Snow Angels

James Thompson (1964–2014) was an American-Finnish crime fiction author best known for creating the critically acclaimed Inspector Vaara series. Born in Kentucky, Thompson worked a colorful variety of jobs—including bartender, bouncer, soldier, construction worker, and photographer—before relocating to Finland, where he lived for over a dozen years. He earned a Master’s degree in English Philology from the University of Helsinki and became fluent in Finnish, gaining a deep understanding of his adopted home that heavily influenced his writing. Thompson broke into the international crime fiction scene with his 2009 debut novel, Snow Angels, which introduced global readers to Inspector Kari Vaara and established Thompson as a prominent voice in Nordic noir. He followed the success of his debut with three more novels in the dark, gritty series: Lucifer's Tears (2011), Helsinki White (2012), and Helsinki Blood (2013), and also edited the anthology Helsinki Noir (2014). His promising literary career was cut short when he passed away unexpectedly in August 2014 in Lahti, Finland.