The Burning Stones is the first Antti Tuomainen novel I’ve read. His name has been among authors recommended by some Goodreads friends and, consequently, I placed a few of his books in my “Want To Read” list—a list that has grown so long that I’ll never complete it. When The Burning Stones appeared on my NetGalley list, with a description suggesting that it had a humorous tone, I requested it. At the time I needed to read a humorous novel.

The book does not begin with a comical scene. In fact the first scene is exceptionally dark—the slow torture of Elmo Raty, newly appointed CEO of Steam Devil, glued to his sauna bench. Someone keeps adding wood to the stove, and the temperature keeps rising, until the structure catches fire.

But then the POV switches to Anni Korpinen, a top salesperson at Steam Devil, and a sauna devotee herself. She is a bit quirky, with her sauna obsession, suppressed memories of a long-ago stabbing, repressed attraction to her former fiancé, Police Constable Janne Piirto, and tolerance of her wacky husband, Santeri. Santeri spends all his time reliving long-gone Formula One races and collecting memorabilia from said races—an obsession that defines his entire existence.

The scene then changes to the offices of Steam Devil, and Anni’s work colleagues, all of whom exhibit eccentric characteristics. I did get a bit lost in this section of the book, as it was difficult to remember which foreign name was associated with which odd behaviour. Shortly after encountering these colleagues, I found my interest in the story declining because of rambling comments made by the retiring founder of Steam Devil, Erkki ‘Stove King’ Ruusula, about aging, interspersed with long introspectional ramblings by Anni, also on the topic of aging. It seemed to me that the plot was split between (1) dealing with an aging mentality and (2) the murder investigation—two separate themes.

The narrative shifts again, to accusations that Anni is the murderer—accusations made by the head of police, Reijo Kiimalainen, a man who hates Anni because years ago her now deceased father shot the elk that Reijo himself had coveted. The evidence against her—her sauna bumlet found at the scene of the crime. Yes, a “bumlet”, and no, I’ve never heard of such things either before reading this novel.

Anni knows she is innocent but evidence keeps pointing her way. As she is the frontrunner to take over the helm at Steam Devil, it appears likely that one of her colleagues is framing her. So, Anni begins investigating, although she admits she is no Sherlock Holmes.

The absurdist elements keep piling up, and although I am not a fan of absurdist literature, I couldn’t stop reading. And, in the end, the mixture of (1) a murder mystery—a whodunnit, (2) satire, and (3) a philosophical discourse on “aging” do converge into a satisfying finale.

I enjoyed this novel even though I personally hate saunas; I’ve tried them and can’t understand why Finnish people are so enamoured by them. I also didn’t understand why so many of the characters in this story were in childless marriages; I assume that children do not fit into the absurdist world that author Tuomainen has created. But bumlets, a collapsing giant stove, wacky work colleagues, and Anni’s marriage to a nonentity captured me.

Thanks to the Independent Publishers Group for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

Saunas. Killer saunas. Only the vivid imagination of the amazing Antti Tuomainen can give us such a terrific twisted tale. It's as captivating as it is witty. When our protagonist discovers she is being framed as a sauna serial killer, she must take matters into her own hands. The problem, as she sees it, is the fact she's no Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, or Jessica Fletcher. The mystery is whether she'll be able to solve the mystery. It's Tuomainen so you know the book is populated with colorful characters and charm. This is another of his instant classics. Thank you to Independent Publishers Group, Orenda Books, and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.