Fatal Headwind

Written by Leena Lehtolainen

Narrated by Amy Rubinate

After months of maternity leave, tough-talking Espoo police detective Maria Kallio is ready to return to work. But before assuming her new post as head of the Violent Crime Unit, she vacations with her husband and daughter on the island of Rödskär. There Kallio learns that, one year earlier, her ex-boyfriend Harri had mysteriously fallen to his death from the isle’s steep and treacherous cliffs.

On the anniversary of that event, Harri’s boss, the CEO of an allegedly nontoxic paint company, loses his life on those very same rocks. In light of such a coincidence, Kallio searches for the link between these two tragedies and is soon convinced that they weren’t accidents—they were murders. As the Finnish nights grow longer, so too does the list of suspects. Was the CEO’s disillusioned wife involved? His environmental-activist son? Or perhaps his rebellious daughter? Or might the culprit be his half brother, an adventurous sailor whom Kallio finds altogether a little too intriguing?

From internationally bestselling Finnish author Leena Lehtolainen comes the sixth book of the gripping Maria Kallio Mystery series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Translator: Owen F. Witesman
• Release date: Jul 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781522635376

Leena Lehtolainen

Leena Lehtolainen was born in Vesanto, Finland, to parents who taught language and literature. A keen reader, she made up stories in her head before she could even write. At the age of ten, she began her first book—a young adult novel—and published it two years later. She released her second book at the age of seventeen. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the 1997 Vuoden Johtolanka (Clue) Award for the best Finnish crime novel and the Great Finnish Book Club prize in 2000. Her work has been published in twenty-nine languages. Besides writing, Leena enjoys classical singing, her beloved cats, and—her greatest passion—figure skating. Her nonfiction book about the sport, Taitoluistelun lumo (The Enchantment of Figure Skating), was chosen as the Sport Book of the Year 2011 in Finland. Leena lives in Finland with her husband and two sons.

Reviews for Fatal Headwind

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finnish policewoman Maria Kallio is back from maternity leave and into a new job as head of the Violent Crime unit, but she doesn't get much time to settle back into things. Right away, she's in the middle of a murder investigation with a personal angle -- a year before the murder she's investigating, a former boyfriend died under very similar circumstances. Meanwhile, Maria's personal life is in high gear. In the office, the detective she beat out for her new job is not happy. At home, her baby and her husband are just fine, but she has to deal with guilty feelings about leaving them. And the murder investigation is complicated when Maria finds that her own emotions are in play. All in all, a satisfying mystery, and an interesting look at life in Finland.

[dokfintong · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am reading these Maria Kallio books in random order and I am absolutely thrilled with this interesting woman. Maria Kallio is not a character who would be convincing as an American. She is so definitively "other" – a true feminist, a free thinker, a woman in a position of responsibility, a committed life partner, a new mother. All these jobs are embraced with energy, intelligence, and an entirely human ambivalence. No, Maria Kallio is not an American.I received a review copy of "Fatal Headwind: The Maria Kallio Series, Book 6" by Leena Lehtolainen translated by Owen F. Witesman (AmazonCrossing) through NetGalley.com.