The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason, Kindle Edition, Now at a Special Price

Earlier today we wrote about the first "Phryne Fisher" mystery by Kerry Greenwood, now available at a special price from publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and afterwards we did a little poking around in Amazon's 99 cent Kindle mystery store — there is actually no such place, but you can use this link as a way to simulate one — and found a book we recently reviewed: the Icelandic comic crime thriller The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason. (It was originally published in 2008 as 10 ráð til að hætta að drepa fólk og byrja að vaska upp; this edition is the author's own translation into English.)

The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning is a very different, rather unusual kind of crime novel, one we termed "odd" in our review but one we basically enjoyed nonetheless.

The storyline is centered on Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, who has a flawless record as hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York. That is, until he kills the wrong guy and is forced to flee the States, leaving behind the life he knows and loves. Suddenly, he finds himself on a plane hurtling toward Reykjavik, Iceland, borrowing the identity of an American televangelist named Father Friendly. With no means of escape from this island devoid of gun shops and contract killing, tragicomic hilarity ensues as he is forced to come to terms with his bloody past and reevaluate his future.

To give you a sense of the character, here is Toxic's "Top 10" list of handy tips:

1. Don't miss the target. People tend to get a bit upset if they notice you're trying to kill them.
2. Don't waste a bullet. You have to think about the environment, too — you really shouldn't add an unnecessary gunshot to an already noisy city.
3. Morning is for murder. Nobody expects a bullet for breakfast.
4. Don't kill a priest. He who kills a man of the church will be killed by a church.
5. Don't confuse killing and murder. Murder is for amateurs, killing is for the professionals.
6. If you have to take on another person's identity, never let it be a priest. With that collar around your neck, your sex appeal is gone.
7. When you're dating, don't talk about your job — unless you're overseas. Foreign girls are crazy about guys who kill Americans.
8. Embrace every new passport they give you. It's always nice to get a new life now and then.
9. Don't kill the wrong guy. Or you'll end up in Iceland.
10. When in Iceland, stop the killing. There are so few of them.

For a limited time only — and as of the date and time of this post — the book's US publisher, AmazonCrossing, has priced The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning Kindle edition at just 99 cents. Important note: Prices can and do change without notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the sale is the price of the book.