Loukko by 
Original title: Sisilialainen puolustus
Author: Vera Vala
Published: 2023
Publisher: WSOY
Genre: Crime & Suspense
Pages: 391
Part of a series: Salla Kotka series
Reading material:
English synopsis & sample
The profiling skills of Salla Kotka come under pressure as she comes head-to-head with a serial killer.
Salla Kotka’s career as a forensic psychologist is progressing under the guidance of her mentor Ruth Segre. While interviewing serial killers, Salla meets again with a psychopath called the Groom. The man seems to know something about the serial killer Harlequin who is terrorizing Milan. But why does the Groom seem so interested in Salla?
Catching the Harlequin becomes even more important for Salla when the police claim that the perpetrator is someone close to Segre. Meanwhile, Salla is tortured by thoughts of her mother’s suspicious death and the secrets of the past.
Salla searches for a ruthless serial killer in the dark Milan night, but has evil managed to get much closer than she could have imagined?
Vala’s writing is edgy and she constructs the plot in multiple layers [—] The author vividly describes the contradictory culture, cuisine, and nature [of Italy], there is even romantic tension in the air.
Sari Toivakka in Savon Sanomat newspaper
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