{"product_id":"the-birthmark-murders-janus-lucky-9781067047290","title":"The Birthmark Murders: \"Death is a Cabaret, Old Chum\"","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOfficially a suicide. Unofficially? Nothing adds up.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA darkly funny Scandi noir mystery where theatre, murder, and buried secrets collide - with queer characters you won't forget.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Mikael, a half-Finnish New Zealander, returns to Finland after decades away, he is looking for answers, not trouble. His father - the brilliant theatre director known as Spiral - died under mysterious circumstances after a notorious Cabaret production. The case was closed. The questions were not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeaming up with Pekka Wall, a sharp-tongued, reclusive sci-fi editor dragged from his idyllic Cotswolds cottage, and a young misfit with a fierce mind and flaming red hair, Mikael plunges into Finland's eccentric cultural underworld. What he uncovers is a web of old secrets, ruthless ambition, and a manipulative figure whose cruelty stretches back decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs layers of performance, paranoia, and betrayal unfold across the Cotswolds, Helsinki, and a small Finnish university city, the three discover that solving a murder is the easy part. Facing the truth is what costs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Birthmark Murders is the first book in the Pekka Wall series\u003c\/strong\u003e - an atmospheric Finnish mystery steeped in cultural intrigue, pitch-black humour, and emotional depth. With richly drawn LGBTQ+ characters at its heart, it is a story about guilt, identity, found family, and the past refusing to stay buried.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor fans of Nordic noir, Stieg Larsson, and crime fiction with brains, bite, and heart.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePekka Wall Series: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBook 1: The Birthmark Murders - Death Is a Cabaret, Old Chum\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrequel: Handful - The Boy at the End of the Rainbow\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBook 3: The Triumvirate Murders - Death as a Business Expense\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Janus Lucky\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1067047298\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781067047290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Janus Lucky Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.22lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.93d","brand":"Janus Lucky","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49084131574015,"sku":"9781067047290","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-birthmark-murders-janus-lucky-9781067047290","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}