You can think of
As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka as Nordic crime fiction "lite" -- it's a young adult thriller in the (less gruesome) vein of works by authors like Jo Nesbø and Stieg Larsson. This first in a trilogy introduces readers to 17 year-old Lumikki, an invisible outsider living on her own while attending high school in frigid Tampere. When she discovers a stash of euros covered in blood, she's pulled into a dangerous mystery that takes her deep inside the Finnish criminal underworld. Honed by a childhood trauma that is hinted at throughout the book, Lumikki possesses a unique skillset that makes her part detective, part action star -- she herself jokes that she is the secret lovechild of Lisbeth Salander and Hercule Poirot. Fast moving, this title is enjoyable on its own, but is also an effective setup for the rest of the trilogy, as readers will want to know more about Lumikki and her own mysterious background. HM
