I discovered Antti Tuomainen by chance in the spring with The Man who died, and when I saw his ARC of The Burning Stones on Netgalley I jumped on the opportunity to read another book of his!

I’ve been to saunas only once or twice in my life, and never in Nordic countries, but I heard that Scandinavians are dead serious about saunas. The opening scene of The Burning Stones is striking and probably not a good advertising for saunas. The victim of the deadly sauna was about to become the new CEO of Steam Devil. The next in line for the succession is Anni Korpinen, currently head of sales, a middle-aged woman in a crumbling marriage, and our narrator.

She loves going to the sauna to think things through, and she needs it a lot as she is now the main suspect for the murder. With the chief police of the small town determined to pin the crime on her, Anni needs to find the real killer real quick.

The story starts rather slow, and I had some difficulties remembering the names and jobs of Anni’s colleagues (it’s a small company but still). But as a whodunnit set in small town Finland it is highly entertaining. Not as darkly humorous as The Man who died, but still a solid read.

Then, last but not least, there are the bumlets. The strange word struck a chord. I must say I’m very intrigued, and Google hasn’t really helped solve this mystery. Apparently, they are fabric squares that Finns put on the sauna bench to sit on. In the book, it’s a key evidence. I can’t find a photo or anything confirming that it’s not an invention for the book. It almost threatened to be more intriguing than the murder itself. I think the paper edition would benefit from a postface with some cultural explanations.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

With a blurb touting the author as the funniest writer in Europe, it'll come as no surprise as to why I picked up this book. The Burning Stones is humourous murder-mystery novel set in Finland. The story follows Anni Korpinen, one of the top salespeople working at a sauna-heater company as she comes under scrutiny when the person in line before her for a promotion turns up dead in his sauna.

While reading this book, my mental picture of the place and scenes all had a cool blue tone to them. It felt like watching a slow noir movie. The characters were eclectic, to say the least, with most of them around their 50s. This, I have learned, is still considered middle-aged as there were numerous instances of this being brought up throughout the book. I found the pacing a bit slow for the first two-thirds of the book, but I suppose it is representative of the lifestyle of the characters in the book. Things really pick up in the last third and it breezed by much faster. The wry humour juxtaposed with the serious nature of events does beget a chuckle and shake of the head. That said, this book definitely won't be known for its representation of the capabilities of the police. This obviously meant that our protagonist Anni has to figure out who the culprit is herself before she is put behind bars. Obviously with sauna breaks thrown in because its important to take care of oneself even when charged with murder.

Slow paced plot, dry humour, nordic-noir vibes, eclectic characters, mid-life crises, and a finale that while not explosive, seems to feel just right. Definitely recommended for fans of cosy murder-mysteries, though be warned it may be a bit slow even for cosy vibes.

A sauna. Some glue. Lots of wood. And a dead body. Yep, we are definitely in the world of Antii Tuomainen, author of the wonderful 'Rabbit Factor' series.

With his trademark quirky take on the crime novel, Tuomainen explores the Scandi obsession with saunas. It's fun and fast-paced, as you would expect. A perfect summer read. 4 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Antti Tuomainen is one of those writers who I'd be able to recognise blindfolder (well, I guess I could if it was an audiobook)

Bitingly sharp, witty and highly observant with a strangely cold but still inviting style of writing that I've never found anywhere else. Immaculate settings, fast moving paces and every little detail always have a reason without a single line wasted.

Not a bad mystery but does read kind of slow. The start took a bit to ramp up. But over time the reader falls for Anni and her ruminating. High marks for the word bumlet.

People are dying in bizarre ways, a mysterious killer is on the lose at a Sauna company and the poor narrator being accused of the murders are just trying to make sense of it all with the driest humor.

3 stars for me. At first I was pretty confused - the writing style threw me off a bit, but once I got into the rhythm, things started to click. I really enjoyed the investigative elements and the thrill of trying to piece together the killer's identity. The murders ? Definitely bizarre. The reason? Even stranger. But somehow, its all made sense in a darkly humorous way. What didn't work for me was the ending. It felt rushed, like the final scene got snipped mid-chase. I would have loved to see the actual moment of justice. Still, I'd recommend it to mystery fans who appreciate a bit of oddball flair in their crime fiction.

A senior executive of a sauna company, due to take over from the current aging CEO is found burnt to death in his own sauna. But who is responsible? As the investigation progresses, Anni Korpinen, now the favourite to become the company's next CEO is a prime suspect. She knows she's innocent, so she must do everything in her power to solve the case and prove her innocence. This Finnish nursery mystery is very much a light hearted quick, easy read.

Normally I love reading translated works but I struggled a little with this book, which is the reason I didn't rate it 4 stars. I'm unsure if it was the translation itself as the writing came across a little stilted to me. Having said that, overall the storyline is darkly humourous and quite enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Antti Tuomainen once again proves he's the king of quirky noir with The Burning Stones. Blending crime, comedy, and a healthy dose of existential dread, this book walks a tightrope between suspense and absurdity—and never loses its balance. The protagonist is delightfully offbeat, the plot unpredictable without being incoherent, and the setting oozes atmosphere.

Tuomainen's signature dark humor is alive and well here, making even the grimmest situations feel oddly charming. If Kafka opened a detective agency in Finland, it might read something like this. That said, the pacing dips slightly in the middle, and a few threads could have used a tighter knot—but the originality and wit more than make up for it.

A refreshing, clever read that stands out in a crowded genre. Four stars, and a sly grin.

I received this story as an ARC from NetGalley.

I have just finished this story and I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed the story but it was as if bits were missing, for example the climactic ending it just happened and then moved on.

The story follows Anni as the fore runner for the new CEO of the sauna company she works, following the step down of the current CEO. However she isn't the only person going for the job and one of these people, have just turned up dead.

I liked the dark humour, and how this was used throughout the story.

This was the first book I’ve read from this author, and I will be reading more. I really liked how the book started out with action and immediately drew you into the book. I also liked that the characters were quirky and had their own personalities, I feel like I don’t read that very often anymore. I also unlocked a new fear of saunas. I definitely recommend anyone interested in a murder mystery.

this book was pretty good! i like the way the author adds the humor and dark humor in a serious topic or scenario. I think it was well weritten, it had a few unrealistic situations, but it was good overall. I liked it!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Comic Nordic noir, about the 50ish employee of a Sauna company whose coworkers keep dying around her. It has a good sense of place, this small Finnish town and the oversized impact of its Sauna company. I never fully invested in the mystery, but enjoyed the world enough to go on the journey.

I wanted to like this one - it felt like a completely different slant on the classic contemporary whodunit, and the darkly comedic potential was clear. Unfortunately, I could not get into the story at all. There is rather a lot about saunas and stoves - more so than, frankly, I needed or wanted, and it felt like it came at the expense of driving the plot forward. This one just wasn't a good fit for me.

Antti Tuomainen is a master at blending dark humor with the Nordic noir genre, creating a story that is both completely absurd and strangely relatable at the same time. It's one of the reasons I couldn't resist adding The Burning Stones to my shelves... I mean: a murder inside a sauna?! I just HAVE to know more about that! And while the story itself was a tad too light on the absurdness to my taste, I still had an excellent time discovering the truth behind the sauna murder.

I admit that I'm not a big sauna fan in real life, but sauna business sure does make for a great backdrop for this story and it also provides us with some pretty hilarious situations as well as crafty murders along the way. It is also something typical of Antti Tuomainen: taking a small town and a local business and turning it into something so much more. The fact that the characters in play mostly seem like ordinary people makes it so much easier to relate to them, with certain information then crossing the line to the more unique, quirky or absurd. In a way I wish there would have been more absurdness to be honest... Sure, we have Santeri's obsession with all things Formula One, Erkki's quirky behavior that disguises something more and Kahavuori thinking that he can solve the crime because he watches a lot of true crime, but it was all rather mild compared to some of his other stories.

The plot itself is basically the main character Anni trying to discover who is behind the murder before she is arrested for the crime herself. After all, she is the only one who KNOWS she is innocent after all. Since she is by no means a real detective, this of course leads to a lot of complicated situations... I do wish Anni's character would have been a little more interesting; sure, she has that dark secret of what happened 30 years ago hanging over her, but otherwise her character was rather bland for an Antti Tuomainen book. Not that I wasn't rooting for her... I could have done without the cheating element though.

This book might not be for everyone, but if you love dark humor sprinkled with a healthy dose of crime and a Finnish setting, The Burning Stones might just be the book for you. It's definitely not every day that a murder takes place inside an actual sauna! This book has reminded me that I really have to find time to return to his backlist some time soon.

This book was great, but it wasn’t what I expected at all. I picked it up because all the blurbs talked about how funny it was. Maybe I have a totally different sense of humor, but I didn’t think it was funny at all, other than maybe the jellybeans and the turkey. Two moments in the whole book. Now, this isn’t a big deal for me. I read serious books all the time. It’s the majority of what I read. But I grabbed this one specifically because I thought it would be a mystery with some hilarious hijinks, as it was advertised. Maybe something like The Booking Agents series or the Bless Your Heart series. No such luck here. With that being said, it was still an entertaining read despite being slow at times. I did find some of the dialogue to be awkward and stilted, but I’m wondering if that was more due to the translation process than a lack of writing skill. The rest of the book wasn’t like that. As far as the characters, oh boy! None of them seem to like each other and their interactions were very odd. It was hard to really like any of them, although Anni was the more likable of all of them. The only thing I genuinely didn’t understand for the life of me: if Anni was a suspect in not one, but two murders, why did she not get a lawyer? Why? Unless Finnish law works completely different than everywhere else, it seemed like a lost opportunity to add tension to some of the slower sections. But if you like Finnish mysteries and a bit of a slow burn, this book might be for you!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Huge thanks to Orenda Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my
Copy of this book.

Anni sells stoves for saunas. When her colleagues is murdered, she is the top suspect. Why is someone setting her up, she needs to figure it out!

This book was ok. I struggled with a bit and it nearly end up in my could not finish pile. I just didn’t care enough about the characters, or see the appeal of the sauna stoves. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. And that’s ok!

Loved this novel. Read it in three days. Hooked me from the first chapter. Will be recommending.
Did not see that ending coming.

3.5* rounded up.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is a cosy mystery set in a small company which designs and manufacture stoves for saunas. I learnt a lot about saunas while reading this, including the existence of 'bumlets'. The Finnish setting was strong and the translation excellent. Anni, a long time executive at the company sets out to prove her innocence as her colleagues are murdered and the police suspect her. That is, one of the police officers does; the other is a man she was engaged to decades ago. Then there is her husband who spends all his time watching historic Formula 1 races and buying and selling related memorabilia (or is that all he is doing?)

This was a quick easy read and I liked Anni. I didn't find it quite as humorous as the blurbs led me to expect, but there were moments, and the ending was satisfactory. I would read more by this author.

I don’t know if it was the original text or the translation which worked its magic, but the way this is written is absolutely divine. The author creates a realistic world in which an unlikely series of murders happens, and somehow the absurdity of the situation is balanced perfectly with a sense of near pathos about the passing of time and what it means. A seemingly mundane setting and ordinary people become compelling in the context of a series of sauna-related murders. I didn’t expect to be so entranced by this book, but I just couldn’t put it down.

Just could not get into it. Read half way thru and abandoned. Nothing happens or it happens slowly. And very Finnish centric. You can give it a try-you may think otherwise.