Why a Booktrail?
2000s: What would you do if you knew you had been poisoned and would soon die?
The Man Who Died
What you need to know before your trail
A successful entrepreneur in the mushroom industry, Jaakko Kaunismaa is a man in his prime. At just 37 years of age, he is shocked when his doctor tells him that he’s dying. What is more, the cause is discovered to be prolonged exposure to toxins; in other words, someone has slowly but surely been poisoning him. Determined to find out who wants him dead, Jaakko embarks on a suspenseful rollercoaster journey full of unusual characters, bizarre situations and unexpected twists.
Locations
Reset- Finland - Hamina
- A: Marian kirkko
- B: Hamina main square
- C: Hamina harbour side
- D: The road to Hamina
- Finland - Helsinki
- E: Market Square
Travel Guide
Visit Hamina
The author speaks of Hamina
HE MAN WHO DIED was the most fun I’ve had in writing. Partly, I suspect, because I got to spend a little time in the Hamina of my dreams. Because fiction is a dream, and stories are dreams, I was able use my golden memories of long days of uninterrupted sunshine and the slowness of a small town, a universe all in itself.
Hamina, in real life, stands an hour and a half’s drive from Helsinki. Today, I suppose, it suffers from the typical problems of any town its size anywhere. Most of the old jobs have vanished, the port has closed, the paper mills are gone, the young people mostly move away.
There is little in the way of new businesses and new horizons. But it is still very pretty in the summer, the market place teems with activity at least once a week and you can still get the excellent rye bread that’s been baked in the same way for decades. On those days, it is both a very real and picturesque place to visit, and it is – at least for the duration of writing that one novel – the land of my dreams.
Streetview Maps
B) Hamina main square
C) Hamina - The Bridge to Hamina
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
This is a writer whose books I always enjoy but this one really shone for me. A man who knows he’s been poisoned and will die, sets out to find out who did it and why. This premise is extremely unique and I was immediately reminded of the Garcia Marquez tale Chronicle of a Death Foretold where a man tries to evade his murderers. I loved that then, and this put a new spin on a very unique way of storytelling.
Needless to say the writing is top notch and it makes you think. What would you do if you knew you were going to die. Would you spend your last days finding out if you had been murdered and getting those responsible brought to justice? Or would you use your time to go reckless and do what ever you wanted. I see book groups delving into this one!
Despite Jaakko knowing he was going to die, there was still a lot of inward thinking and reflection of his life. The book is full of humour too and it’s a brilliantly effective way of getting some very tough issues discussed and thought about. The story has pace, panache and it stands out for sure in a sea of crime novels.
Yup, this one wins for me!
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Man Who Died
Destination: Hamina, Helsinki Author/Guide: Antti Tuomainen Departure Time: 2000s
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