Matti Rönkä (b. 1959 in Kuusjärvi) is not only an internationally successful author of crime novels, known for his Viktor Kärppä series. He is also the face and voice of the evening news in Finland. This TV journalist and newsreader published his first crime novel, Tappajan näköinen mies (‘The Man Who Looked Like a Killer’), in 2002. The book features the antihero Viktor Kärppä, a Helsinki-based private detective. Kärppä is a former agent with the Soviet secret police who emigrated to Finland after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He is constantly on the edge of illegality in his investigations. This perspective, along with the authentic descriptions of criminological work, set Matti Rönkä’s series apart from the crowd.
Rönkä’s crime novels have been translated into 17 languages so far. He has also been honoured with numerous literary awards in Finland and abroad, including the prestigious Scandinavian Glass Key and the Deutscher Krimipreis.
German translations:
Finnische Freunde. Drei Viktor Kärppä Krimis in einem Band, Bastei Lübbe (erscheint am 16. September 2014), Übersetzung.: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Zeit des Verrats, Bastei Lübbe 2012, Übersetzung: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Entfernte Verwandte, Bastei Lübbe 2012, Übersetzung: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Russische Freunde, Bastei Lübbe 2010, Übersetzung: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Bruderland, Grafit Verlag 2008, Übersetzung: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Der Grenzgänger, Grafit Verlag 2007, Übersetzung: Gabriele Schrey-Vasara.
Photo: © Jouni Harala