The Paintings of Rauma: 1 (The Jussi Alonen Mysteries)

After coming across a paragraph starting with the words "When Nazis invaded Russia in 1917", I gave up reading. Were there even Nazis in 1917? What happened in Russia in that time was Revolution and not Nazis invasion!On a different note the plot seemed interesting enough but the characters lacked depth and I just felt like I was reading a retelling of the story rather than the story itself. The characters were like robots - sleep, eat, work, no personality of any sort.

I have spent the last couple of evenings completely engrossed in this book!Jussi embarks on a journey of criminal investigation, romance and travel in this thrilling crime adventure. I was totally enthralled by the characters in this story and the plot was well executed with lots of surprises. The author is clearly well travelled and provides very vivid descriptions of Finland, the Caribbean and Singapore; his love of Finland is evident and has left me wanting to visit Rauma! The book is well written and leaves the reader hanging in suspense throughout, I was certain it was going to be game over for Heli in Jamaica!The paintings of Rauma should be an essential read for anybody looking for an escape into a thrilling crime adventure. John Swallow is an exceptional writer and I eagerly await the sequel.

Purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend. It did not disappoint. Very easy reading with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. Fabulous introduction to relationships that I hope continue into the sequel. I can’t wait to see how they progress. Roll on ‘The Waves of Helsinki’!

Easy, quick read. I definitely want more of these characters. Seems like it would make a good tv series.