Synopses & Reviews
For Inspector Maria Kallio, violent crime investigation is a calling. She's wanted to be a police officer since she was a teenager. For this mixture of curves, muscles, and wit, playing with the boys is the norm. When a student choir's animated practice sessions at a Helsinki villa are cut short by the death of a student, the case becomes a chance for Kallio to show what she can do. Behind the choir's jovial facade lie bitter passions, and ferreting them out is hardly helped by the discovery that some of Maria's old friends belong to the group.
Synopsis
After a student choir's practice session at a Helsinki villa turns deadly, Detective Maria Kallio finds herself in the middle of the action -- and her first murder case. Someone in the group wanted playboy Tommi Peltonen dead, but that's one song these suspects refuse to sing. Behind the choir's jovial facade lies bitter passion, and the victim's seemingly perfect life hid a host of sins that made him a target of almost everyone in the villa. As a young female -- and a redhead to boot -- Maria knows that solving this case will help her overcome her perceived shortcoming in the eyes of her colleagues. But as the case takes startling twists and turns, and friends and foes become interchangeable, will she be able to piece together the clues before the killer strikes again?
Synopsis
Twenty-three-year-old law student Maria Kallio is recruited for a temporary position at the Helsinki police department. Sweet-faced but tough and hot-tempered, Maria faces pushback from her new squad--so when a young playboy is murdered at his family's summer villa, the new detective is out to prove herself.
Found floating facedown at the water's edge after a night of partying, Tommi Pelatonen appears to have been murdered by one of his closest friends--but why? As Maria discovers, bitter passion and jealousy seethe under the placid surface of the group's privileged, carefree lifestyle. As Maria uncovers the victim's unsavory secrets, motives for all seven suspects come to light. Now it's up to her to untangle the clues before the killer strikes again.
The first book in Leena Lehtolainen's international bestselling Nordic crime series starring Detective Maria Kallio, My First Murder serves up murder with a slice of life in the Finnish upper crust.