The Rabbit Factor: The tense, hilarious bestseller from the 'Funniest writer in Europe' ... FIRST in a series and soon to be a major motion picture

· The Rabbit Factor Book 1 · Orenda Books
3.7
7 reviews
Ebook
300
Pages
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

An insurance mathematician's carefully ordered life is turned on its head when he unexpectedly loses his job and inherits an adventure park ... with a whole host of problems. A quirky, tense and warmly funny thriller from award-winning Finnish author Antti Tuomainen, FIRST in a series...

**Soon to be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios**

'Laconic, thrilling and warmly human. In these uncertain times, what better hero than an actuary?' Chris Brookmyre

'The antic novels of Antti Tuomainen prove that comedy is not lost in translation ... Tuomainen, like Carl Hiaasen before him, has the knack of combining slapstick with genuine emotion' The Times

'A thriller with black comedy worth of Nabokov' Telegraph

_______________

Just one spreadsheet away from chaos...

What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal.

And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters ... and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.

But what Henri really can't compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets...

Warmly funny, rich with quirky characters and absurd situations, The Rabbit Factor is a triumph of a dark thriller, its tension matched only by its ability to make us rejoice in the beauty and random nature of life.

_______________

'Inventive and compelling' Vaseem Khan

'Readers might think they know what to expect from Nordic noir: a tortured detective, a bleak setting, a brutal crime that shakes a small community. Finnish crime novelist Tuomainen turns all of this on its head ... The ear of a giant plastic rabbit becomes a key weapon. It only gets darker and funnier' Guardian

'The funniest writer in Europe, and one of the very finest ... original and brilliant story-telling' Helen FitzGerald

'Full of refreshing wit and wisdom ... a treat' Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

'A dark and delightful novel with an intelligent, brave, and persnickety hero' Foreword Reviews

'Antti Tuomainen turns the clichéd idea of dour, humourless Scandi noir upside ... Dark, gripping and hilarious. Tuomainen is the Carl Hiaasen of the fjords' Martyn Waites

'A triumph ... a joyous, feel-good antidote to troubled times' Kevin Wignall

'Finland's greatest export' M.J. Arlidge

'You don't expect to laugh when you're reading about terrible crimes, but that's what you'll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen's decidedly quirky thrillers' New York Times

'Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe' The Times

'Right up there with the best' Times Literary Supplement

'Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern' Daily Express

For fans of Fargo, Fredrik Backman, Richard Osman.

Ratings and reviews

3.7
7 reviews
Michelle Coyles
August 19, 2022
worst book I've ever read
Did you find this helpful?
Marianne Vincent
September 24, 2022
highly recommended
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author Iin 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland was an immense success, with Marcel Berlins ( The Times) calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’. His latest thriller, Little Siberia, was shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Awards and the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. He graduated from University College London in 1999 with a degree in Scandinavian Studies and now lives in Helsinki where he works as a freelance translator. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain and two crime novels by Matti Joensuu. David is currently working on a translation of Riku Korhonen’s latest novel Sleep Close. His drama translations include three plays by Heini Junkkaala, most recently Play it, Billy! (2012) about the life and times of jazz pianist Billy Tipton. David is also a regular contributor to Books from Finland. In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and is currently studying early music and performance practice at Helsinki Metropolia University. He is a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.