KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
Kaarina Griffiths is a versatile Finnish-British crime author with a background as a therapist and journalist. After living in various parts of Europe, she eventually settled in Cornwall, in the dramatic landscape of southwest England. Cornwall became the inspiration for her atmospheric murder mysteries.Kaarina says:”By pure chance, I ended up in the village of Bodinnick, near Fowey ‒ the same village where Daphne du Maurier once lived. My first crime manuscript ‒ set in Finland ‒ had been rejected multiple times. As I walked my dog past Daphne’s house each day, it began to feel as though she was urging me on: ´Don’t give up´. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that I landed here, I thought. I may be the first suspense writer in the village since Daphne ‒ and perhaps the last. It felt like a tradition worth continuing. I returned to my manuscript with renewed determination, and soon after, secured a publishing contract.”Kaarina´s writing blends psychological depth, crime-driven plots, and local mythology ‒ creating suspenseful, reflective crime fiction.After four busy years writing her Cornwall mystery series, Kaarina is now especially excited about 2026. With a new Cornwall-set novel in progress and her first book translated into English, she invites you to join her journey for this next chapter.For the first time, English readers are able to discover her work, starting with Murder in Ice ‒ a chilling murder mystery set in Lapland.
Photograph : @Sami Mannerheimo
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
Kaarina Griffiths is regarded as a distinguished author of murder mysteries, Nordic Noir and Finnish crime fiction. Her life between Finnish and British cultures gives her stories strong psychological nuance and interesting character dynamics. Although her books are crime fiction, they focus heavily on the social dynamics of small, often closed communities ‒ perfect settings for mysteries where everyone has something to hide. She skillfully blends suspense and local legends with closed-community settings. Her acclaimed novels weave together Cornish and Finnish folklore and evocative landscapes with complex murder plots.Kaarina´s writing style is celebrated for its vivid language, emotional resonance, and skillfully excruciating suspense. Her well-structured narratives invite readers into breathtaking settings, whether in Cornwall or Lapland. Her storytelling is both thrilling and deeply human.Griffiths’ work has received significant recognition in Finland, including short listing for major Finnish crime fiction award 2024. Her talent is now being introduced to English-speaking audiences as she continues to write from her home in Cornwall.
© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
finnish author - cornwall based - nordic noir
Kaarina Griffiths has published six crime books for Finnish readers. The Cornwall Murder Mystery-series, published by prominent publisher, Otava, is set in real Cornish villages. The stories weave together village legends and fictional murder plots: Meren syliin (The Mermaid´s Death) explores the legend of Zennor´s mermaid, Lintumies (The Birdman) the "Owlman of Mawnan Smith" and Tuulisolmut (The Wind Knots) the legend of Boscastle´s witches, who used to sell windknot-amulets to sailors. Lintumies was shortlisted for The Best Finnish Crime Book of the Year 2024. (read more in section Cornwall series).Kaarina´s first bestseller, Murha tunturissa - Murder in Ice, is now available for the English audience (see section Murder in Ice). The Finnish version of the book was a 2023 Christmas bestseller across the streaming platforms BookBeat and Storytell. It was published by Swedish publisher, Lind & Co, as a 24-part Advent Calendar – later as a whole book. In its English edition, the story unfolds across 25 chapters. Readers can enjoy one chapter a day in the countdown to Christmas – or simply as a compelling crime novel to read in one sitting.Earlier Novels:
• Punainen piru ja musta enkeli (The Red Devil and the Black Angel, 2018):
A debut crime novel set in a retirement home, where psychological undercurrents and old secrets drive the suspense.
• Trennan sokkelo (The Maze of Trenna, 2020):
A passionate, dark love story and a murder mystery set in Trenna´s manor hotel in Cornwall. The protagonist, Antti Honkanen, later solves murders as a profiler in the Cornwall series.
• Murha tunturissa (Murder in Ice, 2023, English translation 2025):
The story is set in snowy Lapland in a shaman drum-building course. It involves Sámi legends and mythology.
© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
Murder In Ice
A Chilling Murder Mystery Set in Lapland
A bestselling Finnish mystery, now available in English for the first time. In the heart of a frozen Lapland winter, secrets refuse to stay buried, and a murderer is on the loose.A tense and atmospheric Nordic noir, Murder in Ice combines local legend, psychological suspense, and unforgettable landscapes. Will you solve the riddle before other readers?
UUTTA NYT! Murha tunturissa kaksoispokkarina yhdessä Suviyön surma-dekkarin kanssa! Saatavana kirjakaupoista ja marketeista. Kustantaja Otava.
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Discover the story behind the mystery and the inspiration for Murder in Ice
Meet Kaarina Griffiths
Author of Murder in Ice
Kaarina Griffiths is a versatile Finnish crime author with a background as a therapist and journalist. After living in various parts of Europe, she and her husband Mark eventually settled in Cornwall, in the dramatic landscape of southwest England. Cornwall became the inspiration for her atmospheric murder mysteries.Kaarina´s writing blends psychological depth, crime-driven plots, and local mythology ‒ creating suspenseful, reflective crime fiction.In 2023, Murder in Ice - a chilling murder mystery set in Lapland - became a Finnish bestseller. Now translated into English, it offers readers the chance to discover Kaarina’s work for the first time. She invites you to join her on this exciting new chapter of her journey.Currently, she is writing the fourth book of her Cornwall Murder Mystery-series for Otava, one of the most famous publishers in Finland. The second book in the series was short-listed for The Best Crime Book of Year 2024.
the scene
In the heart of a frozen Lapland winter, a small, isolated hamlet is rocked by a shocking death beneath the ice. As darkness stretches for days and secrets refuse to stay buried, the investigators are drawn into a world, where ancient folklore and modern tensions collide. They are facing lies and rumours and know that they must untangle a chilling mystery before another body is claimed by the ice.
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© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
The Cornwall Murder Mystery series draws on traditional Cornish legends, central to each book’s plot and setting. Each story blends atmospheric folklore with gripping crime investigations, offering a distinctive reading experience.Three books have been published in the series:Meren syliin (The Mermaid’s Death, 2023) introduces the legend of Zennor’s mermaid. When a body, dressed as a mermaid, is discovered in a tidal cave, Detective Inspector Paul Diggins from Truro teams up with Finnish profiler Antti Honkanen to investigate.Lintumies (The Birdman, 2024) was shortlisted for The Best Finnish Crime Book of the Year 2024 and draws inspiration from the Mawnan Smith "birdman" legend. As a small Cornish village prepares for an arts festival, an eerie apparition is seen in the church tower. Later, a ritualistic murder is discovered, and the boundaries between myth and reality begin to blur.Tuulisolmut (The Wind Knots, 2025): In the coastal village of Boscastle, locals tell a legend of witches who once sold wind knots, magical amulets, to sailors. When one of these ancient charms turns up at a murder scene, it reignites fears of modern-day witch hunts and exposes the village’s deep-rooted superstitions.The series is published in Finnish by OTAVA and has not yet been released in English.
© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
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© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
Step into Kaarina Griffiths’ world of murder mystery. Readers Club Members gain priority access to exclusive content, insider interviews, and upcoming releases. Will you uncover the killer before anyone else?Why Join the Readers Club?✅ Exclusive sneak previews
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© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
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KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
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© Kaarina Griffiths. All rights reserved.
KAARINA GRIFFITHS
FINNISH AUTHOR - CORNWALL BASED - NORDIC NOIR
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