Jarkko Siplia - Helsinki Homicide

Jarkko Sipila is a Finnish author and journalist. He has been reporting Finnish crime news for MTV3 TV News and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper for almost 20 years.

Sipila's first book Helsinki Homicide: Against The Wall was the winner of the 2009 Finnish Crime Novel of the Year Award. It was the first of Jarkko Sipila's nine Takamäki novels to be translated into English. Through realistic characters and complex plots, the author discusses current topics surrounding Finnish society and unveils glimpses into his homeland.


The 2009 Winner of the Best Finnish Crime Novel

Now Available in English

An abandoned house in Northern Helsinki, a dead body in the garage. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäkis homicide team gets a case that looks like a professional hit but they are perplexed by the crime scene.

Takamäkis trusted man Suhonen goes undercover as Suikkanen, a gangster full of action. In pursuit of the murderer, he must operate within the grey area of the law. But, will the end justify the means?

Following in the footsteps of popular Scandinavian writers, Jarkko Sipila is introducing his critically acclaimed Takamäki series in the United States.

Jarkko Sipila, 45, is a Finnish author and journalist. He has been reporting Finnish crime news for MTV3 TV News and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper for almost 20 years.

Helsinki Homicide: Against The Wall, the winner of the 2009 Finnish Crime Novel of the Year Award, is the first of Jarkko Sipila's nine Takamäki-novels to be translated into English. Through realistic characters and complex plots, the author discusses current topics surrounding Finnish society and unveils glimpses into his homeland.

Review by Ulla Suokko for New World Finn: ...this book is skillfully composed and intelligently written in its slow-moving tough-guy tenor. True to his genre, Mr. Sipila hooks the reader by zooming through the windows of a tight timeline and feeding the pieces of the murder puzzle bit by bit through the eyes and minds of his characters...

Peter Ohlsson - Scandinavianbooks dot com: ....Against the Wall is very well plotted. It is written is a slow-moving and direct style. Pieces of the puzzle and the larger plot become visible gradually, and this serves to build the excitement towards a plausible and interesting ending. As well, the characters, while not being fully drawn, are realistic and very interesting. I enjoyed reading it, and strongly recommend it.

Nothing But The Truth is the third book translated into English in the prize-winning crime fiction series Helsinki Homicide by Finnish writer Jarkko Sipila. Like the two previous books in the series, it focuses on the Violent Crimes Unit in the Helsinki Police. The key characters are Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki and the undercover detective Suhonen. Like the previous books, Nothing But The Truth too is a noir crime fiction novel, written in a relatively stark and direct style.

Outside an apartment building in Helsinki, a young cocaine dealer is gunned down. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki and his homicide team move quickly and succeed in finding and arresting the shooter, a well known criminal named Esa Nyberg. So far so good. But Nyberg doesn’t talk – all he says is “No comment”. Even though they have the killer, Takamäki and his team want more: They want to know why the dealer was shot. And – in particular – they want to know who ordered the killing.

The Violent Crimes unit knows most of what there is to know about the criminal underworld in Helsinki. And they know Nyberg works with a very ruthless psychopath and crime boss named Risto Korpi. They suspect he is the man behind the execution. But pinning the crime on him will be difficult unless someone talks. But, as Takamäki know too well – Korpi and his men will not talk.

Then, after the police have issued a statement to the media and asked witnesses to the crime to step forward, a woman from a neighboring building – a lady with photographic memory - comes forward with an image of the getaway driver's face and the registration number of the car. All the pieces fall into place, and Korpi is arrested and brought to trial.

Amidst freezing rain, Timo Repo escapes from his father’s funeral. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki and his homicide team must return the convicted wife-murderer back to prison. But as the manhunt begins, Takamäki's team starts digging into old evidence. Why would Repo flee now, with over half his sentence completed? Was he guilty after all? Or was he an innocent man unjustly sentenced to life in prison -- and to losing his only son? Timo Repo’s escape is no longer a routine case.

Helsinki Homicide: Cold Trail deliberates taking justice into your own hands. While Takamäki ponders whether the legal system always gets it right, Repo battles with his conscience and those who have wronged him.

The novel is yet another thrilling read from Sipila, full of his trademark rugged realism. The sequel to Nothing but the Truth is the fourth of his novels to be translated into English. Against the Wall won Finland’s 2009 Crime Novel of the Year Award.

Jarkko Sipila is a Finnish author and journalist. He has reported on Finnish crime for more than 20 years, has written 15 books, and co-wrote a TV-series based on the Takamäki books. Through realistic characters and story lines, he explores current topics surrounding life in contemporary Finland.


“Sipila’s realistic narration of the lives of both criminals and cops continues in Cold Trail.” - Helsingin Sanomat

Helsinki Homicide: The Story Continues From The Author of the 2009 Winner of the Best Finnish Crime Novel Tapani Larsson, a Finnish crime boss, walks out of prison with one thought on his mind: Vengeance. Wanting to reclaim his gang's honor and avenge those who have wronged him, Larsson targets Suhonen, the undercover detective who put him in prison. Meanwhile, Suhonen's best friend, an ex-con himself, wants to wash his hands of crime, but in the process, is driven deeper into it. With the help of his boss, Lieutenant Takamäki, and the National Bureau of Investigation, Suhonen hunts for the loose thread that could unravel the entire gang. But with every string he pulls, he flirts with death itself. Helsinki Homicide: Vengeance is another thrilling read from Sipila. It is the second of his books to be translated into English. The first, Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall, won the 2009 Finnish Crime Novel of the Year Award. Jarkko Sipila is a Finnish author and journalist. He has been reporting on Finnish crime for 20 years, has written 11 books, and co-wrote a TV series based on the Takamäki books.