Lucifer’s Tears

Inspector Kari Vaara of Helsinki is thrown into a case that sees a beautiful young woman murdered in an apparent sadomasochistic attack… But his investigation leads to him coming up against a wall of silence that implicates the very highest levels of power.
His last case left Inspector Kari Vaara with a scarred face, chronic insomnia, a constant migraine, and a full body count’s worth of ghosts. Now it’s a year later, in Helsinki, and Kari is working the graveyard shift in the homicide unit, terrified of worrying his heavily pregnant wife.

Kari is pushed into investigating a ninety-year-old national hero for war crimes committed during World War II. The Interior Minister demands a conclusion of innocence, preserving Finland’s heroic perception about itself and its role in the war, but Germany wants extradition.

In a seeming coincidence, Kari is drawn into the murder-by-torture case of Iisa Filippov, the philandering wife of a Russian businessman. Her lover is clearly being framed for the crime-and Ivan Filippov’s arrogance and nonchalance point the finger at him. But he’s being protected from above, leading Kari to the corrupt corridors of power. Soon, the past and present collide in ways no one could have anticipated…

If you like Jo Nesbo and Steig Larsson, you’ll love James Thompson.