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Inspector Kari Vaara #4
Helsinki Blood
The exceptional fourth thriller in the Edgar–nominated Kari Vaara series.
Kari Vaara is recovering from the physical and emotional toll of solving the Lisbet Söderlund case when he’s approached with a plea: an Estonian woman begs him to find her daughter, Loviise, a young woman with Down syndrome who was promised work and a better life in Finland . . . and has since disappeared.
One more missing girl is a drop in the barrel for a police department that is understaffed and overburdened, but for Kari, the case is personal: it’s a chance for redemption, to help the victims his failed black-ops unit was intended to save, and to prove to his estranged wife, Kate, that he’s still the man he once was. His search will lead him from the glittering world of Helsinki’s high-class clubs to the darkest circles of Finland’s underground trade in trafficked women . . . and straight into the path of Loviise’s captors, who may be some of the most untouchable people in the country.
Kari Vaara is recovering from the physical and emotional toll of solving the Lisbet Söderlund case when he’s approached with a plea: an Estonian woman begs him to find her daughter, Loviise, a young woman with Down syndrome who was promised work and a better life in Finland . . . and has since disappeared.
One more missing girl is a drop in the barrel for a police department that is understaffed and overburdened, but for Kari, the case is personal: it’s a chance for redemption, to help the victims his failed black-ops unit was intended to save, and to prove to his estranged wife, Kate, that he’s still the man he once was. His search will lead him from the glittering world of Helsinki’s high-class clubs to the darkest circles of Finland’s underground trade in trafficked women . . . and straight into the path of Loviise’s captors, who may be some of the most untouchable people in the country.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2013
45 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
James Thompson
10 books313 followersJames Thompson was an American-Finnish crime writer based in Helsinki. He had a master's degree in English philology from The University of Helsinki, where he also studied Finnish, in which he was fluent. He studied six languages. He published four crime novels with the Finnish inspector Kari Vaara as the protagonist.
Helsinki Noir was published by Akashic Books November 2014. It is an anthology edited by Thompson and it includes one story he wrote.
Thompson died unexpectedly in his home town of Lahti, Finland in August 2014.
Helsinki Noir was published by Akashic Books November 2014. It is an anthology edited by Thompson and it includes one story he wrote.
Thompson died unexpectedly in his home town of Lahti, Finland in August 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
February 21, 2024
With a series that pulls no punches and remains highly addictive, I turned to James Thompson’s next novel in this Finnish police procedural collection. The story gains momentum from the previous three, as Kari Vaara tries to get back on his feet, with many things going against him. The streets of Helsinki are anything but safe and criminals are out to get their revenge, pitting Vaara against some of the most violent folk out there. With a new baby, a ragtag group on his black-ops team, and crippling physical injuries, Kari Vaara will have to show his abilities in short order, or face certain limitation. James Thompson does well in this gritty Nordic Noir novel!
Kari Vaara has been through a great deal over the last while, not least of which the physical and emotional injuries suffered when working the Lisbet Söderlund case. His American wife, Kate, is highly distraught and has been showing signs of traumatic stress, which has her wanting to make significant changes. While Inspector Vaara heals, he is approached with a new and equally dangerous case by an Estonian woman. Her daughter, Loviise, has come to Finland for a new life, but has since disappeared with no trace.
Loviise, a woman with Down’s Syndrome, may be just another statistic for the Helsinki Police Department, but she is a case that Kari Vaara cannot ignore, as this may be his way back onto the right side of the law. His black-ops group has been breaking the law to uphold a control over criminals, but that backfired miserably for him. Kate has fled and left their newborn daughter with Vaara, his friends are inching away and only those who are as dirty as he is remain close at hand.
Inspector Vaara begins his search amongst the high-end clubs and locales in Helsinki, wondering if Loviise might have taken up as an escort or prostitute, which is not illegal in the country. However, things take a dark turn and Loviise’s captors surely have plans for her, though Vaara can only wonder what they might be. With a mother relying on him and a desire to prove himself, Inspector Kari Vaara will have to do all he can to save Loviise, himself, and the life he lost recently. Thompson does a fabulous job putting it all together once more.
These novels have proven to be stunning in their depiction and development, all in short order. Thompson uses his great writing skills to present a story the reader can enjoy with ease, though they are subjected to a myriad of despair while doing so. Pulling back the curtain on Finland in the mid-2010s, Thompson educates and entertains in equal measure, with his strong narrative foundation and quick developments. The momentum of the story cannot be stopped as things are not as they appear, providing insight into Finland, its criminal underbelly, and racial undertones that shape the country from within. Kari Vaara and his colleagues have different perspectives and provide something fresh for the reader to discover.
The tension in his piece seeps out in every chapter, all of which are easy to digest as the story takes hold. Twists in the plot occur from the outset and pile on to create something completely shocking for the reader to enjoy and Inspector Vaara to despise. There is something about the story that pulled me in, partly the depth of despair and constant changes to the piece that Thompson weaves into the collection. I am so eager to see what is to come for Inspector Kari Vaara and how things will progress for him, with sub-plots bubbling on the back burner.
Alas, while a fifth novel was in the works and promotions with teaser ‘dust jacket blurbs’ appeared, James Thompson died suddenly before the book could be finished. While many authors have been able to pass their work along to others (few can capture a successful takeover), no one has done this with the Helsinki series, so it lays unfinished. No one knows what happened to Kari Vaara and it would seem, a decade later, no one will. I will keep my eyes open to see if anyone picks up the thread of this series, at least to tie things off, but for now, the greatest mystery of the series remains what happened after this book and where did things end up settling for those involved.
Kudos, Mr. Thompson, for a stunning series, You will be missed!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Kari Vaara has been through a great deal over the last while, not least of which the physical and emotional injuries suffered when working the Lisbet Söderlund case. His American wife, Kate, is highly distraught and has been showing signs of traumatic stress, which has her wanting to make significant changes. While Inspector Vaara heals, he is approached with a new and equally dangerous case by an Estonian woman. Her daughter, Loviise, has come to Finland for a new life, but has since disappeared with no trace.
Loviise, a woman with Down’s Syndrome, may be just another statistic for the Helsinki Police Department, but she is a case that Kari Vaara cannot ignore, as this may be his way back onto the right side of the law. His black-ops group has been breaking the law to uphold a control over criminals, but that backfired miserably for him. Kate has fled and left their newborn daughter with Vaara, his friends are inching away and only those who are as dirty as he is remain close at hand.
Inspector Vaara begins his search amongst the high-end clubs and locales in Helsinki, wondering if Loviise might have taken up as an escort or prostitute, which is not illegal in the country. However, things take a dark turn and Loviise’s captors surely have plans for her, though Vaara can only wonder what they might be. With a mother relying on him and a desire to prove himself, Inspector Kari Vaara will have to do all he can to save Loviise, himself, and the life he lost recently. Thompson does a fabulous job putting it all together once more.
These novels have proven to be stunning in their depiction and development, all in short order. Thompson uses his great writing skills to present a story the reader can enjoy with ease, though they are subjected to a myriad of despair while doing so. Pulling back the curtain on Finland in the mid-2010s, Thompson educates and entertains in equal measure, with his strong narrative foundation and quick developments. The momentum of the story cannot be stopped as things are not as they appear, providing insight into Finland, its criminal underbelly, and racial undertones that shape the country from within. Kari Vaara and his colleagues have different perspectives and provide something fresh for the reader to discover.
The tension in his piece seeps out in every chapter, all of which are easy to digest as the story takes hold. Twists in the plot occur from the outset and pile on to create something completely shocking for the reader to enjoy and Inspector Vaara to despise. There is something about the story that pulled me in, partly the depth of despair and constant changes to the piece that Thompson weaves into the collection. I am so eager to see what is to come for Inspector Kari Vaara and how things will progress for him, with sub-plots bubbling on the back burner.
Alas, while a fifth novel was in the works and promotions with teaser ‘dust jacket blurbs’ appeared, James Thompson died suddenly before the book could be finished. While many authors have been able to pass their work along to others (few can capture a successful takeover), no one has done this with the Helsinki series, so it lays unfinished. No one knows what happened to Kari Vaara and it would seem, a decade later, no one will. I will keep my eyes open to see if anyone picks up the thread of this series, at least to tie things off, but for now, the greatest mystery of the series remains what happened after this book and where did things end up settling for those involved.
Kudos, Mr. Thompson, for a stunning series, You will be missed!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
February 25, 2013
Gosh darn, what a good book!
April 9, 2013
HELSINKI BLOOD is book four and I suspect best read in order, although good background is provided, in a cleaver way, woven into the story.
Personally I think this writer is a very good writer. I find reading his work just flows the way I enjoy a book to, despite the subject matter.
I think I would like to read a book by him of something else.
I found this book a violent tale of a group of guys attempting to survive no matter what the cost. Dealing with bent cops at the top, political, wealthy and Russian diplomatic criminals with very raw violence, way too many guns, way too much booze and drugs and in general people I could not connect with enough to care if they succeed to take out the bad guys or indeed survive! The cat, I adored.
What they did before in Helsinki White went well beyond the boundaries of law enforcement, they felt the end justified the means but it has damaged them all physically / emotionally and they are now in real danger, which just builds and builds. Hard to put the book down. But you do need to suspend your disbelief while following this story. Although their primary focus is to survive the fallout from Helsinki White, no matter who they have to kill along the way, they manage to zoom in on a human slavery ring forcing young women into prostitution and attach idealistic ideals to freeing one or all! As they do so, they all have personal issues or relationships to safeguard or repair. The extent of physical and emotional damage this much violence has brought to each character, is evident on every page. The climax is well written. Their future mapped out.
This was a roller coaster of a good read!
Personally I think this writer is a very good writer. I find reading his work just flows the way I enjoy a book to, despite the subject matter.
I think I would like to read a book by him of something else.
I found this book a violent tale of a group of guys attempting to survive no matter what the cost. Dealing with bent cops at the top, political, wealthy and Russian diplomatic criminals with very raw violence, way too many guns, way too much booze and drugs and in general people I could not connect with enough to care if they succeed to take out the bad guys or indeed survive! The cat, I adored.
What they did before in Helsinki White went well beyond the boundaries of law enforcement, they felt the end justified the means but it has damaged them all physically / emotionally and they are now in real danger, which just builds and builds. Hard to put the book down. But you do need to suspend your disbelief while following this story. Although their primary focus is to survive the fallout from Helsinki White, no matter who they have to kill along the way, they manage to zoom in on a human slavery ring forcing young women into prostitution and attach idealistic ideals to freeing one or all! As they do so, they all have personal issues or relationships to safeguard or repair. The extent of physical and emotional damage this much violence has brought to each character, is evident on every page. The climax is well written. Their future mapped out.
This was a roller coaster of a good read!
March 13, 2023
A series I was properly enjoying until the last instalment where our hero went off the proverbial cliff, so hoping for a return to form, we shall see?
A smooth start (reading wise) as we are reacquainted with all that has happened to Kari in the past few months where we find out physically & emotionally he’s a wreck as well as estranged from his wife Kate, soon after he’s being threatened too as a brick comes sailing through his window with a message…..
It’s time to circle the wagons & get the gang back together.
I ripped through this quite quickly, finding it a very easy read, lacking any real depth in terms of investigatory work. His group in truth no longer policemen but a rogue outfit meeting out justice as they see fit which is fair enough in the context of this story as it follows on from the prior book, bringing many of the threads from it to a bloody conclusion.
There is a fair bit about Vaara’s family & personnel life throughout the read, mostly self-inflicted so it’s kinda hard to root for the fellah in all honesty. His wife pops up too but seems as similarly fecked up as Vaara…..
Jus over the 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it enough in a way, there be no twists in this book, its all fair plain sailing.
A smooth start (reading wise) as we are reacquainted with all that has happened to Kari in the past few months where we find out physically & emotionally he’s a wreck as well as estranged from his wife Kate, soon after he’s being threatened too as a brick comes sailing through his window with a message…..
It’s time to circle the wagons & get the gang back together.
I ripped through this quite quickly, finding it a very easy read, lacking any real depth in terms of investigatory work. His group in truth no longer policemen but a rogue outfit meeting out justice as they see fit which is fair enough in the context of this story as it follows on from the prior book, bringing many of the threads from it to a bloody conclusion.
There is a fair bit about Vaara’s family & personnel life throughout the read, mostly self-inflicted so it’s kinda hard to root for the fellah in all honesty. His wife pops up too but seems as similarly fecked up as Vaara…..
Jus over the 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it enough in a way, there be no twists in this book, its all fair plain sailing.
April 29, 2013
I used to like this author and his creation Kari Vaara, but I wasn't crazy about his last book and this one didn't help matters. Ever since the main character started doing black ops, I haven't been able to connect with him the way I was able to in the earlier books. Everything that happens is so over the top, it's hard to relate to the plot or the characters. Even so, on the strength of the earlier books, I'll try his next one, if there is one. If the story line doesn't start to take on a semblance of reality, I'm done with James Thompson's Kari Vaara series.
March 21, 2013
If you have yet to read any of James Thompson’s first-rate novels featuring the exploits of Finnish cop Kari Vaara, please take this advice from me:
Tackle them in order of their publication.
First read Snow Angels, (Booklist called it “one of the best debut crime novels of 2010”). The book takes place in Finland’s far north and sets the stage for the three that follow.
Lucifer’s Tears (a Kirkus pick for one of the Best Ten Crime Novels of 2011) brings Vaara to Helsinki and involves him in a sequence of events that continue seamlessly throughout the course of the next two books, Helsinki White and Helsinki Blood.
The cost of those events, in psychological and physical terms, is great, not only to Vaara, but also to his much-beloved American wife, Kate. And the changes they bring about are as much a part of the story as the thoroughly-engrossing plot.
I doubt that any reader would seek a friendship with a man like Vaara.
But Thompson has a genius for making us to care about what happens to him.
And what happens to him in Helsinki Blood is a hell of a lot.
The book begins with Vaara’s life being threatened by powerful enemies and with his marriage on the rocks. Could things get any worse?
You bet they do! This is Thompson.
I can’t get enough of this author. No one writes noir better, Nordic or otherwise.
Read him!
Tackle them in order of their publication.
First read Snow Angels, (Booklist called it “one of the best debut crime novels of 2010”). The book takes place in Finland’s far north and sets the stage for the three that follow.
Lucifer’s Tears (a Kirkus pick for one of the Best Ten Crime Novels of 2011) brings Vaara to Helsinki and involves him in a sequence of events that continue seamlessly throughout the course of the next two books, Helsinki White and Helsinki Blood.
The cost of those events, in psychological and physical terms, is great, not only to Vaara, but also to his much-beloved American wife, Kate. And the changes they bring about are as much a part of the story as the thoroughly-engrossing plot.
I doubt that any reader would seek a friendship with a man like Vaara.
But Thompson has a genius for making us to care about what happens to him.
And what happens to him in Helsinki Blood is a hell of a lot.
The book begins with Vaara’s life being threatened by powerful enemies and with his marriage on the rocks. Could things get any worse?
You bet they do! This is Thompson.
I can’t get enough of this author. No one writes noir better, Nordic or otherwise.
Read him!
November 29, 2013
James Thompson doesn't pull any punches in his Kari Vaara series. In this installment Kari is seriously disabled, his wife has left him and left him the baby, his "gang" is also either disabled or drunk. A lot happening and not much of it happy. This is darkest of the series but the ending offers a light at the end of a tunnel. I have downloaded a romance novel from the library because I need something sweet and mindless to read. I give it 4 Stars as I can't stop reading.
January 9, 2013
It may be a little over the top, but it's over the top in such an enjoyable way. A great read for any crime fiction fan. It will be interesting to see in what happens next with this fascinating character.
February 1, 2014
So completely ridiculous...but, I think the author had written himself into this corner, and he wrote this book to essentially give himself a clean slate for the next one in the series (which I will read...just to test my theory on why this was so dumb).
April 11, 2013
Action, action, action, wow what a book. Jim you are fantastic! It never ends, it was great. Just what the doctor ordered. Next one please....
February 23, 2022
“We did our jobs too well, observed no limits, not even legal boundaries, and served justice instead of our masters. This, not theft or crime or deaths, was the infraction for which we must be punished” p206
There’s something about the Finnish Noir that I’ve read that is a bit grittier and grungier than similar books of the same genre. James Thompson’s Inspector Kari Vaara series totally reinforce that impression and Helsinki Blood, the fourth in the series exemplifies this.
We are reintroduced to Kari Vaara who is both injured and in recovery from brain surgery and both of these factors contribute to his broody and dark way of being. Along with coming out of a Black Ops unit where the rules of criminal engagement were seriously bent, Kari is trying to find some equilibrium again to his life and family. Crime and the underworld however don’t leave him alone as the events of the previous books linger on until they find a particularly bloody and final resolution.
Kari is a complex man and Thompson privileges us with an insight into his thought life, feelings and conflicts. Coupled with first person writing and a laid back, laconic style, Kari Vaara is a mesmerising kind of man, a police officer with questionable tactics, yet committed to justice, his family and desperately trying to find the balance between the two.
Thompson writes really authentically, brings in real events into the timeline of the story and somehow makes the outcome believable. For a writer who only lived in Finland for years 15 or so years, he certainly depicts a gritty dark soul of the country perhaps from the privileged objective space of a non-national Finn.
4 gritty and dark stars from me.
There’s something about the Finnish Noir that I’ve read that is a bit grittier and grungier than similar books of the same genre. James Thompson’s Inspector Kari Vaara series totally reinforce that impression and Helsinki Blood, the fourth in the series exemplifies this.
We are reintroduced to Kari Vaara who is both injured and in recovery from brain surgery and both of these factors contribute to his broody and dark way of being. Along with coming out of a Black Ops unit where the rules of criminal engagement were seriously bent, Kari is trying to find some equilibrium again to his life and family. Crime and the underworld however don’t leave him alone as the events of the previous books linger on until they find a particularly bloody and final resolution.
Kari is a complex man and Thompson privileges us with an insight into his thought life, feelings and conflicts. Coupled with first person writing and a laid back, laconic style, Kari Vaara is a mesmerising kind of man, a police officer with questionable tactics, yet committed to justice, his family and desperately trying to find the balance between the two.
Thompson writes really authentically, brings in real events into the timeline of the story and somehow makes the outcome believable. For a writer who only lived in Finland for years 15 or so years, he certainly depicts a gritty dark soul of the country perhaps from the privileged objective space of a non-national Finn.
4 gritty and dark stars from me.
April 9, 2013
Brilliant, and very dark. This is the 4th Inspector Vaara book (read them in order if you can as the characters grow and develop quite a bit), and it's darker and more intense than Helsinki White.
Not recommended for just crime and thriller lovers, but also for anyone who needs or wants a crash course about everything Finnish (that the Finns won't tell you). Like if you ever thought of moving there, and if How to Marry a Finnish Girl didn't depress - or encourage - you enough from or for getting a Finnish girlfriend). Because in the deep noir and action-packed Finnish summmer inspector Vaara and his team are still surrounded by all the very Finnish details and a very Finnish environment. More exotic than you'd get in the books set in other Scandi countries. The summer version of Finland, the summer cabins, the islands, the modern food...
But the finnishness doesn't stop there. Nope. The current political climate (again, that the Finns don't usually advertise, since they do like to advertise the country as a much happier place). The "Real Finns" party with racist bigots, of which I think I can pinpoint the exact person that inspired a 'Real Finn' mentioned and framed in the book (even if I don't live there). And close enough to Finland, even the school shootings in Norway.
Vaara is (obviously) more noir than ever. Not just more Tony Soprano but especially more Boyd Crowder. Blur the lines between the good and the bad guys, add politics, corruption, human trafficking, murders, lots of money, gambling, bombs, drugs, alcohol, lots more alcohol (vodka mostly), and with elements that make you giggle even if it's dark - like Corsican hit men...
Without his family (Kate and his daughter) Vaara would be probably dangerously close to Harry Hole in being a dangerously self-destructing loose cannon in the police force. And the Vaaras are a refreshing couple in the crime books, as most other couples tend to be irritating, divorcing, or just boring (I can only think of two exceptions to that - the Vaaras and Decker/Lazarus). We do get quite a bit of action with the Vaaras being apart too. I can't really think of anything that would have been missing here from a perfect book, and I can't wait for the fifth book now.
Recommended pairing: vodka. Room temperature, and sipping vodka. Probably lots of it. I had Khortytsa Platinum, and its flavor profile matched the book pretty well. Koskenkorva would have been the ideal vodka; too bad it's impossible to find abroad.
My cat loved the book too.
Not recommended for just crime and thriller lovers, but also for anyone who needs or wants a crash course about everything Finnish (that the Finns won't tell you). Like if you ever thought of moving there, and if How to Marry a Finnish Girl didn't depress - or encourage - you enough from or for getting a Finnish girlfriend). Because in the deep noir and action-packed Finnish summmer inspector Vaara and his team are still surrounded by all the very Finnish details and a very Finnish environment. More exotic than you'd get in the books set in other Scandi countries. The summer version of Finland, the summer cabins, the islands, the modern food...
But the finnishness doesn't stop there. Nope. The current political climate (again, that the Finns don't usually advertise, since they do like to advertise the country as a much happier place). The "Real Finns" party with racist bigots, of which I think I can pinpoint the exact person that inspired a 'Real Finn' mentioned and framed in the book (even if I don't live there). And close enough to Finland, even the school shootings in Norway.
Vaara is (obviously) more noir than ever. Not just more Tony Soprano but especially more Boyd Crowder. Blur the lines between the good and the bad guys, add politics, corruption, human trafficking, murders, lots of money, gambling, bombs, drugs, alcohol, lots more alcohol (vodka mostly), and with elements that make you giggle even if it's dark - like Corsican hit men...
Without his family (Kate and his daughter) Vaara would be probably dangerously close to Harry Hole in being a dangerously self-destructing loose cannon in the police force. And the Vaaras are a refreshing couple in the crime books, as most other couples tend to be irritating, divorcing, or just boring (I can only think of two exceptions to that - the Vaaras and Decker/Lazarus). We do get quite a bit of action with the Vaaras being apart too. I can't really think of anything that would have been missing here from a perfect book, and I can't wait for the fifth book now.
Recommended pairing: vodka. Room temperature, and sipping vodka. Probably lots of it. I had Khortytsa Platinum, and its flavor profile matched the book pretty well. Koskenkorva would have been the ideal vodka; too bad it's impossible to find abroad.
My cat loved the book too.
April 20, 2015
Inspector Kari Vaara is trying to heal; both mentally and physically from his last case involving Lisbet Söderlund. It is not going to easy because a brick is thrown through his window, then a tear gas bomb a few days later, all marked with "10,000,000 reasons for you and your family to die." Kari knows the men behind the Söderlund case won't stop hunting him, Kate, and little Anu unless they are stopped permanently. Sweetness and Milo and their families are in danger too.
Compounding the danger are two facts. Kari is getting back some of his emotions that he lost when he had the surgery to remove his brain tumor - he really doesn't want the guilt and corruption any more. His wife is suffering from PTSD and has run away leaving 6 month old Anu with Kari who isn't physically able to take care of his small daughter. But the old gang comes to the rescue and stays with him. After another violent episode involving his car, Vaara is approached by an Estonian woman begging him and his team to find her daughter, Loviise, who is mildly Down Syndrome. The young woman has disappeared after being promised a good job and a better life in Finland.
Vaara knows instinctively that Loviise is most likely a victim of Russian Sex Trade that his failed black-ops unit tried to help. He desperately wants to find Loviise to prove to Kate that he still is the man he always was, but more importantly to prove to himself that he still is a good guy. His trail to redemption will snake throughout Helsinki and blood will be shed.
In this installment, Kari Vaara is transitioning back to the cop that was introduced in Snow Angels and that is great. Unfortunately, James Thompson unexpectedly died last August so we readers may never know if Inspector Kari Vaara makes his goal. The ending gives a clue as to where his character is heading.
Compounding the danger are two facts. Kari is getting back some of his emotions that he lost when he had the surgery to remove his brain tumor - he really doesn't want the guilt and corruption any more. His wife is suffering from PTSD and has run away leaving 6 month old Anu with Kari who isn't physically able to take care of his small daughter. But the old gang comes to the rescue and stays with him. After another violent episode involving his car, Vaara is approached by an Estonian woman begging him and his team to find her daughter, Loviise, who is mildly Down Syndrome. The young woman has disappeared after being promised a good job and a better life in Finland.
Vaara knows instinctively that Loviise is most likely a victim of Russian Sex Trade that his failed black-ops unit tried to help. He desperately wants to find Loviise to prove to Kate that he still is the man he always was, but more importantly to prove to himself that he still is a good guy. His trail to redemption will snake throughout Helsinki and blood will be shed.
In this installment, Kari Vaara is transitioning back to the cop that was introduced in Snow Angels and that is great. Unfortunately, James Thompson unexpectedly died last August so we readers may never know if Inspector Kari Vaara makes his goal. The ending gives a clue as to where his character is heading.
February 22, 2013
Kari Vaara, recovering from injury, is approached by a woman asking him to find her daughter. Her daughter, who has Down Syndrome, was promised a job in Finland and has disappeared. The police do not seem to be able to take on the case because they already have too many cases to deal with. Kari looks at this case as a great opportunity to gain back his estranged wife, and to help deal with the many victims on a prior case. Can Kari find the girl with the help of a few friends?
An action packed thriller that has the reader engaged until the very last page. The author did a great job with character development. Enough background of the other prior books were included that I didn't feel like I was missing a lot, being that this is the first book in the series that I have read. I really enjoyed Kari's character, how he is constantly looking for a better alternative than taking a human life. I also like how he remains committed to his estranged wife while she is coming back from going off the deep end. The book was really hard to put down. Each end of a chapter left you wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
An action packed thriller that has the reader engaged until the very last page. The author did a great job with character development. Enough background of the other prior books were included that I didn't feel like I was missing a lot, being that this is the first book in the series that I have read. I really enjoyed Kari's character, how he is constantly looking for a better alternative than taking a human life. I also like how he remains committed to his estranged wife while she is coming back from going off the deep end. The book was really hard to put down. Each end of a chapter left you wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 10, 2013
Another good read in the Inspector Vaara series. Vaara is back and still gritty, but there's a bit of a softer side to him this time, as we see him having to deal with Kate and her PTSD, as well as having to care for little Anu, and of course Katt. Gotta love a big tough man who shows affection toward cats ;) The mysteries to solve were, as always, interesting and full of twists/turns, and the writing style is interesting. It's getting a little tiring, though, that everyone is always trying to kill/harm Kari and his family/band of cohorts. Reading about all of the various injuries and maladies that Kari, Milo, Sweetness and even Kate suffer from is a bit overwhelming. I admit that maybe it's ready for this series to end, so everyone can have some peace. Makes me wonder what the author has in store for the future.
April 29, 2018
I really enjoyed this book... unfortunately it is the last we will see in the series unless somebody someday is given permission to finish the 5th book.
I am not going to go into much detail on this one, as I think it is best left to the reader to experience. I know a number of reader were not happy with the direction that Kari Vaara was taking in the last book, but he does somewhat redeem himself in this one. Just, do not expect him to be back to his Snow Angels-self.
I thoroughly enjoyed each of the four books in this series and I am very happy to have stumbled upon them.
Enjoy!
I am not going to go into much detail on this one, as I think it is best left to the reader to experience. I know a number of reader were not happy with the direction that Kari Vaara was taking in the last book, but he does somewhat redeem himself in this one. Just, do not expect him to be back to his Snow Angels-self.
I thoroughly enjoyed each of the four books in this series and I am very happy to have stumbled upon them.
Enjoy!
January 22, 2020
After the disappointment that was HELSINKI WHITE, the previous book in the series, I can’t say that HELSINKI BLOOD was much better but it was just a bit better to leave a good impression. I still can’t accept all the illegalities that Kari, Sweetness and Milo did, but I can understand their position because of the threats against their, and their loved ones, lives.
Now that Kari seems to be on the right track again, I’m feeling very sorry that there aren’t more books. RIP, Mr. James Thompson.
Now that Kari seems to be on the right track again, I’m feeling very sorry that there aren’t more books. RIP, Mr. James Thompson.
May 17, 2015
In my case, having read the previous three books in the series made me dislike this one even more. I really don't like what he's done with a promising protagonist, Kari Vaara, and his over the top vigilantism. Stretched my suspension of disbelief too thin and this will end the series for me. I'll still keep an eye out for future books by Thompson, outside the series though, as I do think he's a good writer but this plot didn't work for me.
April 11, 2013
Hated it. The whole thing was boring and preposterous. Why would he give the hero a daughter only to make her a faceless featureless infant that has no needs and doesn't make a sound? She's a prop. This author either has no children and doesn't even know any parents or I feel VERY sorry for any offspring he has. I'm done with this dude's books. The first was the only one worth reading.
March 30, 2013
This book was very hard to put down and I read it in two days. I am now hooked on this author's style of writing. I was a secretary in a police department detective unit and I enjoy reading all detective thrillers. I will soon request my grandson to request his first three books from the local library as I can't wait to read Snow Angels, Lucifers Tears and Helsinki White.
March 30, 2013
Another standout entry in this great series. A little darker mood and lot of personal tragedy in this installment. James Thompson now ranks up there with my favorite crime/mystery/noir authors in George Pelecanos, Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo, Lawrence Block. Looking forward to the next one!!
April 9, 2013
Thompson just gets better and better. Many authors try to paint a picture of their flawed main characters in a believable way. Few have done it as well as the author has here. If for no other reason read this book just to get to know Inspector Kari Vaara. You won't be disappointed.
April 4, 2013
James Thompson’s latest addition to the Inspector Vaara series, Helsinki Blood, starts the story only a few weeks following the end of his last novel, Helsinki White. While that last novel left Vaara and his team financially wealthy, they are physically and psychologically bankrupt: Vaara has sustained two crippling gunshot wounds, Detective Sargent Milo Nieminen has lost the use of his right hand, Vaara’s wife, Kate, while suffering from PTSD as a result of shooting a man with a sawed-off has abandoned Vaara and their daughter. Only the ironically named sociopath and thug, Sweetness, appears unaffected. Vaara, former police hero at the beginning of the series had become nothing more than a dispassionate and violent dirty cop lacking a moral compass.
And where Helsinki White showed how far Vaara had plummeted with his unscrupulous strategies to bring criminals to justice, Helsinki Blood illustrates his tortuous climb towards redemption. He wants back his dignity and integrity, but most of all he wants his wife to come back home so they can be a family again. Obviously it will not be easy. After a brick comes crashing through his window, a message referring to the money he stole penned upon it, Vaara realizes he, his friends, and family are still in danger.
Up against corrupt members of the Finnish government and untouchable Russian diplomats, Vaara and his team are forced to continue using their illegal black ops methods. Despite the team’s earlier efforts, women are still being kidnapped and forced into prostitution. And when an Estonian woman asks him to find her missing daughter with Down Syndrome, Vaara recognizes an opportunity to “become a white knight” and salvage his reputation, as well as his marriage.
Wounded and limping, abandoned by Kate and now a single parent, Vaara relies on his team, Sweetness’ girlfriend Jenna and Milo’s cousin Mirjami, who is in love with Vaara. As a group, they plot and drink (quite a lot) and Vaara must dodge the daily advances from Mirjami; a character I started to really dislike because of her disrespect for Vaara’s marriage.
While there is an action-packed and rather complex story concerning the corruption in Helsinki, I felt that it was actually background for Vaara’s much needed soul-searching. And I appreciated that. The last novel had me wondering if the series would continue with Vaara as the sociopathic rogue he had become. His character was usually a loyal and loving family man, a hero cop that saves children and immigrants, as well as an officer who would sometimes break a criminal’s fingers while arresting them. He has always been flawed, but the last book made him amoral and truly unlikable.
To sum up, this book illustrates the human Vaara, his imperfections, and his active endeavors to “become the white knight” again. If he happens to threaten some pimps or bust the teeth of the guy who threw a brick through his window, so be it. His intentions are in the right place this time. And I will continue to follow him with next book and the next.
And where Helsinki White showed how far Vaara had plummeted with his unscrupulous strategies to bring criminals to justice, Helsinki Blood illustrates his tortuous climb towards redemption. He wants back his dignity and integrity, but most of all he wants his wife to come back home so they can be a family again. Obviously it will not be easy. After a brick comes crashing through his window, a message referring to the money he stole penned upon it, Vaara realizes he, his friends, and family are still in danger.
Up against corrupt members of the Finnish government and untouchable Russian diplomats, Vaara and his team are forced to continue using their illegal black ops methods. Despite the team’s earlier efforts, women are still being kidnapped and forced into prostitution. And when an Estonian woman asks him to find her missing daughter with Down Syndrome, Vaara recognizes an opportunity to “become a white knight” and salvage his reputation, as well as his marriage.
Wounded and limping, abandoned by Kate and now a single parent, Vaara relies on his team, Sweetness’ girlfriend Jenna and Milo’s cousin Mirjami, who is in love with Vaara. As a group, they plot and drink (quite a lot) and Vaara must dodge the daily advances from Mirjami; a character I started to really dislike because of her disrespect for Vaara’s marriage.
While there is an action-packed and rather complex story concerning the corruption in Helsinki, I felt that it was actually background for Vaara’s much needed soul-searching. And I appreciated that. The last novel had me wondering if the series would continue with Vaara as the sociopathic rogue he had become. His character was usually a loyal and loving family man, a hero cop that saves children and immigrants, as well as an officer who would sometimes break a criminal’s fingers while arresting them. He has always been flawed, but the last book made him amoral and truly unlikable.
To sum up, this book illustrates the human Vaara, his imperfections, and his active endeavors to “become the white knight” again. If he happens to threaten some pimps or bust the teeth of the guy who threw a brick through his window, so be it. His intentions are in the right place this time. And I will continue to follow him with next book and the next.
September 22, 2019
My favorite book by James Thompson is his first, “Snow Angels”. I liked the main character, Kari Vaara, but most of all, I like the fact that the setting, Finland, was almost a character in itself. The descriptions given of the weather, the lifestyle, the nature of the people who call it home were fascinating and I couldn’t wait to read another book by this author. “Lucifer’s Tears” was almost as good…but then the series took a dark turn. Vaara changed dramatically. With good reason, true, but in a way that made him very unrelatable and far less compelling to read about. The line between good and evil was blurred in the third book, “Helsinki White”, and I finished that one thinking something along the lines of, “Whew! Glad that’s over.”
Except that it wasn’t. “Helsinki Blood” again asks the reader to tough it out – to try and hang in there with a main character that does despicable things. Again, with some reasons, but after this long living on the dark side, Vaara is far less interesting. Violence, drinking, more violence…it drags on and on. His baby daughter, Anu, comes across as an afterthought. I read through several scenes in which supposedly she is around, but she is not mentioned and is often in the most inappropriate circumstances. It made me wonder why she was even introduced in the series. Her father and mother seem to barely acknowledge her existence. After a violent attack at his home, while his daughter is present, Vaara thinks, “Being left alone in her crib again angered Anu and she shouted. She has a real pair of lungs for a tyke, and it grated on me.”
I’ve never been a reader who can enjoy books in which I care about none of the characters. I need to connect with or like, or even very much dislike at least one of the people I am reading about. In “Helsinki Blood”… I really didn’t care much what happened to any of them. Possibly because none of the characters seemed to much care what happened to them, either. In one scene, a central character dies – and the rest of them just look at one another. Later, Vaara thinks, “I’m sickened by corruption, death and murder. I want to live in harmony with my family.” But by that point in the story, after what he’s done and had others do for him, that sentiment came across as utterly false. He, his wife Kate, his acquaintances seem so far removed from normal human emotions that they are no longer believable.
And the aspect of the first book in which Finland is such a major part is completely absent here. Except for mentions of types of food and drink, this story could take place anywhere. I probably will get Thompson’s next book, just to see if Vaara and Finland, in the way that first captivated me, have returned at all. If not, I might be done with this series.
Except that it wasn’t. “Helsinki Blood” again asks the reader to tough it out – to try and hang in there with a main character that does despicable things. Again, with some reasons, but after this long living on the dark side, Vaara is far less interesting. Violence, drinking, more violence…it drags on and on. His baby daughter, Anu, comes across as an afterthought. I read through several scenes in which supposedly she is around, but she is not mentioned and is often in the most inappropriate circumstances. It made me wonder why she was even introduced in the series. Her father and mother seem to barely acknowledge her existence. After a violent attack at his home, while his daughter is present, Vaara thinks, “Being left alone in her crib again angered Anu and she shouted. She has a real pair of lungs for a tyke, and it grated on me.”
I’ve never been a reader who can enjoy books in which I care about none of the characters. I need to connect with or like, or even very much dislike at least one of the people I am reading about. In “Helsinki Blood”… I really didn’t care much what happened to any of them. Possibly because none of the characters seemed to much care what happened to them, either. In one scene, a central character dies – and the rest of them just look at one another. Later, Vaara thinks, “I’m sickened by corruption, death and murder. I want to live in harmony with my family.” But by that point in the story, after what he’s done and had others do for him, that sentiment came across as utterly false. He, his wife Kate, his acquaintances seem so far removed from normal human emotions that they are no longer believable.
And the aspect of the first book in which Finland is such a major part is completely absent here. Except for mentions of types of food and drink, this story could take place anywhere. I probably will get Thompson’s next book, just to see if Vaara and Finland, in the way that first captivated me, have returned at all. If not, I might be done with this series.
July 20, 2013
Inspector Kari Vaara, of the National Bureau of Investigation, the protagonist in this series, in which this is the fourth entry, has a reputation as a “hero cop,” having been shot more than once in the line of duty and decorated for bravery both times, and possessed of “annoying incorruptibility.” In the prior book in the series, “Helsinki White,” he was offered, and accepted, a job running a black-ops unit in his native Helsinki, using crime to fight crime with hand-selected (and admittedly sociopathic) cohorts, his “brothers in arms, brothers in blood.”
The book opens a very short time after the events described in the last book. Kari is still recovering from brain surgery to remove a tumor, the unsettling after-effects of which, while now lessening, were psychological/emotional rather than physical. As I wrote about that book, his motives were primarily altruistic: “I took this job and started this illegal operation after being promised that it was for the purpose of helping people” specifically “young women being forced into the slave trade and prostitution. (A welcome by-product of bringing those criminals to justice was the ten million euros he had “liberated” from a faked blackmailer, aiding his present efforts.)
Those are still his primary motivations, especially when he is approached by a woman who begs him to find her 19-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, who has been duped and is being held against her will with an intended future as a prostitute. He believes that “if I could truly save this one girl, in some tiny way, it would justify all I’ve done. It wouldn’t make things right or restore balance to my inner world, but the symbolism would be there, proof that doing good is possible for me.” And maybe get his wife back: Vaara’s life, mind and body are in shambles, only made worse when his wife of two years, shattered by the events in the prior book and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, has left him, and their baby daughter, and sought refuge (ironically) with her drug-addicted brother in Miami. Honor-bound “to the concept of duty, that sacrifice for the good of others is not only laudable, but expected, especially when it comes to family,” he is determined to see that justice is again served, even after his investigation soon reveals that some very important people are involved, to his, and his family’s, peril. This book, as readers of the prior books in the series know, is not for the faint of heart.
It is, however, recommended.
The book opens a very short time after the events described in the last book. Kari is still recovering from brain surgery to remove a tumor, the unsettling after-effects of which, while now lessening, were psychological/emotional rather than physical. As I wrote about that book, his motives were primarily altruistic: “I took this job and started this illegal operation after being promised that it was for the purpose of helping people” specifically “young women being forced into the slave trade and prostitution. (A welcome by-product of bringing those criminals to justice was the ten million euros he had “liberated” from a faked blackmailer, aiding his present efforts.)
Those are still his primary motivations, especially when he is approached by a woman who begs him to find her 19-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, who has been duped and is being held against her will with an intended future as a prostitute. He believes that “if I could truly save this one girl, in some tiny way, it would justify all I’ve done. It wouldn’t make things right or restore balance to my inner world, but the symbolism would be there, proof that doing good is possible for me.” And maybe get his wife back: Vaara’s life, mind and body are in shambles, only made worse when his wife of two years, shattered by the events in the prior book and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, has left him, and their baby daughter, and sought refuge (ironically) with her drug-addicted brother in Miami. Honor-bound “to the concept of duty, that sacrifice for the good of others is not only laudable, but expected, especially when it comes to family,” he is determined to see that justice is again served, even after his investigation soon reveals that some very important people are involved, to his, and his family’s, peril. This book, as readers of the prior books in the series know, is not for the faint of heart.
It is, however, recommended.
March 26, 2016
Helsinki Blood by James Thompson is the 4th book of the Inspector Kari Vaara mystery/thriller series set in contemporary Finland. Kari's wife has left him, and taken their daughter Anu with her. She's badly traumatized (PTSD) by the violence of his "black ops" case (in book 3). Kari is in constant pain from the viciously administered blows to already injured and newly repaired limbs. He may never walk comfortably again. He desperately wishes to help Kate and restore his family. He's asked to find a girl with Down syndrome who has been kidnapped into prostitution. He hopes by saving Lovisse he will restore Kate's faith in the world and him. He enlists his "black ops" buddies Milo and "Sweetness" to do whatever it takes to get the girl back. Meanwhile he suffers from several life-threatening attacks accompanied by notes referring to the money he and his gang kept from the last "black op". Kari must fully identify and neutralize his attackers before they get him, his family, and his friends. It's a harsh and violent story, with an interesting philosophical discussion of "duty":
"I ask myself: What if she never recovers? Will I sleep in this chair and tend to her for the rest of my life? At present, a frequent topic of conversation and much written about in magazines is the importance of personal happiness. The trendy belief is that without personal happiness, we can't make others happy. A euphemistic way of saying that selfishness is paramount, and a twisted argument that disavowal of responsibility is desirable, not only for oneself but for the good of others. Whatever happened to the concept of duty, that sacrifice for the good of others is not only laudable, but expected, especially when it comes to family? I'm scared for Kate because of the psychological dangers that lie within her, and the physical dangers that loom from without. I will sleep in this chair. I will retire and devote myself to her care for the next forty years if need be. And I will protect her from the dangers of the world as best I'm able."
"I ask myself: What if she never recovers? Will I sleep in this chair and tend to her for the rest of my life? At present, a frequent topic of conversation and much written about in magazines is the importance of personal happiness. The trendy belief is that without personal happiness, we can't make others happy. A euphemistic way of saying that selfishness is paramount, and a twisted argument that disavowal of responsibility is desirable, not only for oneself but for the good of others. Whatever happened to the concept of duty, that sacrifice for the good of others is not only laudable, but expected, especially when it comes to family? I'm scared for Kate because of the psychological dangers that lie within her, and the physical dangers that loom from without. I will sleep in this chair. I will retire and devote myself to her care for the next forty years if need be. And I will protect her from the dangers of the world as best I'm able."
March 17, 2013
This, the 4th in the Kari Vaara series by James Thompson is an emotional, violent, dark thriller. From the first chapters you are sucked into Kari’s world, he is struggling to cope, both physically and emotionally. His wife Kate has left him, his mind is unbalanced; his life is one of pain and torment and he descends into the depths of despair. “I decided that in my current emotional state I was dangerous, not fit company for other humans.” He depends on drugs and alcohol to get through each day; so chooses a self-imposed exile.
This self-inflicted solation does not continue long as Kari is left holding the baby, he is now responsible for little Anu. However when someone strafes the house with various missiles Kari resolves to call for help from the black ops unit, in the shape of a colleague, accomplice, call him what you will, Sweetness.
Inspector Kari Vaara, once a hero cop, now he’s damaged goods, he’s crippled, he’s lost his wife; the past haunts him, ugly violence follows him, he cannot move on; so when he’s asked to help find a young Estonia girl who has been kidnapped, he ruminates that by saving her it gives him chance to redeem himself, both in Kate’s eyes and also for his own sake.
It is an engrossing read and the further one delves into the book, the more the violence escalates, it shocks, it excites, the viciousness seems pointless yet it also seems necessary. James Thompson writes the most appalling, cruel noir; his plots are fused throughout into incredible, intriguing scenarios. Yet even though the book contains the most incredible gross violence, he still manages to exhibit a side of Kari that is not insensitive and cruel, but one of a sometime, compassionate, and loving man; it is noir at its best. A brilliant read.
This self-inflicted solation does not continue long as Kari is left holding the baby, he is now responsible for little Anu. However when someone strafes the house with various missiles Kari resolves to call for help from the black ops unit, in the shape of a colleague, accomplice, call him what you will, Sweetness.
Inspector Kari Vaara, once a hero cop, now he’s damaged goods, he’s crippled, he’s lost his wife; the past haunts him, ugly violence follows him, he cannot move on; so when he’s asked to help find a young Estonia girl who has been kidnapped, he ruminates that by saving her it gives him chance to redeem himself, both in Kate’s eyes and also for his own sake.
It is an engrossing read and the further one delves into the book, the more the violence escalates, it shocks, it excites, the viciousness seems pointless yet it also seems necessary. James Thompson writes the most appalling, cruel noir; his plots are fused throughout into incredible, intriguing scenarios. Yet even though the book contains the most incredible gross violence, he still manages to exhibit a side of Kari that is not insensitive and cruel, but one of a sometime, compassionate, and loving man; it is noir at its best. A brilliant read.
April 14, 2013
Vaara returns in a novel that pulls no punches. And from the beginning, there is an implicit narrative sense of factors weighing against the protagonist, suitably so, since this is a Nordic novel. There is something elemental to Thompson’s writing, a brackish taste of the Sagas and Eddas beneath the tight prose. The acute visceral physical details the author weaves into his descriptions of his protagonist evoke a sense of inner scarring beneath the Inspector’s tough persona as Vaara battles his own demons. He also struggles to deal with his abandonment by his wife, who is suffering from PTSD, as he is left to care for their infant.
If you want to read crime fiction that is distinctive, read this. There have been many comparisons of Thompson’s style to other Nordic writers, but I think the analogies fall short and miss something that has emerged from the dual culture at work in his novels. He is not a native of Finland and that gives him an edge. Thompson has carved his own particular niche out of the first rate writing coming out of the Nordic countries, and it is one that leaves you thirsty for more. There is a combination here of a precise cold scalpel and humanity. Thompson is an inheritor of Gothic Noir, and creator of the detached and involved, the ruined and redeemed Vaara, an Inspector who embodies all the contradictions that inhabit a life. I highly recommend this.
If you want to read crime fiction that is distinctive, read this. There have been many comparisons of Thompson’s style to other Nordic writers, but I think the analogies fall short and miss something that has emerged from the dual culture at work in his novels. He is not a native of Finland and that gives him an edge. Thompson has carved his own particular niche out of the first rate writing coming out of the Nordic countries, and it is one that leaves you thirsty for more. There is a combination here of a precise cold scalpel and humanity. Thompson is an inheritor of Gothic Noir, and creator of the detached and involved, the ruined and redeemed Vaara, an Inspector who embodies all the contradictions that inhabit a life. I highly recommend this.
April 5, 2013
I have been an avid follower of Mr. Thompson since I discovered his first book “Snow Angels “and while all of them are bloody and may remind the reader more of The Godfather than anything resembling books about good cops...Kara essentially still does have a conscience. You may wonder after a while if he knows right from wrong anymore, but in the end, it will all become clear. Yes, this novel does have a very surprise ending and because of that, I am going to stick with this series. I had thought for a while, that all the blood, gore, and just pure evil would make this my last book but the author did a wonderful job of taking out the trash and leaving me some hope.
If you are new to this series I really must encourage you to read them in order. So much has happened in the past three books that if you were to start with this one you might think the author is simply a nut case. Nevertheless, each act of what appears to be cruelty has a past reason for it , Kara has some very good reasons for being the type of cop he is and Kate his wife has an excellent reason for reacting to everything the way she does.
This went from a horrifying read in spots, to a truly satisfying noir police procedural bordering on a horror novel. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something a bit different. A bit more cutting edge…
If you are new to this series I really must encourage you to read them in order. So much has happened in the past three books that if you were to start with this one you might think the author is simply a nut case. Nevertheless, each act of what appears to be cruelty has a past reason for it , Kara has some very good reasons for being the type of cop he is and Kate his wife has an excellent reason for reacting to everything the way she does.
This went from a horrifying read in spots, to a truly satisfying noir police procedural bordering on a horror novel. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something a bit different. A bit more cutting edge…
May 16, 2013
Inspector Vaara once again makes Dirty Harry look like an altar boy. Still he's one of the good guys but you really begin to wonder if that's the case. The beginning of this episode is dark and depressing. Vaara is in an alcohol and drug induced stupor beset by physical infirmities of his wounds and the flight of his beloved wife. Meanwhile people are trying to kill him; only it takes him awhile to figure out they really mean business as the warnings escalate. Vaara is not likeable at times. He's a survivor. He constantly tells himself he wants to walk away and not kill people but then does the opposite. The only real consolation is that he is killing bad or corrupt people while trying to rescue innocents, in this case a human trafficking network with hundreds of women. The action is continuous and violent. There's one showdown that is a little fanciful and the ending is quite a surprise, almost like a resurrection. So maybe the ends do justify the means.
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