Riikka Ala-Harja & Pekka Hiltunen 
Helsinki Noir 

“The 14 stories in this Akashic noir anthology provide a bizarre and gruesome window into this outwardly tranquil and snow-covered city of Helsinki.”—Publishers Weekly   In Akashic Books’s acclaimed series of original noir anthologies, each book comprises all new stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Now, the spotlight is on Finland and its southern capital of Helsinki, a city “synonymous with noir. There is a darkness in the Finnish soul, perhaps echoing the country’s long winter nights, that lends itself to tales of horror and degenerate behavior” (Reviewing the Evidence). This anthology features brand-new stories by Leena Lehtolainen, Johanna Holmström, James Thompson, Antti Tuomainen, Jesse Itkonen, Joe L. Murr, Jukka Petäjä, Tapani Bagge, Pekka Hiltunen, Teemu Käskinen, Tuomas Lius, Riikka Ala-Harja, Karo Hämäläinen, and Jarkko Sipila. “True fans of the macabre will enjoy some of the more disturbing tales, such as Jukka Petäjä’s ‘Snowy Sarcophagus, ’ in which the bodies of two women are discovered preserved in life-size snowmen, and Antti Tuomainen’s ‘The Script, ’ which is told from the point of view of a Finnish film and television producer who also happens to be a serial rapist . . . Readers should be prepared to keep the lights on at night after finishing this unnerving collection.”—Publishers Weekly   “Every story is atmospheric . . . and every one has a neat sting at the end . . . The best and blackest in the noir series yet, and a treat for short story fans. Highly recommended.”—promotingcrime.blogspot.com