I’m in full swing with my third murder mystery, The Triumvirate Murder – Death as a Business Expense. I’ve passed the 46,000-word mark, which means I’m halfway through discovering—alongside my readers—who did it, how, and most importantly, why. This one has taken a colder, darker turn than I first envisioned… quite literally.

Unlike the balmy summer mystery in The Birthmark Murders, this novel is buried deep in December—a time when Finland is cloaked in a bleak, frosted beauty that’s more bone-deep than picturesque. It’s not just the weather that’s chilling: the story unfolds against a backdrop of murky business ethics, corrupted power, and moral decay in the corporate world. My characters—eccentric and cheeky as ever—have insisted on steering the plot into shadier, more unsettling territory than I originally planned. I’ve simply followed along, trying to keep up.

A major influence this time around is Sarah Wynn-Williams’ damning memoir Careless People, which peels back the veneer of Silicon Valley’s smiling tyranny. The corporate logic she exposes—sacrificing everything for growth and dollars—seeps through the plot like a virus. Paired with the brutal realities of the war in Ukraine and the global trend of truth becoming collateral damage, the novel's undercurrent questions what kind of world we are complicit in building.

Add to that my deep (and deeply Finnish) suspicion of Russian state structures—rooted in both history and headline—and you’ll understand why certain characters and themes have evolved the way they have. For example, there’s a prostitution ring with uncanny resemblance to real-life embassy scandals. Let’s just say: always read between the lines, and never take anything—especially from Facebook—at face value.

But amid all the treachery, deception, and cold ambition, there are still moments of love, absurdity, and (thankfully) dark humour. The indomitable duo of Tuomas and Pekka return with their trademark banter and heartbreak. There’s even a flash of national spectacle that had me laughing and cringing as I typed.

Writing this book has been like assembling a jigsaw puzzle with pieces stolen from multiple boxes—some beautiful, some horrifying. But I trust the picture will be worth it. Like Russian Doll… If my words nudge even one reader to question what hides behind glossy smiles and polished statements, then I’ve done my job.

Thank you for walking with me. The finish line—and the next dead body—await.

With love, suspicion and some gin,

Janus Lucky
www.januslucky.com

Get The Birthmark Murders from below:

👉 Amazon
👉 Apple Books
👉 Books.by – for those who like things a bit more indie

and of course, Kobo.