Lucifer’s Tears

Inspector Kari Vaara of Helsinki is thrown into a case that sees a beautiful young woman murdered in an apparent sadomasochistic attack… But his investigation leads to him coming up against a wall of silence that implicates the very highest levels of power. His last case left Inspector Kari Vaara with a scarred face, chronic insomnia, a constant migraine, and a full body count s worth of ghosts. Now it s a year later, in Helsinki, and Kari is working the graveyard shift in the homicide unit, terrified of worrying his heavily pregnant wife. Kari is pushed into investigating a ninety-year-old national hero for war crimes committed during World War II. The Interior Minister demands a conclusion of innocence, preserving Finland s heroic perception about itself and its role in the war, but Germany wants extradition. In a seeming coincidence, Kari is drawn into the murder-by-torture case of Lisa Filippov, the philandering wife of a Russian businessman. Her lover is clearly being framed for the crime-and Ivan Filippov s arrogance and nonchalance point the finger at him. But he s being protected from above, leading Kari to the corrupt corridors of power. Soon, the past and present collide in ways no one could have anticipated…