Finnish author Antti Tuomainen’s The Man Who Died is a bizarre, twisty, darkly comic novel about a man investigating his own murder. It’s a tightly-paced Scandinavian thriller with a wicked sense of humor and a bumbling ne’er-do-well at its center.

As the book opens, mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko Kaunismaa receives terrible news from his doctor: there are enough fatal levels of toxins in his body to kill a hippopotamus. The only reason Jaakko is still alive is because the toxin has built up in his body over time. Someone has been slowly poisoning him. With the limited time he has left, Jaakko is determined to discover his murderer. There’s no shortage of suspects. His wife is sleeping with a young employee of the business. A rival mushroom company with an affinity for samurai swords has just moved in down the road and is siphoning off his workforce. None of Jaakko’s employees are thrilled with his leadership.

The plot is sufficiently shrouded in mystery. Things are never quite what they appear to be at first. The sentences are clean and clear, filled with beautiful descriptions of Finnish countrysides and forests. Jaakko is a sympathetic protagonist. As his inner monologue narrates the story, it’s hard not to root for him. Most of the book’s humor comes from the absurd situations he continuously finds himself in. It’s not a riotously funny novel, but it has several laugh-out-loud moments. But when the mystery is finally solved, it feels tacked on as an afterthought. The reasons behind his death are too thin to be plausible. It’s the only downside to an otherwise excellent mystery story.

The strength of The Man Who Died lies in its questions rather than its answers. In Antti Tuomainen’s world, the fun comes from watching a murder investigation unfold. The result of that investigation is underwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth going along for the ride just the same.

3 1/2 stars for this different take on a murder mystery - where the victim with a dry sense of humour tries to catch his killer and save his mushroom export business.

A sort of absurd comedy/mystery combo, this was a delightful audiobook listen. Not only because I had not heard of the author before and was positively surprised, but foremost because it is always a treat to listen to Finnish authors in translation. The reader does a heroic job trying to pronounce the Finnish place names, but it still sounds funny for Finnish ears. The book reminded me somewhat of Arto Paasilinna (of Year of the Hare fame).

If they are giving out an award for the most unexpected crime fiction novel, then THE MAN WHO DIED would have to be an odds on favourite.

Narrated by Jaakko Kaunismaa, this is the story of a Finnish mushroom entrepreneur, based in a small town, building a successful business after being made redundant in his last career. He has a beautiful home, a thriving business, faithful employees, a loving wife who cooks elaborate meals for him, and a perfect life.

Until he finds they have mysterious competitors just around the corner, when a new mushroom export business with very odd owners in charge starts up, and immediately tries to poach his markets and his very best employees. He then discovers his loving wife is screwing the company delivery boy, just after he is told that somebody has been slowly but surely poisoning him and that he will die.

What ensues is, as the blurb puts it, part Fargo and part noir, but it forgets to mention surreal. THE MAN WHO DIED is black comedy that takes a lot of leads from the Knights Who Say "Ni!", with just enough caper at points to have readers laughing, even though it's distinctly uncomfortable to be laughing with a man who does constantly remind you that he is dying. And can't do anything about it.

Now obviously, with his wife's indiscretions with the delivery boy, and then the odd goings on with long-term Japanese customers, and the fact that she is always so keen to provide hearty, rich meals for him, Kaunismaa is pretty sure he knows the likely source of his poisoning. It's hard to decide if he's most annoyed that he's being killed, or that his business is being undermined though. Meanwhile the police are very interested in his interactions with the owners of the new mushroom factory, a stolen sword (which wasn't) and the disappearances of a couple of the aforementioned owners. Then there's the whole business with the sauna and the borrowed car, and a night at the posh hotel when a new mushroom variety is served and, well this was amazingly engaging.

Having listened to the audio version, at the very beginning, with a flat, laid back sort of delivery in use, there were more than a few moments when a "What The" moment had me diving for the rewind button. This was without a doubt, one of the most intriguing books I've encountered this year and it reminded me, yet again, that Antti Tuomainen is a writer who deserves (and now has) a much higher position on the must read list.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/man-who-died-antti-tuomainen

One of the most unique books I’ve ever read! This had me constantly trying to figure out the whodunnit and rolling on the couch chuckling at the same time. This is one of those books you’re sad to see end bc you’ll never get to discover it for the first time again. Fabulous and entertaining read.

Thanks to Orenda for this copy in exchange for review:)

“I sometimes think about death, but even thinking about it is all but impossible - especially your own death. A second later I’m thinking about something different altogether: today’s shopping list, the business’s outgoings”. P9

Antti Tuomainen is touted as the King of Finnish Noir, and having read a number of his books I would have to say I agree. Mind you, I’ve read very few Finnish authors so I don’t have much to compare with but as far as the Scandi Noir authors I’ve read, Tuomainen is certainly up there with the best in a genre that he has added his own unique flavour to.

The Man Who Died is a dark, comedic, and slightly absurd story centring around Jaako Kaunismaa, a successful mushroom entrepreneur. Not knowing much about mushroom harvesting, in particular the sought after matsutake mushroom, naturally I was compelled to do a little research, soon realising that this mushroom is an absolute delicacy, has fetched extraordinarily high prices, and is found in Finnish pine forests among other places around the world.

The story starts with Jaako receiving the news that he has been poisoned unwittingly by various toxins and that he has days to live. This had slight echoes for me of Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Wants to Die, albeit a very different story. There are many moment of reflection on what it is like to approach your own death, but certainly not in the usual way this notion is written about or featured in movies. I found some of the paragraphs quite poignant and I wrote lots of them down.

Without spoiling the plot Jaako becomes aware that his poisoning is not accidental and this propels him on an investigation that soon becomes entwined completely in the mushroom industry, his personal life and his work community.

An invigorating read, a few laughs along the way along with many sobering moments written in Toumainen’s minimalistic, present moment and provocative style. Loved it. 4.5 stars.

Highly entertaining.

loved how the plot was just this middle aged guy who sells mushrooms going on a silly quest to find who poisoned him.

note: the translation was very well done aside from the occasional phrases that i would have translated differently (that's just me though). i think maybe the translator is british? idk.

на самому початку роману головний герой — експортер найкращих у фінляндії грибів мацутаке* — дізнається, що його отруїли.

не в сенсі «ось вам антидот, і промиймо шлунок про всяк випадок», а в сенсі «вас так давно годують отрутою, що органи почали відмовляти, то ось вам трошки знеболювальних і телефон психолога». але герой іде не до психолога, а додому, до коханої дружини, яка посеред робочого дня не те щоб його чекає, а скоріше навпаки.

після такої зав'язки здається, що ясно не тільки whodunit, а й howdunit, і треба лише дорозплутувати більш-менш очевидне whydunit, мимохідь вигадавши яку-небудь вишукану помсту, — але, звісно, все заплутаніше й феєричніше, ніж на перший погляд. і гриби для сюжету вкрай важливі, проте не так, як можна подумати.

гумор тут вугільно-чорний і градус абсурду викручений, як ми любимо; навіть нагод погигикати про «яке прикре самогубство» є далеко не одна. перші двісті сторінок відволікають від сну, роботи й чищення зубів. але автор так натхненно розкладає оселедці різних відтінків червоного, що наприкінці просто не встигає їх позбирати, тож у фіналі залишається купа непояснених збігів. шкода, страх як шкода.

*аааа, ви бачили в українській вікіпедії ілюстрацію до пункту «практичне застосування» у статті про мацутаке? редактори — бóгі.