The Priest of Evil

Harjunpää #10

by Matti Yrjänä Joensuu, David Hackston (Translator)

There has been a strange succession of deaths at Helsinki tube stations. The police are baffled - nobody has seen anything and the tapes from the CCTV show nothing. Detective Sergeant Timo Harjunpaa of the Helsinki Violent Crimes Unit is called to investigate.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Finnish Literature, Thriller, Scandinavian Literature, Noir

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Matti Yrjänä Joensuu (born 1948) was a Finnish writer of crime fiction. He was awarded the State's Literature Prize (1982), Vuoden johtolanka prize (1985, 1994, 2004), and he was nominated for two Finlandias. He received the Martin Beck Award in 1987. He graduated as a police in 1973 and worked as a crime investigator at the Helsinki police station's violence group.

Joensuu wrote several novels about the personal life and work of policeman Timo Harjunpää. He is a very credible and pleasant man, who treats the criminals as humanely as his own family, which consists of Timo, his wife Elisa and three children (Valpuri, Pipsa and Pauliina).

Harjunpää has also been shown on TV. Joensuu's work has been translated into English, Bulgarian, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, French, Swedish, German, Slovak, Danish, Hungarian, Russian and Estonian.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a terrible book. A totally confusing plot that just repeats itself over and over and a slew of mundane characters with no depth whatsoever to them. The author is no Jo Nesbø or Jussi Adler-Olsen.

[WakenPayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one I knew about after I watched the movie with Peter Franzen and Sampo Sarkola. The movie doesn't stay true to the book but I found it in me to like both at the same time.

I read this a while ago. Since then I have read all of Joensuu's books (he is my favourite author) that have been translated into English (I don't speak Finnish - or at least not well enough to translate a 200-300 page book).

One thing I found with this book is that I thoroughly enjoyed the subplots with Matti and Mikko. More so than the actual plot. The plot is good but the subplots are so much better.

[Milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first detective story I ever read and I loved it. I've also seen the movie but it wasn't that good. The characters are very lovable as they are afflicted in different ways.

[aure · Rating 3 out of 5]

haven’t read this guy’s work before, decent dekkari albeit i don’t really like the open ending 🥲

will probably read more from the series though, i like Helsinki as a setting

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harjunpää # 10, ühtlasi eelviimane. Samas on tegu ilmselt süngeima Harjunpää-uurimisega. Depressiivne ja masendav soome reaalsus hüppab lehekülgedelt näkku. Soomlastel on pinna all vaatamata maailma õnnelikum riik olemisele midagi väga rõhuvat, rasket, sünget, depressiivset ja hävitajalikku. Eriti lööb see välja alkoholi kasutamisel, samas aga selle pinna all küdeva maadligi rõhuva raskemeelsusega eriti muud moodi toime ei tule kui alkoga veidi päikest pimedusse lastes.

Tegevus toimub suurest Helskinki metroos, seega vähemalt minule üsna tuttavates kohtades. Tihti liigutakse lausa Raudteejaama all, kus on suur maa-alune väljak. Tegevus läheb liikvele metroorongi alla kukkunud laiba tuvastamisest. Vahemärkusena olgu öeldud, et mu meelest on nüüdseks metrooronge moderniseeritud ja niimoodi kahe vaguni vahele lükkamine on suht võimatu. Aga seda ainult minu meelest. Ühesõnaga, veriseks hakklihahunnikuks on muutunud igati elus edasijõudev noor mees, kes pealegi valmistub just isaks saama. Seega enesetapuks nagu ei näi põhjust olevat. Üsna pea ilmnebki, et ohver lükati selja tagant metroorongi ette.

Nagu ikka Harjunpää teostes vaatleb autor samamaegselt politseinikega, kes juhtumit uurivad ka mõrvari tegevust. Tegemist on hulluksläinud ja ärakeeranud endise teoloogiaprofessori ja usuõpetajaga, kes on loonud omale iseenda religiooni milles ta kummardab mingit kõikvõimast kord mehe kord naisena ilmuvat Maammo-nimelist olendit ja oranži värvi metroorongid on Maammo apostlid. Maammo nõuab aeg-ajalt ohverdusi, selleks on tuvid head küll, kuid aeg-ajalt on vaja ka inimohvrit. Siit ka romaani pealkiri - eesti keeles oleks see "Harjunpää ja kurjusepreester".

Mulle väga ei meeldinud viis kuidas seda hullunud usumeest kujutati, nimelt kirjutas autor talle väga väikeseid kuid sellest hoolimata üleloomulikke omadusi. Ta suutis hüpnotiseerida või inimesi oma tahtele allutada, ta tajus kaugelt, kui teda jälgiti ja paar korda kutsus ta oma noori jüngreid mõtte jõul enda juurde. Aga no olgu peale, need olid üsna mikroskoopilised detailid.

Paralleelset jälgib autor kirjaniku Mikko Matias Moisio elu, kes on oma psühhopaadist ja nartsissistist naisest lahku läinud ning üritab oma kahe lapse elu nende vaimsest koletisest ema käest päästa. Loomulikult ristuvad nii kirjanik Moisio kui tema poja Matti ning fanaatilise segiläinud usumehe teed.

Nagu ennem öeldud, tegu on üsna sünge ja rusuva teosega isegi Harjunpää-sarja kontekstis, kus ükski romaan eriti päikseküllasest optimismist ei pajata. Siiski on nagu ikka soe, turvaline ja helge koht Harjunpää kodu, kus ta käib patareisid laadimas ja meelemõistust taastamas. Samas on tegu mu personaalse Harjunpää-edetabeli üsna esiotsa kohaga. Kirjutades oli siin 10-aastane paus, eelmine Harjunpää-romaan "Harjunpää ja armastuse nälg" ilmus 1993. aastal, see siin nägi ilmavalgust 2003. aastal. Peale seda tuligi veel ainult üks, viimane, "Harjunpää ja rauast tuba" 2010. aastal, mis jäi Joensuu viimaseks teoseks.

[Johanna Lehto · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a school assignment a few years ago. I didn't like this book at all. I forgot things that happened and had to reread chapters etc. Unfortunately, I'm not neither very big fan of crime novels. There are few that I like. However, this was one I just couldn't get into and like.

[Jittishodan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olen tykännyt Harjunpää-dekkareista niiden rauhallisesta ja realistisesta poljennosta. Kaikkia rikoksia ei aina ratkaista ja paha tai kiero ei saa rangaistustaan, vaan oikeasti palkitaan. Niihän asiat etenevät oikeassakin elämässä. Silti tämä Harjunpää oli synkin kaikista ja ylitti sietokynnyksen. Yli kolmea en voinut antaa.

[Dave Capers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good piece of psycho-killer genre fiction, however the deus-ex-incompetent-bomb-construction climax followed by the last chapter where the detective's wife suddenly dies (or doesn't?) was a bit off-putting.

[Temez Proplem · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good, I liked the story telling approach they took with each chapter being from different perspectives. The ending was just slightly confusing

[tomsyak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew, of course, that Scandinavian crime was dark, but this book really brought the idea home.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd religious motivation in this police procedural, and a little family life for police and bystanders. Unique.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eurocrime is really a tremendous imprint, providing some real little gems of books from a range of different cultural backgrounds. These books provide the crime reader with a glimpse into another culture. And make you realise that whilst some things are very different, more often it's the similarities that are surprising.

The things that THE PRIEST OF EVIL shows are the same in Finland, as they are where I come from, include the way that people can be invisible. Sometimes it's because of age, often it's age and gender combined. The other thing that seems to be guaranteed to make you invisible is doing something that discomforts others. Stand and preach, hand out pamphlets, be old, be old and female, look scruffy, or homeless or somehow "different" and you're pretty well guaranteed to slip under most people's radars. Except for other members of society also slightly on the outer. And that was the other message that came across very clearly in this book - be an outsider and you risk gravitating towards the edges, towards acceptance of any kind. Regardless of whether those edges are safe, and whether that acceptance is unconditional. Although it's not always a given and in many ways the hero's in our society (in this case the tenacious detective), are outsiders in their own right - who were drawn to a different edge.

THE PRIEST OF EVIL is quiet and contained, whilst Joensuu creates a very intimate relationship with his characters. As is the way with so many of the very good psychological style crime fiction books, there is a lot that isn't fully explained, resolved or even addressed. The reader is left to consider what it is that initiates the directions that people's lives take.

[M M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Policeman novelist Matti Yrjänä Joensuu is a Finn with a vision. In his The Priest of Evil, he develops a peculiar mish-mash of new age religion, serial killings, deeply troubled adults and their disturbed relationships with appallingly cold and twisted parents, bullied children and their close friendships, mind control, and beneath it all, such aching sadness that it is not surprising Finland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. A couple of fundamentalist preachers are accosting passersby at various Metro stops in Helsinki, and there appears to be a correlation between them and people falling onto the tracks. Were they pushed? Are they suicidal? The CCTVs show nothing suspicious. The investigating policeman is that rare bird in detective fiction – a man truly content in his marriage and with his little girls. Separate strands of the tale deal with a shaman who invokes an earth goddess and bleeds birds to death for his sacrifices, and a boy who strikes up a friendship with a girl who saves him from bullies. The boy’s mother is a virulently manipulative shrew, and his father is – like Joensuu – a man isolated from his colleagues because of his side career as a successful novelist. It’s obvious from the get-go who the killer is, but the goodness in the book is in the chase and in the details of a hidden Helsinki, and Joensuu’s fervent belief that the police, with a ringside view on society, is the front line in fighting evil in all its forms.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think this was too bad. I wish that a few things were explained though like the antagonists power with Mamo(a "god" he worships).

Detective Timo Harjunpaa is investigating a series of murders in the Finnish subway system. Security cameras show no sign of anyone murdering anyone.

I will say that the movie was better in my eyes. That is a personal opinion but then again its not like this book was awful(far from it - actually, this is one of the best books I've ever read).

If you really think that a crime novel is your cup of tea then go ahead. This one works well with its premise

[Susanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okei, tää Harjunpää ei ollu mun juttu. Suurimman osan aikaa mua vaan ällötti tai ahdisti, ei juuri toivonpilkahduksia nähty tässä kirjassa; lisäksi en pitänyt loppuratkaisuista. Sinänsä sivuseikkana jäin miettimään, miten kauan jotkut viittaukset ns. tunnettuihin rikoksiin (tai muihin tunnettuihin tapauksiin) ymmärretään ja koska ne muuttuu vain tarinan kerronnaksi, jolle lukija kohauttaa olkapäitään: "mitähän toikin nyt tarkotti?" Kauanko esimerkiksi "Myyrmannin tapaus" pysyy ihmisten mielissä? Viis vuotta, kymmenen vuotta, vähemmän, enemmän...?

[Meen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fast read. I needed an escape. However...

I can never shut off the sociologist, so at the same time that I'm reading and taking in the story I'm making cultural comparisons b/w Finland and the US and how those shape the differences (and similarities) b/w each one's portrayal of police and criminals.

[Outi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting. I enjoy Joensuu's way of writing and the way he gets so close to his characters. The book left a lot unexplained but somehow it didn't matter because what was more important was the understanding of childhood and the dangers of loveless childhood. The ending was unusual and very very exciting.

[Kailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a straightforward police procedural, but instead I found myself reading a meditation on the long term effects of family abuse. The Priest of Evil is a well written novel that explores territory outside of the expected path of the mystery novel.

[Inge424 · Rating 4 out of 5]

schitterend verhaal, heel goed gebracht. In het begin een beetje verwarrend door de namen en het switchen van heden naar verleden en terug.
Heel lang blijf je met de verschillende draadjes maar op het einde wordt alles netjes afgewerkt.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loppuipa ikävästi kesken, perkele.
Mutta sujuva ja hupaisa kirja.

[kt Sedat · Rating 2 out of 5]

"meh" Too "hocus-pocus" for my taste. Though the cliff hanger ending does catch my interest to read the next one.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loistavasti kirjoitettu, luin melkein yhdelta istumalta. Joensuu osaa kirjoittaa niin, etta lukija paasee todellakin niin poliisin kuin rikollistenkin ajatusmaailmaan sisalle.

[Elina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harjunpää ja pahan pappi

[PiaLep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadistinen äiti ja pahan valtaa käyttävä maahinen.