Jarkko Sipila

Against the Wall Jarkko Sipila 1st edition

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.