Na houpačce – Ollikainen A. M. (2023)

The second part of the Finnish bestseller crime series ***** When a woman is found hanged in a forest near Helsinki, the police classify it as a clear suicide. Especially when it comes to light that the victim suffered from an incurable disease that had progressed to its final stage and she had little time left. However, investigator Paula Pihlajová is skeptical; something about the crime scene doesn't sit right with her from the start. Another tragedy doesn't take long to follow, and shortly thereafter, a dead climber is found hanging above a swing in a children's playground. This time, there is no doubt that it was murder. At the other end of the swing, Paula discovers sand that is too fine to be natural — and the same type of sand was found in the forest near the first corpse. Paula realizes that the victims were forced to balance on the swing before their deaths, fighting for their lives. ***** The criminal investigation turns into a chase as twisted as the murders themselves. It's only a matter of time before the killer targets another victim. Meanwhile, Paula is hiding a secret, the revelation of which could mean the end of her career. But the noose around both the investigator and the murderer is tightening just as quickly. Who will manage to escape and who will not?