James Thompson’s novel Lucifer’s Tears was a follow-up to Snow Angels. Although I did not read the first book, Lucifer’s Tears quickly captivated me and it was very easy to pickup the story line although it was a follow-up book. Lucifer's Tears An Inspector Vaara Novel by James Thompson Putnam Adult March 2011 Lucifer’s Tears is set in Finland in the present day, but there is a strong American outlook on the events and the culture of the book. Kari Vaara, who is an inspector in the police department, narrates the story in first person. Kari has experienced a very troubling history with both his personal life and his job and this affects his every waking moment. Both Kari and his wife moved to Helsinki from near the Arctic Circle when his wife was offered a job as the manager of the area’s finest hotel. When they moved to the area, Kari was promised by the chief of police that he would have a spot on the homicide unit. After he was forced to play a waiting game, he and his overzealous partner, Milo, were finally assigned to a very horrific sex crime that was much more complex than just the death of a young lady. While Kari was investigating that case, he was also assigned to work a case for an elderly man that served alongside his grandfather in the war. The elderly man was at the risk of being punished for crimes that were committed against Russians and for executing many Jewish prisoners at a war camp. Although Kari is faced with very time consuming cases, his biggest worry is that his wife, who is currently pregnant, may have the misfortune of miscarriage again. Kari blames himself for the previous miscarriage and he is terrified that the stress from his past and his current job, will somehow affect the current pregnancy. For much of the book, Kari is unable to sleep or eat due to a constant migraine that has been plaguing him for a number of weeks. Thompson’s takes all of these details and weaves them together to create a gripping story that has readers begging for more. Furthermore, Thompson’s depiction of the history of Finland and the war that occurred was simply astounding. He is able to both capture reader interest and educate at the same time, which is very important when books have complex plots. I felt as though I was going through each struggle and triumph alongside Kari. I was a bit disappointed in the ending of the story, but I can’t help but hope for a sequel to see how the story really ends.