REVIEW: As Red as Blood (Lumikki Andersson #1) by Salla Simukka

As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka
Series: Lumikki Andersson #1
Published by Hot Key Books on 7th August 2014
Pages: 236
Source: *Received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Seventeen-year-old Lumikki Andersson is hardly your average teenager. She lives by herself in the city of Tampere, Finland, and has a firm rule to mind nobody's business but her own. But that rule is put to the test when she happens upon five hundred washed euro notes hanging up to dry in her school's darkroom, and it is shattered once Lumikki realises who owns them.

Caught in an increasingly tangled web of deception, corruption and danger, Lumikki finds herself navigating the Tampere's dark underbelly in the search to expose its shocking connection to the international drugs trade. Lumikki is smart, but is she smarter than a master criminal? Can she bring down the infamous 'Polar Bear' - or will she become another one of his victims?

The first part of a thrilling new Nordic crime series, AS RED AS BLOOD will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned... and then some.

A quick and short, yet thrilling read! As Red As Blood will have you gripped from the very beginning. I really like the cover, it is very dark and mysterious, almost haunting.

This novel I felt was best to go into blind. All you need to know is that Lumikki stumbles upon a large sum of notes soaked in blood, followed by being chased by drug gangs and a mystery that will have your mind spinning.

Lumikki was an interesting protagonist. She was mysterious and spoke of herself very little retaining a strong mystery around her, even now I am not sure what ever happened to her. Lumikki was full of sayings and advice to just keep to yourself, but overall she was a peculiar yet intriguing protagonist. What frustrated me most was the multiple points-of-view. They were very random, but also hard to understand who was speaking, or it would randomly jump to someone else without any warning. I also strongly disliked Elisa and her two friends, they were incredibly infuriating, though I must admit Elisa did become a little more likeable at the end of the novel.

The plot of this novel was certainly fast-pace and had you on the edge of your seat, for it was certainly an addictive thriller. However, there were moments in the novel, mainly about the past, that I got rather confused by and felt they were not needed.

Overall, this novel was addictive and had you on the edge of your seat. My only big issue was the multiple points-of-view. I am intrigued to read the sequel!