James Thompson, author of the Inspector Kari Vaara novels, died on August 2. He was 49.
Born and raised in Kentucky, Thompson had lived in Finland since 1998. Before becoming a full-time writer, he earned a master's degree in English philology from the University of Helsinki, studied Finnish--in which he is fluent--and Swedish, and worked as a bartender, bouncer, construction worker and soldier.
Published in 2010, Thompson's debut novel, Snow Angels, 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, which will be published in November. Thompson's Helsinki Dead is scheduled to be published by Putnam next year.
Thompson was lauded for his ability to weave multiple plotlines into a captivating story and for shining light on the darkest aspects of Nordic life, history and politics. Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked, commented: "No one writes noir better, Nordic or otherwise."
