James Thompson was an American-Finnish author, born on October 16, 1964, in eastern Kentucky. He became known as one of the most famous Scandinavian crime writers in Finland's history, despite being born in the United States. Thompson's Finnish ancestry and fluency in the language earned him a unique distinction in the world of Nordic noir.
Thompson's educational background included a Master's Degree in English philology from the University of Helsinki, where he also studied Finnish and five other languages. Before becoming a successful crime writer, Thompson worked in various fields such as a soldier, construction worker, bouncer, and bartender. He settled in Helsinki after marrying a Finnish woman and lived there for 15 years. Thompson's writing career took off in Finland, where he gained critical acclaim and popularity for his Inspector Vaara series.
Thompson's first internationally published novel, "Snow Angels," received significant recognition, including being selected as one of Booklist's Best Crime Novel Debuts of the Year and nominated for an Edgar Award, an Anthony Award, and a Strand Critics Award. His subsequent novels, "Lucifer's Tears" and "Helsinki White," also received critical acclaim, with starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. The first three books in the Inspector Vaara series were optioned for film.
Thompson's writing career extended beyond the Inspector Vaara series. He was a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books and held a Master's degree from The University of Helsinki. Thompson was also a well-known professional ghostwriter who wrote the books of the nation's top business, organizational, and political leaders. He ghostwrote over 80 books, including biographies, memoirs, histories, motivational books, and books about politics, medicine, law, society, and religion. Thompson passed away on August 1, 2014, in his Lahti hometown in Finland. Some of his works were posthumously published.