Loukko by 
Original title: Kuka pimeässä kulkee
Author: Elina Backman
Published: 2025
Publisher: Otava
Genre: Crime & Suspense
Pages: 380
Part of a series: Saana Havas series
Reading material:
Finnish MS, English synopsis
The fifth novel by the world-conquering Finnish crime novel queen is atmospheric suspense at its best!
The shared summer holiday of journalist Saana Havas and crime investigator Jan Leino is interrupted when the body of a 40-year-old man is found in the Katri Vala park in Helsinki. Next to the body is a letter addressed to Jani. When another body with another note is found in the Sofianlehto park, Jani is forced to confront his past mistakes.
Saana travels to the old industrial village of Mathildedal to be a dog sitter for her childhood friend. The villagers are shocked by the appearance of a sign bearing the name of a young woman who disappeared in the village a few years ago. Who has left the sign and what do they know about the missing girl?
Elina Backman’s Saana Havas series has charmed readers in Finland and abroad, selling to 17 territories. The main character of the series, Saana Havas, is a Finnish journalist who ends up solving crime cases and setting up true crime podcasts based on her cases. Backman’s debut, All the King’s Men, immediately prompted the press to call her a new star in the crime scene, and the atmospheric and elegant sequels have continued to captivate readers. The series has been compared to Tana French meeting Jo Nesbø and all books in the series have been bestsellers.
“The author manages to tell a well-woven, modern and varied story. The flashbacks to 1989, in particular, give the book depth and rhythm. The characters are worked out wonderfully and they are all Finnish weird in their own sympathetic way. As with any good read, you don't want to put the book down at the end [---]. Looking forward to more...”
– E.Fischer on lovelybook.de
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