
Photo: Ville Juurikkala
Antti Tuomainen (b. 1971) is one of Finland’s most acclaimed and award-winning crime fiction writers. To date, Tuomainen’s works have been translated into more than 25 languages. Crowned “The King of Helsinki Noir,” Tuomainen’s piercing and evocative style has never stopped evolving. In The Man Who Died, Tuomainen displays a new side of his authorship and unveils his multifaceted ability in full. The novel, which combines Tuomainen’s trademark suspense with a darkly tinged humor, has won the hearts of readers and critics alike, and secured him the new title of King of Noir Comedy.
“You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers.”
–New York Times
“Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe.”
–The Times
“Antti Tuomainen is a wonderful writer. His characters, plots and atmosphere are masterfully drawn.”
–Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Nominated for CrimeFest's Last Laugh Award (Best Humourous Crime Novel) UK – Hirvikaava The Moose Paradox | 2023 |
Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Jäniskerroin The Rabbit Factor | 2022 |
The Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Pikku Siperia Little Siberia | 2020 |
Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger UK – Pikku Siperia Little Siberia | 2020 |
Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award (Best humorous crime novel of the year) UK – Pikku Siperia Little Siberia | 2020 |
Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award (Best Humorous Crime of the year) UK – Palm Beach Finland Palm Beach, Finland | 2019 |
Shortlisted for the Prix du Polar Européen (Best Crime Novel of the Year) France – Mies joka kuoli The Man Who Died | 2019 |
Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Mies joka kuoli The Man Who Died | 2018 |
Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award UK – Mies joka kuoli The Man Who Died | 2018 |
Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Synkkä niin kuin sydämeni Dark As My Heart | 2016 |
The Clue Award (Best Finnish Crime Novel) Finland – Parantaja The Healer | 2011 |
Shortlisted for the Glass Key The Nordic Countries – Parantaja The Healer | 2011 |
2018, Literary
2017, Literary
2016, Literary
Antti Tuomainen’s suspenseful novel The Moose Paradox has been nominated for CrimeFest’s Last Laugh Award 2023 in the category Best Humourous Crime Novel. The winner will be announced at the CrimeFest Gala Dinner on May 13.
Antti Tuomainen’s lauded The Moose Paradox is one of just two translated titles to feature on the Guardian’s list of best crime and thriller novels of 2022. The UK newspaper calls The Moose Paradox a “standout” as well as “delightfully funny.”
The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its shortlist for the 2022 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of six nominees include Anders Roslund with Knock Knock and Antti Tuomainen with The Rabbit Factor.
The Judges have the following to say about each title:
“Another fine example of Roslund’s talent for seamlessly blending together a solid police procedural with a high octane thriller, leading to a gritty and fast-paced read set against his astute observations on the societal and political issues of contemporary Sweden.” – on Anders Roslund’s Knock Knock.
“[It] puts at its heart an ordinary man drawing on his previously undiscovered and extraordinary resolve, to carve out and keep his place in a hostile world, with often darkly funny results.” – on Antti Tuomainen’s The Rabbit Factor.
The winning title will be announced on Thursday 8 December 2022.
The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its longlist for the 2022 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of twelve nominees include Katrine Engberg with The Butterfly House, Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger with Smoke Screen, Anders Roslund with Knock Knock, and Antti Tuomainen with The Rabbit Factor.
The shortlist is to be announced on 16 November 2022.
Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) has acquired international distribution rights to Elisa Viihde original series The Man Who Died, the adaptation based on Antti Tuomainen’s bestselling book with the same name. The six-episode series is adapted by Brendan Foley and Markku Flink and led by Jussi Vatanen (Dead Leaves).
Since its premiere on June 19, The Man Who Died has been the most watched series on Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde Viaplay. Produced by Helsinki-based ReelMedia Ltd. and Germany’s ndF International Production, the series follows mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko (Vatanen) who discovers he has been slowly poisoned. Jaakko is a man in his prime, with a thriving business and keen customers, but his world shatters when a doctor reveals his days are numbered. During his hunt for the killer, people have a habit of dying or vanishing. And yet he feels gloriously alive, for the first time in years.
Read the full article in Variety by clicking ‘Read More’ below
The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) has unveiled the nominations for its 28th edition. Competing in the International Series section is the acclaimed thriller Headhunters, the lauded psychological drama thriller The Dark Heart and the crime comedy The Man Who Died.
Headhunters, inspired by Jo Nesbø’s eponymous best-selling novel, is written by Rolf-Magne Golten Andersen and Geir Henning Hopeland, who is also the series’ director. The Dark Heart is created by screenwriter Oskar Söderlund and director Gustav Möller. The Man Who Died is based on Antti Tuomainen’s bestselling novel of the same name.
The 2022 GIFF is running from November 4-13.
The going gets tough and the tough get tougher in the comical, touching conclusion of The Rabbit Factor Trilogy.
How best to reconcile the ongoing skulduggery of the adventure-park business with the unpredictable realities of life in a blended family? The two appear to have only one common denominator: neither is well equipped to cope with a rising body count. In order to solve this seemingly impossible conundrum, Henri Koskinen has to step far beyond the order and precision of his mathematically-defined comfort zone.
In The Beaver Theory, Henri Koskinen, the actuary and adventure-park entrepreneur who has won the hearts of readers around the world, encounters the biggest challenge of his career. The first part of the trilogy is currently being adapted for the silver screen in Hollywood.
Antti Tuomainen’s dark comic novel The Rabbit Factor is shortlisted for the prestigious 2022 CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation, an award given to the best translated crime novel of the year published or broadcast in the UK.
The awards ceremony will be held in London on the 29th of June.
Jo Nesbø’s Rat Island and Other Stories is No. 4 on the largest bookstore chain Suomalainen Kirjakauppa’s bestseller list in Finland. Antti Tuomainen’s The Rabbit Factor and Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man can be found on No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on the bestseller list for paperback.
Amazon Studios is teaming up with Mandeville Films to turn Antti Tuomainen’s hit novel The Rabbit Factor into a feature film starring Steve Carell.
In the adaptation of the darkly comic novel by the Finnish Tuomainen, Carell will play insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen, who knows most of life’s answers because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal. Everything changes when he suddenly loses his job, and other variables enter the fray. Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. Most pressing: big loans were taken from criminal elements, and the lenders are now keen to get their money back. In the adventure park, Henri also crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a checkered past. As the criminals begin to collect their debts and as Henri’s relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be quantified on a spread sheet.
To read more in Deadline, just click the “Read more” button below.
The Finnish entertainment service Elisa Viihde has commissioned an original series based on Antti Tuomainen’s bestselling novel The Man Who Died. The series, which will start shooting in June 2021, is produced by Markku Flink and will be directed by Samuli Valkama. The screenplay is written by Brendan Foley (Cold Courage). The six-episode series will follow the plot of the book closely, centering on the main character, the mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko Kaunismaa (played by Jussi Vatanen) who learns that he is slowly dying from poisoning and decides to find out who wants him dead.
“The Man Who Died is definitely one of the funniest novels I’ve read in years. Although the story is truly as Finnish as can be, it will surely delight an international audience who enjoys the dark humor of the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson,” says Markku Flink.
Antti Tuomainen’s Little Siberia is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Petrona Award for “Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.”
The judges’ statement on Little Siberia:
Antti Tuomainen’s Little Siberia stood out on the shortlist for all of the judges. From its arresting opening, in which a meteorite unexpectedly lands on a speeding car, to its very human depiction of a pastor grappling with private and theological crises, this is a pitch-perfect comic crime novel with considerable depth and heart.
The first Finnish crime novel to receive the Petrona Award, Little Siberia is a particularly fitting winner for 2020 – a year in which life was turned upside down. A celebration of resilience, fortitude and simply muddling through, it is a novel for our times.
David Hackston’s fine translation captures Little Siberia’s depictions of an icy northern Finland and its darkly comic tone, skilfully showcasing the writing of one of Scandinavia’s most versatile and original crime authors.