In the Wind

Anni Koskinen Mystery #1

by Barbara Fister

Anni Koskinen is out of a job. After ten years in the Chicago Police Department, her moral compass led her across the thin blue line to testify against a fellow cop — and, in the aftermath, she lost the only career she ever wanted. As she is putting a new life together, a gentle church worker appears on her doorstep and asks for a ride out of town. It's not until the FBI gets involved that Anni realizes she has helped a fugitive escape. And not just any fugitive. It's hard to grasp that Rosa Saenz, a popular figure in her largely Latino parish, was once involved with a radical faction of the American Indian Movement. It's even harder to believe that Rosa was responsible for the murder of an FBI agent in 1972. But even a close friend in the Bureau urges Anni to work with Rosa's defense team to find out what happened all those years ago. Because it soon becomes clear that it's more important to the authorities to find Rosa guilty than to find the truth. Caught in the vortex of a no-holds-barred federal investigation, angry cops who believe she's once again working for the wrong side, and a dangerous group of white supremacists bent on establishing their own version of history, Anni's investigation into crimes of the past throws her in the path of a clear and present danger. And this time, she stands to lose much more than her job. Drawing on parallels between counterintelligence practices of the Vietnam War era and today's hostile climate for civil liberties, In the Wind gathers gale-force strength as the events of the past collide with the present — and, for Anni, the political becomes all too personal.

Genres: Mystery

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I'm an avid reader, an academic librarian, and a writer of various things including crime fiction. My first mystery (or thriller if you like to categorize), On Edge, was published in 2002. In the Wind, introducing a new series set in Chicago, was published by St. Martin's in 2008. Reviewing it in the Chicago Tribune, Paul Goat Allen called it "an understated crime fiction gem." The second in the series, Through the Cracks, was published in May 2010. Library Journal said the story "packs a real punch. It will appeal to Sara Paretsky fans and mystery readers who long for tough and savvy female investigators."

Reviews

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Anni Koskinen, PI
SETTING: Chicago
SERIES: #1 of 1
RATING: 4.5

Why is it that people choosing an ethical course of behavior are so often punished for living by the rules of integrity? Anni Koskinen was born to be a cop; it's at the core of who she is as a person. But she's forced to leave the Chicago Police Department after she testifies against another cop who lost his temper and left a teenager with permanent brain damage. Anni's colleagues then make her professional life completely miserable. She knows that she has to leave her job when no one comes to help her in a bad situation, and she realizes that the lack of support may result in an innocent person being hurt. She's put in for her private investigator's license but is struggling to get her life back on track. It doesn't help that her former teammates are still holding a grudge and harassing her regularly.

When a local priest asks Anni if she would be willing to help one of the local church volunteers, Rosa Saenz, she agrees. Rosa requests that Anni driver her several hours north to a Native American community in Minnesota. Before they can get started, things go awry and Rosa disappears. As it turns out, Rosa is a fugitive who is accused of murdering the father of one of Anni's dearest friends, an FBI special agent, Jim Tilquist, in the 70s. Asked to prove Rosa's innocence, Anni receives Jim's consent to proceed. What follows then is an interesting journey crossing years and political situations, ranging from the militancy of the American Indian Movement and various civil liberties issues. Fister skillfully guides the reader through the past and present, all the while raising the stakes until the truth is revealed in an emotionally compelling resolution.

IN THE WIND is an extremely satisfying book because all of the elements of excellent writing are in place. The setting, whether in Chicago or in the wilds of Minnesota, is perfectly rendered. The plot is well conceived and executed. I was struck by Fister's skill in providing very succinct descriptions of rather complicated issues and situations. She manages to provide all of Anni's police department background in just a few paragraphs; any other writer might have stretched that out for pages.

But my favorite thing about the book was the characters. Anni, obviously, is an intriguing woman who lives by her principles. She exhibits an exceptional amount of loyalty to her friends and loved ones. There were two somewhat damaged characters who were treated with great sensitivity. First was Anni's brother, Martin, who is autistic. Fister doesn't just place that label on him; she shows what it means in terms of how he reacts to the world around him and how Anni gently and lovingly supports him. The same is true of Sophie Tilquist, Jim's daughter, who is manic depressive. There were several other secondary characters who were similarly well developed. There were no caricatures in this book.

Hopefully, IN THE WIND is the first book in a series. I’m sure that Fister will be compared to Sara Paretsky, with the two authors both centering their books on strong females working in Chicago. However, Fister doesn't come off second best in such a comparison and has created a work that is unique. Highly recommended.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be one of my top reads for 2010. I loved the way the author’s gift of making the characters “come alive” showcased this story. I especially loved the priest and Anni’s brother, Martin. She treated these characters with great sensitivity and you felt their pain. Since I live in a suburb of Chicago, I love well written books about that city.
The only complaint I have is with the last names she gave some of the characters: Kosinen, Saenz, Katsourinis are a few. I don’t understand the purpose behind names that are so hard to pronounce. I would stop every time and try to sound out the names and it got so bad that I was loosing track of the story. Why can’t authors make it easy on the reader and use easier to pronounce names.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN THE WIND addresses the twinning of the actions taken by the Federal government during the Vietnam War era and the ramifications of the Patriot Act. In both cases, the civil liberties of American citizens are threatened in the name of national security.

The two time periods are neatly drawn together in Barbara Fister’s IN THE WIND, a term that describes those who disappear seemingly from one second to the next. Anni Koskinen always wanted to be a police officer. The two people in the world with whom she is closest are Jim and Nancy Tilquist who befriended her when she had no one else. Jim’s job as an FBI agent had encouraged Anni to enter law enforcement. She succeeds, quickly becoming a detective, but loses it all when she testifys against a fellow police officer accused of brutality. Newly armed with a private investigator’s license, Anni is contacted in the middle of the night by Father Sikora, pastor of St. Larry’s parish, and deeply committed to those on the fringe of society. Father Sikora asks Anni to take Rosa Saenz out of town. Anni knows Rosa from St. Larry’s outreach programs; Rosa was a dependable presence in the program to feed the homeless.

Anni stops at an ATM before she and Rosa head to Minnesota. Suddenly, Anni is accosted by two men and she fights using all the things she learned in the police academy. When she is subdued, she discovers that her attackers are FBI and Rosa has disappeared. The situation becomes complicated when Anni learns that Rosa is really Verna Basswood, wanted by the FBI for the murder of agent Arne Tilquist, Jim’s father. Rosa insists that she did not take part in the killing, that she is being used to hide the identity of the real shooter.

The situation becomes truly complicated when Sophie, Jim and Nancy’s daughter, decides to save Rosa from being arrested. Sophie is bi-polar and is entering a manic period when she takes part in hiding Rosa. Emotions in the Latino commuity become aroused when images of Rosa as Our Lady of Guadalupe begin appearing around the community. The situation becomes truly dangerous when a demonstration regarding Native American rights is held in the same place and on the anniversary of the anti-war demonstration that led to Arne Tilquist’s death. When white supremacists try to capture the crowd for their cause, Anni becomes a target of one of its most dangerous members. Things go beyond the pale when Anni realizes that the police don’t want Rosa’s name cleared, that she is of better use as a scapegoat

IN THE WIND moves quickly. There is no confusion of time periods. The people are victims of actions taken, for some, more than a lifetime ago. The civil rights violations promulgated as required to protect the US from terrorism as allowed by the Patriot Act are not very different than those taken without benefit of law in the 60′s and 70′s when patriotism was defined by support for a war that could not be won. Forty years later we are in a war for no reason and “real Americans” are defined by their support of another war that can not be won.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Fister was recommended to me by a friend whose judgement I trust. We often separately choose to read the same authors. And when she mentioned that the author was also a librarian, I had to see what I could find. Unfortunately, my library didn't own either of her two mysteries. But Interlibrary loan found me both titles at the Delta Township District Library!

I quickly read "In The Wind" (2008) and enjoyed it. I probably won't be able to read the second title "Through the Cracks" before it is due back to the library. Reading time is going to be at a premium now that the holiday season is underway.

The book's cover carries a quote that Barbara Fister is "the heir apparent to Sara Paretsky" and having read Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series, I concur. Actually in some ways they seem almost too similar in concept. But on reflection, Barbara Fister has actually created something a little more than unique.

The following quote took me so by surprise that I felt the need to copy it:

"By the way, December twenty-sixth isn't just the day after Christmas. It's the anniversary of the largest mass execution in the nation's history. In 1862, officials in Minnesota hanged thirty-eight Dakota Indians for alleged involvement in the Sioux Uprising. Following the mass hanging, the entire Dakota Nation was deported from the state, the men shipped off to prison, the women, children, and elders put on boxcars and sent to a godforsaken part of South Dakota with nothing but burlap sacks to keep themselves warm. I'll bet you don't remember this from history class."

Anni Koskinen, an ex-Chicago cop now trying to earn a living as a P.I., struggles with her strong conscience concerning right and wrong. It is fascinating to see how today's counterintelligence practices aren't much different than what was going on during the Vietnam War era and Anni gets caught in the middle when she is asked to help a good woman accused of crimes in the past. Complications escalate when the F.B.I. becomes involved targeting everyone including Anni's older brother, who is autistic.

This definitely is a 'literate mystery'. Barbara Fister writes beautifully and creates a world we want to explore.

[John Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all, pretty decent. A good story, nicely developed main character, good pacing, decent ending. I liked her first book, I liked this one, I’ll read another.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book of Barbara Fister's I've read. The book is an easy read and the actual mystery is interesting. However, I found the novel did not move along quickly and at times a tad boring.

Anni Koskinen was a cop and loved her job. She testified against a fellow officer as she could not in good conscience let him get away with beating a teenager leaving him with permanent brain damage. She eventually resigned as her fellow officers no longer supported her and made it difficult for her to effectively do her job.

Anni decides to use her talent and work as a private investigator. She receives a call from her priest and asked to help out a woman by the name of Rosa Saenz by giving her a ride to a town hundreds of miles away. Just as she's about to leave town with Rosa, Anni is arrested by the FBI for apparently helping a fugitive escape. She's taken into custody and Rosa disappears with her car. She learns that Rosa is wanted by the authorities for the murder of an FBI agent in 1972. The murdered agent turns out to be the father of Anni's mentor who tells her to work with Rosa's defence team. Trying to find evidence to clear Rosa, Anni keeps hitting brick walls as the FBI and local cops keep standing in her way.

The one thing I appreciated is that the characters are well developed.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is lots to like about Barbara Fister’s In The Wind - a strong, likeable lead character in Anni Koskinen, nice historical contextualisation, its social commentary on policing in the US post 9/11 and tensions around civil rights, and its engaging storyline. This is a novel very much of its time, capturing the social and racial divisions of American society and the divided geographies of a US city. And whilst it’s a crime thriller it takes a different path to most by portraying an alternative perspective from the typical cop or federal agency point of view. The result is a subtle but stinging critique of heavy-handed, strong-arm, politically motivated policing, and series of interesting connections to the civil rights campaigns of the 1960s. From the very start Fister ratchets up the tension and then keeps it taut throughout as Anni pings from one crisis to another, tries to track down clues, and to maintain fraught relationships. Whilst the solution to the puzzle is telegraphed from a very long way out, the tale remains gripping and the pages kept turning. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable, politically inflected and thought provoking, crime thriller and I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Through the Cracks.

[Spuddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read featuring ex-cop (now PI) Anni Koskinen in Chicago. Anni gets involved in investigating a thirty-year-old case trying to clear a radical dissident accused of killing an FBI agent--and not just any FBI agent, but the father of one of her best friends. While I had a sense of the killer almost from the beginning, the story was interesting with lots of information about AIM (the American Indian Movement) and some of the radical offshoots.

Anni was pretty well-fleshed, but most of the secondary characters still have some developing to do. Looking forward to getting to know Anni better in the next book.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author and boy am I glad! As a favor to a local priest, P.I. Anni Koskinen agrees to meet with Rosa Saenz and drive her to Bemidji MN. This act sets Anni up for confontations with the cops she used to work with in the Chicago PD and her mentor, Jim Tilquist. In 1972, Tilquist's mentor in the F.B.I. was murdered in a basement by AIM (the American Indian Movement). As Anni investigates, it becomes clear history may have to be re-written. Very interesting look at a part of American history that is rarely seen.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, though again not my typical genre, crime mystery by a librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College whom I recently met when she was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended. Set in Chicago and Minneapolis, many of the protagonists' haunts were places I have also frequented, such as the Seward Cafe. Learned a fair amount about the history of the American Indian Movement, and from what I understand she paints a good portrait of one character with bipolar disorder.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, engaging mystery. Reminds me of Sara Paretsky's writing in style and setting. It lives up to the hype on the back of the book. I give this 4 and a half stars, and would love to see more of Anni Koskinen.

[Shiela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good enough as far as mysteries are concerned but nothing new or particularly exciting to add to the genre. Very political as well which I'm not too crazy about. Despite the glowing reviews, I'll be skipping out on the next book in the series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well crafted but pretty predicable and stock. If this were ice skating, I'd give this book high points for technical merit but low points for artistic merit.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim's mom's second book -- a compelling detective novel.