Jussi Vares
Created by Reijo Mäki

Some Finnish writers have tried to copy the American hardboiled writers of the forties and fifties, but the results have been mostly preposterous. Finnish crime literature usually focuses more on police procedurals, or the psychological and sociological fallout from crime. One writer, Reijo Mäki (pronounced like 'macky'), however, has given the private eye novel a shot or two. He has a PI called JUSSI VARES. He's your regular hardboiled PI: he drinks, makes love, hates everyone, gets beaten and mugged.

The books have been criticized for being male chauvinist, sexist and racist, but Mäki denies the accusations and says that he hates them all. The books have also been criticized for concentrating too much on Vares drinking (he has also his own cocktail guide) and having too many bad one-liners. Mäki tells these one-liners himself, too - he's a celebrity in his home town, Turku, where you can catch him in his favourite bar, Apteekki.

Mäki also wrote at least one novel, Kruunun vasikka, featuring undercover cop Sakari Roivas, who works for the Swedish police (name is Finnish, though...). The title, literally translated, is The Crown's Calf, but "vasikka" is also a police term for a snitch (ie. an informer), and "kruunu" ("crown") refers to the connection to the government. And, unlike Finland, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy...

Additional Notes: Vares has proven so popular in Finland that in 2004 a film was released, starring Juha Veijonen as the detective, and directed by Aleksi Mäkelä, considered by many the number one action-director in Finland .

NOVELS
The names in English sound very noir! Jussi Vares may not appear in all the books. I'm working on it.

• Enkelipölyä (Angel Dust; 1985)
• Moukan peli (Pawn's Game; 1986)
• Satakieli lauloi yöllä (Nightingale Sang at Night; 1987)
• Marraskuu on musta hauta (November is a Black Grave; 1988)
• Sukkanauhakäärme (The Suspender Snake; 1989)
• Jäätynyt enkeli (The Frozen Angel; 1990)
• Kuoleman kapellimestari (The Conductor of Death; 1991)
• Rahan kääntöpiiri (Tropic of Money; 1995)
• Tatuoitu taivas (The Tattooed Heaven; 1997)
• Pimeyden tango (Tango of Darkness; 1997)
• Vares ja kaidan tien kulkijat (Vares and the Wanderers of the Narrow Path; 1998)
• Pahan suudelma (Kiss of Evil; 1999)
• Keltainen leski (The Yellow Widow; 1999)
• Mullan maku (The Taste of Dust; 2000)
• Kolmastoista yö (The Thirteenth Night; 2001)
• Pitkä lounas (The Long Lunch; 2002)
• Black Jack (2003)
• Huhtikuun tytöt (The April Girls; 2004)

COLLECTIONS

• Aito turkki (Real Fur; 2001)

FILM

• VARES, PRIVATE EYE
  (2004, Solar Films)
  In Finnish
  Based on the novel "Keltainen leski" by Reijo Mäki
  Screenplay by Pekka Lehtosaari
  Directed by Aleksi Mäkelä
  Produced by Markus Selin
  Starring Juha Veijonen as JUSSI VARES
  Also starring Laura Malmivaara, Jari Halonen, Jorma Tommila, Pekka Valkeejärvi, Kari Hietalahti, Jasper Pääkkönen, Santeri Kinnunen, Markku Peltola, Tuula Nyman

ALSO OF INTEREST...

• Jussi Vareksen drinkkiopas (The Cocktail Guide of Jussi Vares; 2003)
  

RELATED LINKS

• Northern Eyes: Scandinavia
  More eyes from northern Europe...

Respectfully submitted by Juri Nummelin. Additional info by Vesa Lehtinen .