Perfect for fans of Scandi-noir procedurals, And, best of all, it was a fine read as a standalone thanks to the clever plot. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC;

More quality from Lehtolainen. Thoughtfully constructed characters and a complex plot that needs uncovering in a sensible manner, without poiroit-flashes of insight

Thank you Net Galley. A delightful chapter in Mario Kallo's adventures. Ms. Lehtolainen writes well with empathy and insight into the lives of police personnel. I like the possibilities for Maria and look forward to seeing where she goes and what she does in her life.

This installment of a Maria Kallio book lead us to what Maria was looking for in working with her friend Leena, then an accident complicated this and she ended up working for the Ministry of the Interior as a scientific researcher. As a researcher she was studying clients through the police and social services who were victimized by others. While this was happening she was asked by her former employers to take the lead in an investigation at the violent crime unit because her replacement there was going to have triplets. She couldn't refuse because it was stipulated in her contract that they could do this. She was introduced to Jutta by her friend Leena, and became involved with Jutta's accident which she had with Toni Väärä, a runner, several months earlier. Though this accident she met several people who complicated things with the death of Pentti Vainikainen who was Head of Social Affairs for the Finnish athletics Federation. This was her main responsibility working for the Violent Crimes Unit. We won't tell the story but let's just say there are other people killed in finding out who the killer is. Everybody knows everybody in the sports world. Leena Lehtolainen establishes a very tense and thrilling book that brings Maria 360 degrees in her telling the story. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the eARC.
Slowly but surely I'm able to follow the characters in this series. At first the Finnish names were difficult for me, but in this 3rd of the Maria Kallio series I have read something clicked in my brain and I had no problem. It certainly added to the enjoyment of Derailed.
Maria, after the severe attack on her as a police officer, left the force and took a desk job. But, much to her disappointment in herself, she can't say 'no' to her former boss and agrees to lead the case investigating the murder of the head of the Finnish Athletics Federation. Was he the intended target or was it the investigative reporter who wrote an article on sports doping who received death threats subsequently?
Trying to unravel this case as well and as fast as possible, while still spending quality time with her family, proves as hard as ever, making Maria kick herself for taking the job...Will she be able to get back to her new, more relaxed new post or will the police lure her back into a permanent position?
Maria is very appealing to me. Her musings about the job, her husband and kids, life in general, give the reader good insight into her character and life in Finland, which I love; it's not a country we hear about that much, which makes it a treat. Highly recommended!