JIM THOMPSON'S SLICE OF FINLAND AT SCENE OF THE CRIME

[J. Sydney Jones]

A “Long, Dark Winter”: Jim Thompson’s Finnish Noir

April 23, 2010 by Scene of the Crime | Edit

Bartender, bouncer, construction worker, photographer, rare coin dealer, soldier and wrestling announcer–add to these the title of AUTHOR. Jim Thompson has led a
varied career, one taking him from his native Kentucky to Finland where
he has lived for over a decade, and a publishing contract with northern
Europe’s largest publisher, WSOY, for a series of political thrillers
and crime stories. His first novel, Across the Green Line,
appeared in 2008, in Finnish, under the title Jerusalemin veri.
His second book, the crime novel Snow Angels (Lumienkelit),
was released in spring 2009. Another thriller, The True Name of God
(Jumalan nimeen), was published in March 2010.

With Snow Angels, Thompson introduces Inspector Vaara, the focus of this interview, whom he follows with the second in the noir series, Dead of Winter, out next year. Of Snow Angels,
a contributor to Booklist declared it an “outstanding series
debut,” and Publishers Weekly found it a “nourish thriller”
that “offers a bleak look at the ravages of [Finland’s] long, dark
winter as well as intriguing glimpses of Finnish culture.”

Continue reading at SCENE OF THE CRIME.