The Outback Series: The Swamp That Sank

Joona Keskitalo

Original title: Suo, joka upposi

Author: Joona Keskitalo

Published: 2024

Publisher: FINLAND: Bazar (orig.)

Genre: Crime & Suspense

Part of a series: The Outback series

Reading material:

English synopsis, Finnish manuscript, Series presentation

The second part of Joona Keskitalo's THE OUTBACK SERIES travels again to a place where the Finnish mentality flourishes at its wildest. THE SWAMP THAT SANK is a story about two gas stations and six bodies along the expressway cutting through North Ostrobothnia.

✓  Second novel in a new crime series by an author hailed as Finnish Jens Lapidus!

✓  An alternative to police procedurals – crimes as seen from the perspective of local people caught up in them

✓  The Outback crime series is set in remote Finnish villages. Each part is a unique story with its own set of characters, creating a series of thriller-like visits to the ends of long dirt roads, unleashing the Finnish mental landscape at its most naked and exotic!

Revonlahti, the final break from life.

The Lehtonens, who own the only gas station in their home village,have gathered to wait for information on whether the Kaske family will get a permit for a competing new gas station from the municipality. 17-year-old Maria would rather be dead than spend the evening at home. When she finally manages to sneak onto the village road, it brings her the Volvo Amazon and its forbidden fruit, Teemu Kaske. The next morning, Maria remembers the back seat of the car, Teemu, and her father's rage. The taste of alcohol. But not why she is covered in blood.

The events from years ago haunt Maria after she returns from prison to her home region of Revonlahti. The villagers do not celebrate the parricide's homecoming, and when new bodies are found in a nearby swamp, Maria is forced to try once again to find out what really happened.

In THE OUTBACK SERIES, local communities in different parts of Finland solve crimes with their own strength and questionable means. Each book is an independent story with its own unique characters.

Keskitalo completely does his own thing. He is the most original of [Finland’s] thriller authors and now also shows that he is the most adaptable. The narration is as dynamic as in the previous titles, with switching points-of-view. And the slow but inevitable tightening of the screw in terms of suspense keeps you hooked till the very end.

– Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan uutiset newspaper

Download reading materials

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Bazar (orig.)

About author

Joona Keskitalo

Joona Keskitalo was born in Oulu, grew up in Hämeenlinna and now lives with his family in Espoo. His work experience includes everything from storage work to managing athletes and developing products for marketing companies. He now works as a full-time writer.

Keskitalo’s debut novel Tottelemattomat was published in 2021 and is the first title in a crime series with the same name. The series has already captivated readers abroad as well, as the series is being published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The trilogy has also been optioned as a TV series.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Joona Keskitalo

The Outback Series: The Swamp That Sank


2024, Crime & Suspense

Joona Keskitalo

The Outback Series: The Island Torn Apart