Loukko by 
In anticipation of Amazon Crossing’s December 11th launch of Leena Lehtolainen’s My First Murder (Ensimmäinen murhani, Tammi 1993) we are excited to share two excellent pre-publication reviews by Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Please find the reviews below:
“Rookie detective Maria Kallio is called out to a puzzling case involving a respected choir composed of college-age and 20-something adults. One of the members has been murdered at the Helsinki villa where the choir was invited for the weekend. Odds are that one of the victim’s fellow choristers killed him. Coincidentally, Maria knows many of the individuals, having gone to college with them. Despite the potential conflict of interest, the short-staffed police department makes it her case. But can Maria stay professional and not let her personal prejudices blind her to the mounting evidence? VERDICT: Lehtolainen’s first entry (originally published in 1993) in a series long popular in Finland is an engaging Scandinavian procedural sure to appeal to Helene Tursten fans. It is also a good choice for readers who like a young protagonist trying to establish herself in a man’s world, not unlike Tess Gerritsen’s early Rizzoli and Isles titles.” – Library Journal
“First published in 1993, this solid first in a mystery series from Lehtolainen, billed as ‘Finland’s bestselling female crime author’, introduces 23-year-old Sgt. Maria Kallio, of Helsinki’s Violent Crime Unit. Kallio’s initial low-level cases and paper-pushing lead her to begin law school, but boredom with her studies prompts her to return to the force for a six-month stint as a substitute officer. Her provisional status and sexist male colleagues complicate her first homicide inquiry, into the death of singer Tommi Peltonen, the leader of a quartet, who appears to have drowned in the sea off his parents’ summer house, though a blow to the head could have been a contributing factor. Peltonen was organizing a summer musical event for a double quartet, whose surviving members become the obvious suspects. The author does a good job integrating her dogged detective’s inner life with the murder inquiry.” – Publishers Weekly
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