticking off the suspects in his head I was doing the same. Despite the fact that it was dealing with the imminent death of someone the story was injected with bouts of humour throughout and as much as I was going ewwww, I was also chuckling.
The book might not be fast paced but there certainly is enough going on to keep you reading to the end. I guess the only question I was left with by then end was about the fate of Viekko the hedgehog.

Chuckle along with this story about a murder

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very much enjoyed this book. Was looking for something simple, about loneliness, nothing too emotional or draining to get into. It was exactly what I wanted. The narrator's voice is so nonchalant which really works for the story. It's not a big In your face plot. It all just unfolds really well. Quite peaceful to listen to and enjoy but not boring and still gripping.

A feel good book in a sad kind of way.

Satisfying melancholic story

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Humorous and sometimes irreverent, but never boring, a crime story with a difference that will not disappoint especially if you are not a person who reads the genre all the time, and a breath of fresh air if you do.

A very entertaining read with a good plot and a likeable character that keeps you engaged and smiling.

A murder with some humour.

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