Janus Lucky
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Janus Lucky
"Death is a Cabaret, Old Chum."
by Janus Lucky
Step into a world where secrets smoulder between the lines and truth hides behind the curtain.
When Mikael, a half-Finnish New Zealander, returns to his father’s homeland after decades away, he isn’t looking for trouble—just answers. His father, Mikael Långberg, once a brilliant theatre director, died under mysterious circumstances during the final days of a notorious Cabaret production. Officially ruled a suicide. Unofficially? Nothing adds up.
Teaming up with a reluctant old friend, a sharp-tongued editor and translator of famous sci-fi novels, Pekka Wall, and a local young misfit, Mikael plunges into Finland’s eccentric, icy underworld—where silence speaks volumes, humour cuts deep, and the past never stays buried. As layers of performance, paranoia, and betrayal unfold, he discovers that solving a murder is easy… compared to facing the truth.
Darkly funny, emotionally layered, and rich with a Finnish atmosphere, The Birthmark Murders is a mystery that dances between satire and sorrow, theatre and truth, love and obsession. Prepare to laugh, flinch, and turn pages late into the night.
Janus Lucky writes touching, thrilling and entertaining stories with LGBT+ themes.
Born in Finland and now living in New Zealand, Janus Lucky has his sights set on a cosy cottage in the Cotswolds — and every book you buy brings that dream a step closer. After decades in the digital media industry as a theatre director, content writer, producer, and executive, Janus turned his hand to fiction, blending his sharp eye for drama with a love of suspense. His debut, The Birthmark Murders – Death Is a Cabaret, Old Chum, is a rich slice of Scandi Noir, following eccentric Finnish sci-fi editor Pekka Wall from the Cotswolds to Finland and New Zealand as he unravels dark, tangled murders. Janus’s second novel, Handful – The Boy at the End of the Rainbow, is a tender, funny, and emotionally intelligent novel about growing up—and growing into yourself. With richly drawn LGBTQ+ characters and themes at its core, this story speaks to anyone who has ever felt lonely, marginalised, different, or simply lost. It is a prequel to the Birthmark Murders, giving the readers a close-up on Tuomas (the young man who was destined to meet Pekka Wall no matter what) when he was just a 15-year-old geek. More than a coming-of-age tale, it’s a deeply humane exploration of identity, resilience, and love in all its forms. For parents navigating the emotional rollercoaster of raising teens—and for young adults trying to make sense of who they are and where they belong—Handful offers warmth, insight, and moments of laugh-out-loud joy. The third book in the Pekka Wall series is The Triumvirate Murders – Death as a Business Expense. From Helsinki’s velvet-draped ballrooms to the shadowy alleys of scandal and scandalous pasts, The Triumvirate Murders is a whip-smart crime tale brimming with biting wit, theatrical flair, and an unflinching look at power, pride, and the personal cost of truth. Prepare for a scandalous waltz of deception, with murder the price of entry and survival the only encore. There will be six books in the Pekka Wall series.
Death As a Business Expense
Sharp-tongued, darkly funny, and wickedly intelligent—The Triumvirate Murders is crime fiction with bite.