The Defenceless - Kati Hiekkapelto

"When an old man is found dead on the road - seemingly run over by a Hungarian au pair - police investigator Anna Fekete is certain that there is more to the incident than meets the eye. As she begins to unravel an increasingly complicated case, she's led on a deady trail where illegal immigration, drugs and ultimately murder threaten not only her beliefs, but her life. Anna's partner Esko is entrenched in a similarly dangerous investigation. As the two cases come together, it becomes clear that having the law on their side may not be enough."

I have to admit it, I am properly LOVING all of the nordic noir that is flying around at the moment, I honestly don't think it has EVER been as good as it has been lately. This is no exception - touching on the somewhat topical subject of immigration, alongside drugs, smuggling and a big dollop of murder this is a very, very good read.
With a brilliant narrative and some very believable characters, two seemingly unrelated investigations come together in an excellent storyline, one that kept me guessing all the way through - I liked the fact that the two investigations were cleverly woven together. I haven't read the first in this series, but it didn't detract from the storyline at all - I didn't feel as though any spoilers were given away, and I am definitely going to go back and read Anna's first outing. 
Kati Hiekkapelto is a very clever weaver of tales, and I was impressed with the way everything came together - another example of excellent Nordic Noir, and nothing less than what I have come to expect from Orenda Publishing! 

The Defenceless is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk

**Thanks to the publisher for my review copy**