James Thompson

James Thompson was born and raised in eastern Kentucky and had lived in Finland for sixteen years before his death in 2014.  Before becoming a full-time writer, he earned his master's degree in English philology, studied Finnish and Swedish, and worked as a bartender, bouncer, construction worker, and soldier.

Thompson’s debut novel, Snow Angels (2010), was nominated for the Edgar, the Anthony, and the Strand Magazine Critics award and was selected as a Booklist Best Crime Novel Debut of the Year. His other works include Lucifer's Tears (2011), Helsinki White (2012), and Helsinki Blood (2013). He also edited Helsinki Noir, part of the original noir anthology series from Akashic Books. Thompson's most recent novel, Helsinki Dead, was scheduled for publication in 2015.

James Thompson was considered to be one of the "top Nordic crime writers" (New York Post) and was frequently applauded both for his ability to tightly weave multiple plotlines into a captivating story and for shining light on the darkest aspects of Nordic life, history, and politics. His protagonist Inspector Kari was praised as "a hero as dyspeptic as Kurt Wallender and as prone to vigilante justice as Harry Hole." (Kirkus)

Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked, said it best, "No one writes noir better, Nordic or otherwise."