Karo H m l inen spent 15 years as an economics reporter and currently works as the managing editor of Parnasso, Finland's leading literary publication. His debut novel, The Buyout, was shortlisted for the 2011 Savonia Prize and received the 2012 Tampere Literary Prize. His novel Alone won the 2016 Savonia Prize. Following stints in Munich, Berlin, and Tampere, he now lives in Helsinki. In his spare time, he likes reading and running; his record marathon time is 3-04-04.
Praise for Cruel Is the Night
"It's hard to separate the potential killers from the probable
victims, and the mood ranges from darkly humorous to just plain
terrifying. Hamalainen is a wicked and controlled writer who rarely
allows his readers a moment of peace."
-Toronto Star
"A very dark comedy . . . Enjoy the ride."
-International Noir Fiction
"Hamalainen makes his English-language debut with a darkly
humorous, carefully crafted Finnish take on the classic British
locked-room mystery. Hamalainen is at ease with using the four
distinct character voices to shift the apparent power balance
constantly over the course of the evening, providing both thrilling
surprises and the dread of inevitability, all in the context of
some truly delightful dinner dialogue."
-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"[A] well-paced thriller . . . Raises thought-provoking questions
and makes relevant political commentary. Crime-fiction readers
shouldn't think twice about accepting Hamalainen's invitation to
this lethal dinner. "
-Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
"A clever novel of suspense."
-Acadiana Lifestyle
"A compelling setup. The diners' repartee and the flashbacks
revealing their relationships call to mind Herman Koch's The
Dinner . . . But Hamalainen's novel takes things to a
completely different level. The reader follows the events safely
through a wall of Plexiglas, holding back laughter, yet absolutely
absorbed."
-Helsingin Sanomat
"In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, the night is tender, but in Karo
Hamalainen's hands, it becomes extremely cruel. Champagne sabres
are drawn, cyanide capsules get broken . . . Hamalainen has
produced a thriller that is not only imaginative and over the top,
but also fitting within genre bounds while being far from
generic."
-Kauppalehti
"A tense, irony-laden, not-so-cozy ode to cozies, award-winning
author Hamalainen's English-language debut initiates a nail-biting
shell game of poisons and allegiances . . . clever storytelling
masks Hamalainen's secrets until the final pages."
-Booklist
"This English-language debut by a prize-winning Finnish author has
a great hook . . . [for] readers who enjoy books like L.S. Hilton's
Maestra and Caroline Kepnes's You, in which the game is the
goal."
-Library Journal
"[A] darkly elegant locked-room thriller ."
-Stop, You're Killing Me!
Praise for the works of Karo Hamalainen
"The Bonfire of the Vanities for the new millennium, flavored with
[a] thriller plot."
-Kauppalehti Optio, on The Buyout
"The atmosphere is like on the savannah, where scavengers lie in
wait for their prey and each other."
-Helsingin Sanomat, on The Buyout
"Psychologically astute and heartbreaking."
-Suomen Kuvalehti, on Alone as Book of the
Year
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
