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Henkivartija #1
The Bodyguard
As a professional bodyguard, Hilja Ilveskero rarely loses her cool. But one day, she and a client have an argument in a Moscow fur salon, and Hilja quits on the spot. When the client turns up dead, Hilja quickly discovers that she is a suspect. In an attempt to clear her name and find the killer, she uncovers ever-deeper layers of subterfuge. Amid all the covert treachery and intrigue, Hilja finds herself falling in love with a suspicious yet irresistibly sexy man—but is her heart clouding her judgment? In this tale of political romance populated by Russian oligarchs, Finnish politicians, and undercover cops, no one is what they seem and no one can be trusted. A fast-paced, tightly woven tale of love, murder, betrayal, and high-stakes deal-making, The Bodyguard—the first in a gripping trilogy by internationally acclaimed Nordic crime author Leena Lehtolainen—exposes the delicacy and dark underbelly of international relations on both a human and global scale.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
128 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Leena Lehtolainen
94 books270 followersLeena Katriina Lehtolainen is a Finnish crime novelist, best known for her series of novels about the policewoman Maria Kallio.
Lehtolainen was born in Vesanto, Northern Savonia. Her first novel was released when she was only 12 years old. She studied literature in Helsinki until 1995 and wrote crime novels from 1993 on. Since about 2007 she has written other genres of books. Her works have been translated into various languages: Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Lithuanian, Polish, French, Swedish, German, Estonian, Czech.
Lehtolainen was born in Vesanto, Northern Savonia. Her first novel was released when she was only 12 years old. She studied literature in Helsinki until 1995 and wrote crime novels from 1993 on. Since about 2007 she has written other genres of books. Her works have been translated into various languages: Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Lithuanian, Polish, French, Swedish, German, Estonian, Czech.
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July 17, 2016
Galiba ilk defa bir kitaba iki puan veriyorum ama gerçekten hak etti. Görüşüme gelirsek;
Kitabı hemen size bir kaç kelimeyle özetleyeyim Vaşak, Doğalgaz boru hattı, Rusya, Finliler ve Anita.
Evet işte bu kadar. Baş karakterimiz vaşaklarla kafayı bozmuş bir durumda. İki kelimesinden biri vaşak. Başkarakter Hilja'nın hayal gücünün oldukça geniş olduğunu eklemem gerek. Kitap polisiye/gerilim kategorisinde galiba ama gerilimi bırak polisiye desem mi demesem mi bilemedim. Kitap Hilja'nın koruduğu kişi olan Anita'nın ölümü ile başlıyor. Hilja'nın katili bulmaya çalışmasıyla devam ediyor. Devam ediyor etmesine de, kitap ilerledikçe kitap karışıyor ve başka başka olaylar oluyor.
Normalde genellikle orijinal dili İngilizce olan kitaplar okuyorum, doğal olarak bu kitap Fince olduğu için Türkçe'ye çeviriminde ilk başta gariplikler olabilir ama zamanla alışıyorsunuz. Ben yazarın Rusya ve Finliler arasındaki siyaseti ve gerilimi karakterlere çokça yansıttığını düşünüyorum, ve bence siyaset konusu bir yazarın kaçması gereken önemli şeylerden. Çokça siyaset vardı ve sizde Finlandiya ve Rusya'nın siyaset ilişkisini bilmediğiniz için olaylar karşısında aklınız oldukça karışabiliyor. Kitap evrensel olarak yazılmamış ve bu da benim için oldukça büyük bir eksik.
Onun dışında kitap da komik yerler de vardı. Ayrıca Hilja'nın yeri geldiği zaman başka karakterlere bürünmesi biraz sinirimi bozdu. Yazarın dili kolay ve iyiydi. Çok fazla sıkıldığımı söyleyemem.
[SPOILER BAŞI] Ayrıca kitabın konusu Anita ile başladığı için, sonunda Anita'nın kimi öldürdüğü o kadar sönük kalıyor ki. Ayrıca sonunu ve David olayını sevdiğimi söyleyemeyeceğim. Hilja'nın David'e karşı koyamamasını hiç anlayamıyorum. [SPOILER SONU]
Kitabın ikincisi de varmış, okur muyum? Muhtemelen hayır. Size önerir miyim? Eğer üstteki olayları ilgi çekici bulduysanız, evet.
Kitabı hemen size bir kaç kelimeyle özetleyeyim Vaşak, Doğalgaz boru hattı, Rusya, Finliler ve Anita.
Evet işte bu kadar. Baş karakterimiz vaşaklarla kafayı bozmuş bir durumda. İki kelimesinden biri vaşak. Başkarakter Hilja'nın hayal gücünün oldukça geniş olduğunu eklemem gerek. Kitap polisiye/gerilim kategorisinde galiba ama gerilimi bırak polisiye desem mi demesem mi bilemedim. Kitap Hilja'nın koruduğu kişi olan Anita'nın ölümü ile başlıyor. Hilja'nın katili bulmaya çalışmasıyla devam ediyor. Devam ediyor etmesine de, kitap ilerledikçe kitap karışıyor ve başka başka olaylar oluyor.
Normalde genellikle orijinal dili İngilizce olan kitaplar okuyorum, doğal olarak bu kitap Fince olduğu için Türkçe'ye çeviriminde ilk başta gariplikler olabilir ama zamanla alışıyorsunuz. Ben yazarın Rusya ve Finliler arasındaki siyaseti ve gerilimi karakterlere çokça yansıttığını düşünüyorum, ve bence siyaset konusu bir yazarın kaçması gereken önemli şeylerden. Çokça siyaset vardı ve sizde Finlandiya ve Rusya'nın siyaset ilişkisini bilmediğiniz için olaylar karşısında aklınız oldukça karışabiliyor. Kitap evrensel olarak yazılmamış ve bu da benim için oldukça büyük bir eksik.
Onun dışında kitap da komik yerler de vardı. Ayrıca Hilja'nın yeri geldiği zaman başka karakterlere bürünmesi biraz sinirimi bozdu. Yazarın dili kolay ve iyiydi. Çok fazla sıkıldığımı söyleyemem.
[SPOILER BAŞI] Ayrıca kitabın konusu Anita ile başladığı için, sonunda Anita'nın kimi öldürdüğü o kadar sönük kalıyor ki. Ayrıca sonunu ve David olayını sevdiğimi söyleyemeyeceğim. Hilja'nın David'e karşı koyamamasını hiç anlayamıyorum. [SPOILER SONU]
Kitabın ikincisi de varmış, okur muyum? Muhtemelen hayır. Size önerir miyim? Eğer üstteki olayları ilgi çekici bulduysanız, evet.
January 20, 2015
Leena Lehtolainen is a Finnish author, best known for her series featuring Policewoman Maria Kallio. THE BODYGUARD is the first in a new trilogy, featuring bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero. According to her website:
"The underlying theme of the trilogy is a series of questions about identity and concealment. Who is each person really? What disguise is each person using? What does it mean to be family? What language does each person speak and understand, and what is each person’s secret language? Finnish is a good secret language—few people understand it — and Finland as a country is a safe haven for many an international criminal. Who is on whose side? Who can be trusted? What is each person’s price? Who is each person willing either to betray or to save?"
Which is something this reader should possibly have read before undertaking this book as there were so many aspects that just didn't make sense.
Starting out in Russia where Ilveskero (she from the blurb who rarely loses her cool), loses her cool immediately when her client, a wealth Finnish woman, insists on buying a Lynx fur coat and Ilveskero quits on the spot. Her objections to this particular fur coat are eventually explained, but immediately the reader is presented with a weird discordance - for somebody who rarely loses her cool - she's let it rip early on. Who's wrong here - the blurb or the character. Unfortunately a sneaking suspicion of understanding creeps in about the time that the wealthy client is shot dead in Moscow, and Ilveskero is questioned by the police. In what starts out as a "clearing her name" storyline, things rapidly progress to another client, a very odd ongoing discussion with herself in the disguise of a male character, a lot of backstory of childhood, and time in bodyguard / security school in the US, and a lurking threatening male who, of course, our heroine promptly falls for, and into the bed of.
The danger in using first person like this is that the reader has to have a connection with the central character. Even if they are selectively viewed, unreliable, odd, self-obsessed, or whatever other failings there are in the protaganist, the reader must want to spend time in that head / those thoughts. For this reader that was a very difficult proposition in THE BODYGUARD. Ilveskero isn't necessarily unreliable, and whilst she's definitely a bit odd, the offputting bit was definitely obsession, slow reveals and repetition. Reading the explanation from the website now makes some sense of some of Ilveskero's obsessions - but just reading the book - they seem like simply character traits, behaviours, with no particular reason. Obviously the use of the slow reveal to explain the Lynx obsession, the difficult childhood, is meant to raise tension - but when it's in the main character's own head - it's just came across to this reader as odd, selective memories. And the constant repetition of elements of the past, of the security school, what her tutor says / thinks, and the location of the cabin, and the bike, and and and - made it feel like you were spending way too much time in the head of somebody with an OCD problem.
None of this was helped by some really odd motivations at points - if you believe the ex-partner responsible for ordering the killing of your boss has sent an underling in pursuit of you - is it even vaguely possible that your first choice would be to fall madly in lust? Even while telling yourself that you can't trust this bloke. Okay so some women might be daft enough but should a trained bodyguard be that stupid? Careless? Whilst attaching trackers to clients and supposedly hiding your location from the same man?
The repetition, the odd motivations, the oversharing of the central character in THE BODYGUARD bogged the reading down to the point where the book felt like it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be and the ending seemed constantly in the distance. Even when much of the action had been wrapped up - the final twist was so corny alas it was the straw that broke this camel's back.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
"The underlying theme of the trilogy is a series of questions about identity and concealment. Who is each person really? What disguise is each person using? What does it mean to be family? What language does each person speak and understand, and what is each person’s secret language? Finnish is a good secret language—few people understand it — and Finland as a country is a safe haven for many an international criminal. Who is on whose side? Who can be trusted? What is each person’s price? Who is each person willing either to betray or to save?"
Which is something this reader should possibly have read before undertaking this book as there were so many aspects that just didn't make sense.
Starting out in Russia where Ilveskero (she from the blurb who rarely loses her cool), loses her cool immediately when her client, a wealth Finnish woman, insists on buying a Lynx fur coat and Ilveskero quits on the spot. Her objections to this particular fur coat are eventually explained, but immediately the reader is presented with a weird discordance - for somebody who rarely loses her cool - she's let it rip early on. Who's wrong here - the blurb or the character. Unfortunately a sneaking suspicion of understanding creeps in about the time that the wealthy client is shot dead in Moscow, and Ilveskero is questioned by the police. In what starts out as a "clearing her name" storyline, things rapidly progress to another client, a very odd ongoing discussion with herself in the disguise of a male character, a lot of backstory of childhood, and time in bodyguard / security school in the US, and a lurking threatening male who, of course, our heroine promptly falls for, and into the bed of.
The danger in using first person like this is that the reader has to have a connection with the central character. Even if they are selectively viewed, unreliable, odd, self-obsessed, or whatever other failings there are in the protaganist, the reader must want to spend time in that head / those thoughts. For this reader that was a very difficult proposition in THE BODYGUARD. Ilveskero isn't necessarily unreliable, and whilst she's definitely a bit odd, the offputting bit was definitely obsession, slow reveals and repetition. Reading the explanation from the website now makes some sense of some of Ilveskero's obsessions - but just reading the book - they seem like simply character traits, behaviours, with no particular reason. Obviously the use of the slow reveal to explain the Lynx obsession, the difficult childhood, is meant to raise tension - but when it's in the main character's own head - it's just came across to this reader as odd, selective memories. And the constant repetition of elements of the past, of the security school, what her tutor says / thinks, and the location of the cabin, and the bike, and and and - made it feel like you were spending way too much time in the head of somebody with an OCD problem.
None of this was helped by some really odd motivations at points - if you believe the ex-partner responsible for ordering the killing of your boss has sent an underling in pursuit of you - is it even vaguely possible that your first choice would be to fall madly in lust? Even while telling yourself that you can't trust this bloke. Okay so some women might be daft enough but should a trained bodyguard be that stupid? Careless? Whilst attaching trackers to clients and supposedly hiding your location from the same man?
The repetition, the odd motivations, the oversharing of the central character in THE BODYGUARD bogged the reading down to the point where the book felt like it was about 1/3rd longer than it needed to be and the ending seemed constantly in the distance. Even when much of the action had been wrapped up - the final twist was so corny alas it was the straw that broke this camel's back.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
May 2, 2015
http://noranydroptoread.com/2015/04/2...
After reading Lehtolainen's SNOW WOMAN, I was excited to read this book, the first in a trilogy about bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero, who according to the blurb "rarely loses her cool" promptly loses her cool when her current employer, a wealthy Finnish woman, insists on buying a lynx fur coat. Lynx clearly have special meaning for Ilveskero, but it will be many, many pages before we find out what that is, which is odd, because the book is written in first person. When this employer turns up dead, Ilveskero must find the killer, since she is a suspect after the aforementioned losing-her-cool incident early in the book.
I'm way behind on book reviews, so I'm not going to go on and on about every little thing about this book that made it a hard slog to get through. My primary complaint is that I really didn't connect at all with the narrator. She dribbled out bits of information seemingly at random, we learn way too much irrelevant information about her childhood and time in bodyguard school, but the most irritating thing about her is the old "he's so dangerous and I probably can't trust him, but I just can't help myself!" romance trope. Barf.
Romantic suspense really isn't my thing, especially the "I'm smart and capable and I know I shouldn't sleep with Dangerous Man, but you know I'm going to anyway!" variety. I can't really say whether this succeeds as a romantic suspense novel, but as a mystery and as a thriller, it fell flat for me. I don't have to like a first person narrator, but I need to find some connection with her if I'm to spend a whole novel in her head, and that proved impossible here. And the mystery (in the blurb "layers of intrigue") was a convoluted mess.
Source disclosure: I received an e-galley of this title courtesy of the publisher.
After reading Lehtolainen's SNOW WOMAN, I was excited to read this book, the first in a trilogy about bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero, who according to the blurb "rarely loses her cool" promptly loses her cool when her current employer, a wealthy Finnish woman, insists on buying a lynx fur coat. Lynx clearly have special meaning for Ilveskero, but it will be many, many pages before we find out what that is, which is odd, because the book is written in first person. When this employer turns up dead, Ilveskero must find the killer, since she is a suspect after the aforementioned losing-her-cool incident early in the book.
I'm way behind on book reviews, so I'm not going to go on and on about every little thing about this book that made it a hard slog to get through. My primary complaint is that I really didn't connect at all with the narrator. She dribbled out bits of information seemingly at random, we learn way too much irrelevant information about her childhood and time in bodyguard school, but the most irritating thing about her is the old "he's so dangerous and I probably can't trust him, but I just can't help myself!" romance trope. Barf.
Romantic suspense really isn't my thing, especially the "I'm smart and capable and I know I shouldn't sleep with Dangerous Man, but you know I'm going to anyway!" variety. I can't really say whether this succeeds as a romantic suspense novel, but as a mystery and as a thriller, it fell flat for me. I don't have to like a first person narrator, but I need to find some connection with her if I'm to spend a whole novel in her head, and that proved impossible here. And the mystery (in the blurb "layers of intrigue") was a convoluted mess.
Source disclosure: I received an e-galley of this title courtesy of the publisher.
December 19, 2014
I really like Leena Lehtolainen's book The Bodyguard. So much, that this book was a winner to me. It had Lynx in it, we found one frozen to death in a log cabin in northern Minnesota. I relate to her there were a lot of Finnish up there also.
April 28, 2015
***Won in a GoodReads First Reads giveaway***
Things just did not connect with this story. Really a 1 Star sort of book, I give it 2 because it is translated from a Finnish author and as such the locales described are of Finland and Russia, and written from a Finnish point of view...I thought that was at least a change of pace for me.
However, the story was just blah. It reminded me of watching Quantum of Solace and finding out the bad guy was stealing water...really? Similarly here, it is all a debate over real estate. I don't know, just doesn't seem like a catalyst for murdering people.
Regardless, this is less a thriller/action story than it is a romance novel with a bit of action. The main character, Hilja Ilveskero, is a body guard who trained in Queens by Mike Virtue (don't worry about remembering that, she cites it plenty in her narrative). Her employer ends up dead the night after she quits for a somewhat childish reason. What follows is her attempt to find out the real killer, evade suspicion from the Finnish police, and look for an excuse to get a job and/or dress up like her male alter ego, Reiska.
Being Finnish, all the names and places are hell to keep straight and since I am not familiar with the country, saying cities and places means nothing geographically to me. I suppose the translator faithfully did her job, and being a Finnish book, most Finns probably know their own country.
The plotting was a bit slow and in fact, I ended up skimming the last 100 pages or so, and felt like I finally had achieved the pacing that the story needed. So often when reading a paragraph, some random sentences were present that had no bearing on character development, story, plot, whatever. It was just extra words. However, I could overlook that, because hey its an action book so there should be something else than constant happenings. Of course when one mixes a whole lot of female ambiguous emotions into the plot of a thriller, it has to slow down. But who would have thought love would be so boring and tedious. Hilja flip flops on her lover so often it is ridiculous. The pace at which she falls in love, equally so. The ending and her status with love, just plain absurd.
I have zero interest in finding out about what happens to Hilja in future books, mainly because she is not some tough girl who takes on people and defends her clients, but instead, just some sappy girl who can completely distract herself from her mission because of the smell of a man makes her lady bits all tingly. More chick lit than anything else; no thank you.
Things just did not connect with this story. Really a 1 Star sort of book, I give it 2 because it is translated from a Finnish author and as such the locales described are of Finland and Russia, and written from a Finnish point of view...I thought that was at least a change of pace for me.
However, the story was just blah. It reminded me of watching Quantum of Solace and finding out the bad guy was stealing water...really? Similarly here, it is all a debate over real estate. I don't know, just doesn't seem like a catalyst for murdering people.
Regardless, this is less a thriller/action story than it is a romance novel with a bit of action. The main character, Hilja Ilveskero, is a body guard who trained in Queens by Mike Virtue (don't worry about remembering that, she cites it plenty in her narrative). Her employer ends up dead the night after she quits for a somewhat childish reason. What follows is her attempt to find out the real killer, evade suspicion from the Finnish police, and look for an excuse to get a job and/or dress up like her male alter ego, Reiska.
Being Finnish, all the names and places are hell to keep straight and since I am not familiar with the country, saying cities and places means nothing geographically to me. I suppose the translator faithfully did her job, and being a Finnish book, most Finns probably know their own country.
The plotting was a bit slow and in fact, I ended up skimming the last 100 pages or so, and felt like I finally had achieved the pacing that the story needed. So often when reading a paragraph, some random sentences were present that had no bearing on character development, story, plot, whatever. It was just extra words. However, I could overlook that, because hey its an action book so there should be something else than constant happenings. Of course when one mixes a whole lot of female ambiguous emotions into the plot of a thriller, it has to slow down. But who would have thought love would be so boring and tedious. Hilja flip flops on her lover so often it is ridiculous. The pace at which she falls in love, equally so. The ending and her status with love, just plain absurd.
I have zero interest in finding out about what happens to Hilja in future books, mainly because she is not some tough girl who takes on people and defends her clients, but instead, just some sappy girl who can completely distract herself from her mission because of the smell of a man makes her lady bits all tingly. More chick lit than anything else; no thank you.
February 18, 2018
Prima thriller ondanks de wat lastige namen.
January 8, 2021
Middle of the road
This book is a thriller/suspense about a Finnish bodyguard trying to figure out who killed her former employer after she resigned due to a fight over a lynx fur coat.
I was so here for this. I could relate to Hilja losing her temper over animal fur. I am one of those. No shame.
Hilja had a thing for lynxes, and as the book goes on, the reader learns why is this so important to her.
The international mystery aspect was a great contrast to the familiarity I got from the Finnish countryside setting. I was so into this. "Kiitos! Vihdoinkin!" I shouted late at night when I started the audiobook on Scribd. Now my rating system...here we go.
1. Did I put the book down?
I did. I hesitated to pick it up again. I can't give it a star here. The narrator practiced her Finnish pronunciation, but no one helped her with the Russian and the random out of the blue Spanish that suddenly appeared. I know a multilingual narration is a pain in the a** for a lot of narrators so, I was satisfied that at least she handled the Finnish names well. Can't say the same for the Maria Kallio series narrator. Oof. I dropped that after a couple of minutes.
2. The characters?
I like Hilja, for the most part. I wanted to like this book. And then...and then...I think I can give it a star here, because I did enjoy multiple aspects of her character. So there goes. 🌟
3. Structure
Half star I guess. So many good stuff, and then this novel got muddled with some random lustful romance thing. Here is where I found myself saying PERKELE out loud at 2 in the morning and temporarily dropping the book for the night. A very anti-climactic ending, I can forgive because hei, remember your fellow Finns aren't exactly dramatic, which I can appreciate as a breath of fresh air. But it all ended revolving around this other guy. Hilja, please don't sell yourself like this very tough woman when in truth you're just another fluffy romantic lady. Blah. Half a star.
4. Writing.
I'm judging a translation here, credit to Jenni Salmi. It was alright. There were some repetitive stuff coming every now and then. I think that's the author more than the translator, so despite it being well written, enough to make me finish the book, I have my doubts. I am very thankful for the translation so, half a star?
5. Purely subjective stuff
Like I said, I loved many things about this story, but the random romance was such a blah...I don't know if I would continue reading if this is going to turn into Hilja's happy family story with this guy. No thank you. So much potential and uniqueness right there, wasted in an effort of writing something like everyone else does. Half a star?
2.5/5
I love Finland, I'm a Finn-adopted, and I want to read more by Finnish authors but please, no more random romance. I didn't sign up for that when I clicked on a thriller/crime/suspense novel. Kiitos. Hei.
This book is a thriller/suspense about a Finnish bodyguard trying to figure out who killed her former employer after she resigned due to a fight over a lynx fur coat.
I was so here for this. I could relate to Hilja losing her temper over animal fur. I am one of those. No shame.
Hilja had a thing for lynxes, and as the book goes on, the reader learns why is this so important to her.
The international mystery aspect was a great contrast to the familiarity I got from the Finnish countryside setting. I was so into this. "Kiitos! Vihdoinkin!" I shouted late at night when I started the audiobook on Scribd. Now my rating system...here we go.
1. Did I put the book down?
I did. I hesitated to pick it up again. I can't give it a star here. The narrator practiced her Finnish pronunciation, but no one helped her with the Russian and the random out of the blue Spanish that suddenly appeared. I know a multilingual narration is a pain in the a** for a lot of narrators so, I was satisfied that at least she handled the Finnish names well. Can't say the same for the Maria Kallio series narrator. Oof. I dropped that after a couple of minutes.
2. The characters?
I like Hilja, for the most part. I wanted to like this book. And then...and then...I think I can give it a star here, because I did enjoy multiple aspects of her character. So there goes. 🌟
3. Structure
Half star I guess. So many good stuff, and then this novel got muddled with some random lustful romance thing. Here is where I found myself saying PERKELE out loud at 2 in the morning and temporarily dropping the book for the night. A very anti-climactic ending, I can forgive because hei, remember your fellow Finns aren't exactly dramatic, which I can appreciate as a breath of fresh air. But it all ended revolving around this other guy. Hilja, please don't sell yourself like this very tough woman when in truth you're just another fluffy romantic lady. Blah. Half a star.
4. Writing.
I'm judging a translation here, credit to Jenni Salmi. It was alright. There were some repetitive stuff coming every now and then. I think that's the author more than the translator, so despite it being well written, enough to make me finish the book, I have my doubts. I am very thankful for the translation so, half a star?
5. Purely subjective stuff
Like I said, I loved many things about this story, but the random romance was such a blah...I don't know if I would continue reading if this is going to turn into Hilja's happy family story with this guy. No thank you. So much potential and uniqueness right there, wasted in an effort of writing something like everyone else does. Half a star?
2.5/5
I love Finland, I'm a Finn-adopted, and I want to read more by Finnish authors but please, no more random romance. I didn't sign up for that when I clicked on a thriller/crime/suspense novel. Kiitos. Hei.
July 5, 2024
Henkivartija aloittaa Hilja Ilveskerosta kertovan muutaman kirjan dekkarisarjan. Henkilöitä tuntuu olevan aluksi paljon, ja päähenkilön elämän huolellinen taustoittaminen tekee käynnistymisestä hitaahkon. Mutta kun niistä suoriudutaan, romaani nappaa imuunsa, eikä sitä malttaisi laskea käsistään. Kirjassa selvitetään Ilveskeron palkanneen Anitan murhaa, joka tapahtuu heti henkivartijan irtisanouduttua työsuhteesta. Jännitteisyyttä tuo myös se, ettei lukijana ole ihan varma, kuka on se pahin pahis. Loppuratkaisua saa jännittää viimeisille sivuille asti.
Ihailin Lehtolaisen muuntautumiskykyä kirjailijana romaanin alusta asti, sillä Maria Kallio -sarjaan vertailua en voinut välttää. Miten erilaisella, täpäkällä tavalla hän onkaan kirjoittanut tämän Maria Kallio -sarjaan verrattuna! Myös päähenkilö on aivan eri maailmasta kuin konservatiivinen, turvallinen ja tuttu Maria. Se oli virkistävää, vaikka pidättyvään, karskiin päähenkilöön kiintyminen hieman kestikin. Myös henkivartijan työn kuvaaminen oli kiinnostavaa, samoin kuin kiihkeän, vaarallisen rakkaussuhteenkin. Se toikin romaaniin trillerimäisyyttä ja mieleen Bond-elokuvat.
Onneksi yöpöydälläni odottaa seuraava osa. Aion tarttua siihen heti.
Ihailin Lehtolaisen muuntautumiskykyä kirjailijana romaanin alusta asti, sillä Maria Kallio -sarjaan vertailua en voinut välttää. Miten erilaisella, täpäkällä tavalla hän onkaan kirjoittanut tämän Maria Kallio -sarjaan verrattuna! Myös päähenkilö on aivan eri maailmasta kuin konservatiivinen, turvallinen ja tuttu Maria. Se oli virkistävää, vaikka pidättyvään, karskiin päähenkilöön kiintyminen hieman kestikin. Myös henkivartijan työn kuvaaminen oli kiinnostavaa, samoin kuin kiihkeän, vaarallisen rakkaussuhteenkin. Se toikin romaaniin trillerimäisyyttä ja mieleen Bond-elokuvat.
Onneksi yöpöydälläni odottaa seuraava osa. Aion tarttua siihen heti.
November 20, 2020
A thriller! Narrated by a female bodyguard! In Finland! (I have a deep and abiding love for Finland which bewilders and concerns every Finnish person I meet. Sorry, Finland. I was living through a Russian winter when I met you and imprinted like an Anne McCaffrey baby dragon. Nothing you can do about it.) There are a lot of sociopolitical details thrown at you relatively early which may be hard to track if you’re not familiar with them - Putin’s rise, the Russian invasion of Georgia, Finland’s role during WWII, etc. - and it only gets more complicated. Hilja, our narrator, is very Finnish, by which I mean she is very weird but endearing if you like that sort of weirdness; there are lots of details of her odd childhood revealed over time. Despite the fact that this is a book narrated by a hardbitten bodyguard and involving lots of murders and political intrigue, there's a warmth to it - so many people are genuinely good, or kind, or well-intentioned - and you're left with a sense of optimism. Great book for winter.
July 2, 2021
Quite the Tale!
At first I didn't think I was going to like this new character and her story after inhaling the eleven Maria Kalio novels in a matter of a few weeks. Wasn't sure how Lehtolainen was going to create a full blooded character differentiated from Maria. Well, she did and I am once again hooked. Can't wait to get stuck into volume two. What a lovely, diabolical and twisted story and as usual, I fell in love with the cat. Great scenes of passion. Mmm.
At first I didn't think I was going to like this new character and her story after inhaling the eleven Maria Kalio novels in a matter of a few weeks. Wasn't sure how Lehtolainen was going to create a full blooded character differentiated from Maria. Well, she did and I am once again hooked. Can't wait to get stuck into volume two. What a lovely, diabolical and twisted story and as usual, I fell in love with the cat. Great scenes of passion. Mmm.
December 30, 2020
I am always happy to pick up a new Scandinavian and my boos was the one that recommended this one to me....and as I tend to put recommended books aside for "another day" (what if I don't like it...?) this winter break was my turn to dig into some books that have been on my TBR for too long....
The protagonist and narrator is a bodyguard by trade--- with a past that has taught her to survive on her own and distrust the world. At the beginning of the book her boss ends up dead and Hilja cannot remember the night. She spends the book trying to figure out what happened to her Finnish real estate boss in Moscow and if she may have been the murderer. Along the way, she protects a politician, meets a man she easily falls in love with, and recounts her past and respect for lynx.
This book was not suspenseful, nor a page turner, but it was interesting and I enjoyed seeing the way Lehtolainen's brain works. I am not sure that this is "THE" book to read....but it was worth the time and I appreciated how the book ended with everything fitting together.
Read if you enjoy "Nordic Noir".
The protagonist and narrator is a bodyguard by trade--- with a past that has taught her to survive on her own and distrust the world. At the beginning of the book her boss ends up dead and Hilja cannot remember the night. She spends the book trying to figure out what happened to her Finnish real estate boss in Moscow and if she may have been the murderer. Along the way, she protects a politician, meets a man she easily falls in love with, and recounts her past and respect for lynx.
This book was not suspenseful, nor a page turner, but it was interesting and I enjoyed seeing the way Lehtolainen's brain works. I am not sure that this is "THE" book to read....but it was worth the time and I appreciated how the book ended with everything fitting together.
Read if you enjoy "Nordic Noir".
April 16, 2013
J'ai été très surprise par ce roman. La collection Black Moon thriller est encore récente et je pensais qu'il s'agissait de romans pour les jeunes adultes, comme les titres fantastique. Ce n'est pas le cas car Le Lynx est plutôt destiné à un public adulte puisqu'il n'est pas question ici d'une lycéenne qui mène l'enquête mais d'une garde du corps qui recherche l'assassin de son ex-employeur.
N'étant pas une grande lectrice de thriller, j'ai eu envie de le découvrir ce roman car son titre et sa couverture m'ont attiré. Grande fan de félins, j'étais curieuse de découvrir le lien entre le fauve et l'histoire.
Nous suivons une garde du corps : Hilja. Au début du roman, elle se fâche avec son employeur car Anita souhaite acheter une fourure en lynx. Hilja démissione et abandonne Anita en plein Moscou. Pourtant, Hilja cherche ensuite à la retrouver pour éviter qu'il ne lui arrive malheur et c'est là qu'elle se réveille, douze heures plus tard, dans sa chambre d'hôtel, sans aucun souvenir. Quelques temps après, elle apprend la mort d'Anita. Hilja va alors tenter de se rappeler cette fameuse nuit et de découvrir ce qui est vraiment arrivé à son ex-patronne. De plus, Hilja est tout de suite suspecte pour la police et cherche en même temps à prouver son innocence.
J'ai eu du mal à m'attacher au personnage d'Hilja que j'ai trouvé très froide et distante, à cause de sa profession notamment. Au début du roman, elle n'a pas vraiment d'attaches et n'est pas proche de ses colocataires. Heureusement, elle évolue au fil des pages et m'a parut plus sympathique par la suite. En menant l'enquête, elle endosse le rôle d'autres personnages et fait une rencontre. C'est à partir de là qu'elle devient plus intéressante. J'ai également apprécié les moments où elle pense à Frida, le lynx avec qui elle a vécut pendant un certain temps. On ressent bien la tendresse et même l'amour qu'elle avait pour l'animal.
Le roman est bien écrit. Le style de Leena Lehtolainen est recherché et même parfois trop. Je ne pense pas manquer de vocabulaire et pourtant, j'ai ouvert le dictionnaire à plusieurs reprises. Certaines tournures de phrases "Il baisia et continua de louvoyer" par exemple, m'ont semblé un peu compliquée car ces mots s'utilisent rarement. J'ai également aimé que le point de vue soit interne car nous connaissons ainsi les pensées et les sentiments de l'héroïne. J'ai déjà eu du mal à m'attacher à Hilja alors avec un point de vue externe, je n'imagine pas.
Globalement, je n'ai absolument rien à repprocher à ce roman qui est bien écrit et intéressant. Je n'ai pas été emballée plus que ça car ce n'est pas mon genre de prédilection. Je le conseille aux fans de thrillers nordiques qui arriveront certainement à l'apprécier plus que moi. Je ne pense pas lire d'autres romans du genre car ce n'est pas un style qui me permet de m'évader. Je continuerai plutôt avec les thrillers "young adult" puisque j'arrive plus facilement à m'identifier aux héros.
N'étant pas une grande lectrice de thriller, j'ai eu envie de le découvrir ce roman car son titre et sa couverture m'ont attiré. Grande fan de félins, j'étais curieuse de découvrir le lien entre le fauve et l'histoire.
Nous suivons une garde du corps : Hilja. Au début du roman, elle se fâche avec son employeur car Anita souhaite acheter une fourure en lynx. Hilja démissione et abandonne Anita en plein Moscou. Pourtant, Hilja cherche ensuite à la retrouver pour éviter qu'il ne lui arrive malheur et c'est là qu'elle se réveille, douze heures plus tard, dans sa chambre d'hôtel, sans aucun souvenir. Quelques temps après, elle apprend la mort d'Anita. Hilja va alors tenter de se rappeler cette fameuse nuit et de découvrir ce qui est vraiment arrivé à son ex-patronne. De plus, Hilja est tout de suite suspecte pour la police et cherche en même temps à prouver son innocence.
J'ai eu du mal à m'attacher au personnage d'Hilja que j'ai trouvé très froide et distante, à cause de sa profession notamment. Au début du roman, elle n'a pas vraiment d'attaches et n'est pas proche de ses colocataires. Heureusement, elle évolue au fil des pages et m'a parut plus sympathique par la suite. En menant l'enquête, elle endosse le rôle d'autres personnages et fait une rencontre. C'est à partir de là qu'elle devient plus intéressante. J'ai également apprécié les moments où elle pense à Frida, le lynx avec qui elle a vécut pendant un certain temps. On ressent bien la tendresse et même l'amour qu'elle avait pour l'animal.
Le roman est bien écrit. Le style de Leena Lehtolainen est recherché et même parfois trop. Je ne pense pas manquer de vocabulaire et pourtant, j'ai ouvert le dictionnaire à plusieurs reprises. Certaines tournures de phrases "Il baisia et continua de louvoyer" par exemple, m'ont semblé un peu compliquée car ces mots s'utilisent rarement. J'ai également aimé que le point de vue soit interne car nous connaissons ainsi les pensées et les sentiments de l'héroïne. J'ai déjà eu du mal à m'attacher à Hilja alors avec un point de vue externe, je n'imagine pas.
Globalement, je n'ai absolument rien à repprocher à ce roman qui est bien écrit et intéressant. Je n'ai pas été emballée plus que ça car ce n'est pas mon genre de prédilection. Je le conseille aux fans de thrillers nordiques qui arriveront certainement à l'apprécier plus que moi. Je ne pense pas lire d'autres romans du genre car ce n'est pas un style qui me permet de m'évader. Je continuerai plutôt avec les thrillers "young adult" puisque j'arrive plus facilement à m'identifier aux héros.
October 28, 2019
Leena Lehtolainen is most famous for her Maria Kallio series which presents the Finnish police woman with a family. The Bodyguard trilogy presents another strong female character Hilja Ilveskero who is absolutely fabulous!!! Great entertaining crime fiction with humour!
July 21, 2014
Eka Lehtolaisen kirja jonka luin, mutta ei takuulla viimeinen.
Hyvin kirjoitettu, ja kohtuullisen jäntevällä tarinalla kulkeva juoni.
Ei mikään hirmumysteeri mutta ok kesädekkari
Hyvin kirjoitettu, ja kohtuullisen jäntevällä tarinalla kulkeva juoni.
Ei mikään hirmumysteeri mutta ok kesädekkari
January 11, 2015
I couldn't put this book down
Well written with a believable main character as well well as other characters. I am looking forward to more by Leena Lehtolainen.
Well written with a believable main character as well well as other characters. I am looking forward to more by Leena Lehtolainen.
November 27, 2016
I enjoyed reading about the Lynx cat & Hilja is an interesting character
May 22, 2019
Different but well written. Made me look up lynx with all the description
May 23, 2019
#39 ihmisen ja eläimen suhteesta kertova kirja
October 21, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
As a professional bodyguard, Hilja Ilveskero rarely loses her cool. But one day, she and a client have an argument in a Moscow fur salon, and Hilja quits on the spot. When the client turns up dead, Hilja quickly discovers that she is a suspect. In an attempt to clear her name and find the killer, she uncovers ever-deeper layers of subterfuge. Amid all the covert treachery and intrigue, Hilja finds herself falling in love with a suspicious yet irresistibly sexy man—but is her heart clouding her judgment? In this tale of political romance populated by Russian oligarchs, Finnish politicians, and undercover cops, no one is what they seem and no one can be trusted.
Disappointed with the direction this book ended up taking. It started well enough but soon degenerated into one of the most annoying tropes in "romance" novels: "I know I shouldn't sleep with the Bad Dude...but I just can't help it."
Add to that a first person narrator that is almost impossible to take seriously (especially considering her approach to romance), so I made no connection with her; the random information that we are peppered with about Hilja's background and Bodyguard School days (anyone keep count how many times that was mentioned in her narrative?)...just making connections with any of it was just too hard.
I really have no interest in finding out what happens in future books.
Paul
ARH
As a professional bodyguard, Hilja Ilveskero rarely loses her cool. But one day, she and a client have an argument in a Moscow fur salon, and Hilja quits on the spot. When the client turns up dead, Hilja quickly discovers that she is a suspect. In an attempt to clear her name and find the killer, she uncovers ever-deeper layers of subterfuge. Amid all the covert treachery and intrigue, Hilja finds herself falling in love with a suspicious yet irresistibly sexy man—but is her heart clouding her judgment? In this tale of political romance populated by Russian oligarchs, Finnish politicians, and undercover cops, no one is what they seem and no one can be trusted.
Disappointed with the direction this book ended up taking. It started well enough but soon degenerated into one of the most annoying tropes in "romance" novels: "I know I shouldn't sleep with the Bad Dude...but I just can't help it."
Add to that a first person narrator that is almost impossible to take seriously (especially considering her approach to romance), so I made no connection with her; the random information that we are peppered with about Hilja's background and Bodyguard School days (anyone keep count how many times that was mentioned in her narrative?)...just making connections with any of it was just too hard.
I really have no interest in finding out what happens in future books.
Paul
ARH
March 22, 2020
Hilga is a bodyguard by training and work, when she can get a contract. But her most recent employer, Anita, a real estate investor, has committed the sin of buying a lynx coat. Lynx is sacred to Hilga, so she quits on the spot. Not long after, her former employer is murdered. Hilga is a suspect, as is Anita’s former lover, a Russian investor. But the murder is blamed on a drunk.
Not a bad premise, if you can get past the part about a bodyguard abandoning her post. Except the story is full of a lot of unbelievable coincidences, like when Hilga is required to create a lasso, which she just happened to learn during her training in New York. Seriously? A lasso?
Then she falls in love with someone she suspects may be following her. Don’t look now, but there’s a HEA ending here.
I read this book for my local book club, or I never would have picked it up. Don’t waste your time.
Not a bad premise, if you can get past the part about a bodyguard abandoning her post. Except the story is full of a lot of unbelievable coincidences, like when Hilga is required to create a lasso, which she just happened to learn during her training in New York. Seriously? A lasso?
Then she falls in love with someone she suspects may be following her. Don’t look now, but there’s a HEA ending here.
I read this book for my local book club, or I never would have picked it up. Don’t waste your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2018
Maybe this wasn't quite as bad as the one star suggests but I have read so many books (at least it feels like it) to which I have given two stars, so I felt I needed to start using other ratings, too. Hopefully soon I will read some worthy of four or five stars...
For some reason I just didn't like the book and I think it was mainly because of the protagonist. The story or the plot itself wasn't actually that bad, maybe a bit confusing, though that might be because I listened to it in parts. Just like some other reviewer I didn't like the constant references to lynx or that "security academy" and I thought the main character was quite annoying and I didn't like spending time with her.
Helmet 2018: 37. Kirjailijalla on sama nimi kuin perheenjäsenelläsi
For some reason I just didn't like the book and I think it was mainly because of the protagonist. The story or the plot itself wasn't actually that bad, maybe a bit confusing, though that might be because I listened to it in parts. Just like some other reviewer I didn't like the constant references to lynx or that "security academy" and I thought the main character was quite annoying and I didn't like spending time with her.
Helmet 2018: 37. Kirjailijalla on sama nimi kuin perheenjäsenelläsi
January 17, 2023
Not my favorite mystery. It's set in Finland and translated from the Finnish. Hilja, a professional bodyguard finds herself in Moscow with a dead client. She returns to Finland determined to solve the murder. Along the way she encounters love, betrayal & Russian oligarchs. I found the book very slow moving - frankly it was a slog. Hilja moves often from one location to another and since my knowledge of the geography of Finland is next to nil I often had no idea where she was and why she was there. I see the author is very successful in Finland so perhaps the problems in the book are with the translation.
June 3, 2017
Liikaa ilveksiä. Aivan liikaa viittauksia Queensin henkivartijakouluun. Paikoin kömpelöä kieltä. Kiihkeää seksiä tyypin kanssa, jonka suhteen henkivartijan piti muka olla erityisen varuillaan. Epäuskottava ja sotkuinen juoni, jossa pieneen Suomeen oli tuotu Venäjältä kaikkea jännää kansainvälistä. Meni kuitenkin äänikirjana muiden askareiden lomassa. Muistelin, että Lehtolainen kirjoittaisi paremmin.
March 5, 2021
Politiikka ei ole oma suosikkini, mutta tässä kirjassa on niin vetävä kerronta ja säpäkkä päähenkilö, että olisin varmasti lukenut mistä tahansa aihepiiristä.
Leena Lehtolaisen teoksia en ole lukenut aiemmin, en ainakaan kykene muistamaan. Kirjailija on pitkään ollut lukulistalla. Tämä oli super positiivinen yllätys! Ja aion lukea lisää Hilja Ilveskerosta. Kieli on ehdottomasti Lehtolaisen valtti.
Leena Lehtolaisen teoksia en ole lukenut aiemmin, en ainakaan kykene muistamaan. Kirjailija on pitkään ollut lukulistalla. Tämä oli super positiivinen yllätys! Ja aion lukea lisää Hilja Ilveskerosta. Kieli on ehdottomasti Lehtolaisen valtti.
December 7, 2023
主席莉亞曾在美國受過專業訓練，是專為富豪、政治人物服務的頂尖保鑣。當她陪伴芬蘭的地產大亨安妮塔到莫斯科訪問時，卻因為無法忍受安妮塔執意要買一件山貓皮(Lynx)大衣而當場辭並拂袖而去。回到芬蘭後，在電視上看到安妮塔竟在莫斯科街頭身亡。道義上覺得有愧的席莉亞並不相信莫斯科警方認定安妮塔是被喝醉街友誤殺的解釋，決定要想辦法找出真兇來。
說席莉亞是「專業」，絕對是溢美之詞。看到最後，誰是真兇真的一點也不重要。反倒是從行文中去體會芬蘭人的性格、想法變成唯一的收穫，例如芬蘭因有俄羅斯這惡鄰處境竟然和台灣神似，政壇分裂成對抗俄羅斯和討好俄羅斯兩派。另外的心得則是應證刻板印象─對性的開放，對婚姻的自主彈性，最重要，男女平權的社會。
最後的煩惱是，這系列的第二集，而且還是從沒人借過的新書就擺在眼前的書櫃上，我到底該繼續看下去，還是直接還回圖書館就好？
To read or not to read？
費思量、傷腦筋啊！
說席莉亞是「專業」，絕對是溢美之詞。看到最後，誰是真兇真的一點也不重要。反倒是從行文中去體會芬蘭人的性格、想法變成唯一的收穫，例如芬蘭因有俄羅斯這惡鄰處境竟然和台灣神似，政壇分裂成對抗俄羅斯和討好俄羅斯兩派。另外的心得則是應證刻板印象─對性的開放，對婚姻的自主彈性，最重要，男女平權的社會。
最後的煩惱是，這系列的第二集，而且還是從沒人借過的新書就擺在眼前的書櫃上，我到底該繼續看下去，還是直接還回圖書館就好？
To read or not to read？
費思量、傷腦筋啊！
December 9, 2018
Suomalaiset dekkarit on jäänyt kiusallisen vähälle tutustumiselle. Tämä oli ensimmäinen Lehtolaisen romaani, jonka luin, ja varmasti jatkan Hilja Ilveskero -sarjan parissa. Jännittävä, poliittinen, mielenkiintoisia henkilöhahmoja sisältävä ja jopa romanttinen dekkari. En tiennyt, että uskottavaan dekkariin edes mahtuu tässä määrin romantiikkaa. :)
January 17, 2021
Fairly readable -- different from Lehtolainen's mainstream Maria Kallio crime novels, more "romantic". But the plot has its highly doubtful moments in plenty, especially in crunch moments. I have to add, though, that the American English translation has been very well done by an old Finnish student of mine!
Read
July 5, 2020Hyvä. Lukuun myös seuraavat.
Helmet: 24 (kirjailijalta, joka on kirjoittanut yli 20 kirjaa)
Pohjoinen: 22 (käännetty useammalle kielelle)
Kolmoishaaste: 13 (kannessa ilveksellä 3 viiksikarvaa kummallakin puolella) :D
Helmet: 24 (kirjailijalta, joka on kirjoittanut yli 20 kirjaa)
Pohjoinen: 22 (käännetty useammalle kielelle)
Kolmoishaaste: 13 (kannessa ilveksellä 3 viiksikarvaa kummallakin puolella) :D
August 20, 2017
Didn't like it as much as the Maria Kallio series but still a worthwhile read.
September 4, 2017
Takes a bit to get into it. Finnish words and names a little difficult. It pulls you in.
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