Janus Lucky
ALLi Author Member
Location: New Zealand
Genres: Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cosy Mystery, LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA), New Adult, Crime, General Fiction, Thriller
Janus Lucky, a retired media consultant, is a novelist with a flair for murder mysteries and coming-of-age stories with queer protagonists. Born in Finland and having immigrated to New Zealand, Janus now plans to move to the UK. Fingers crossed. He has spent decades working in the performing arts and the digital media industry as a content writer, producer, and executive. With a keen eye for the dramatic and suspenseful, Janus presents his inaugural novel, The Birthmark Murders –"Death is a Cabaret—Old Chum!" This novel marks his thrilling entry into the world of fiction, introducing readers to a rich tapestry of intrigue and mystery. Janus's second novel is Handful – A Boy at the End of the Rainbow. This coming-of-age story delves deep into the backstory of his characters from The Birthmark Murders, offering readers a prequel that enriches the series' universe. Not one to rest on his laurels, Janus has written the third instalment in the Pekka Wall series, The Triumvirate Murders – Death as a Business Expense. This work promises to fuse Janus's extensive business experience with his flair for suspense, setting the stage for yet another captivating read. And there will be more to come.
Janus Lucky's books
Genres: Crime, General Fiction, LGBTQ+
Formats: E-Book
Age Groups: 18+
This is a free short story as a prequel to the Pekka Wall series. You can download the free eBook from the author's StoryOrigin link. –––––– Before the murders, there was a crack. In wintery Helsinki, editor Pekka Wall collides with swaggering "thought leader" Kari Varassuo at a boozy Andromedusa Publisher's party—and stumbles into an NDA-laced job he can’t refuse. As he “polishes” a centennial puff-piece for a notorious factory, Pekka uncovers Varassuo's betrayal, tipping him into a game of humiliation, leverage, and midnight stakes. When past love, loss and present danger collide, the wall around his heart finally fractures—leaving him one choice: stay and be destroyed, or run and be reborn. Darkly funny and sharply observed, The Crack in the Wall is Pekka Wall’s origin story—the first fracture that sends him escaping toward the life to come.
Genres: Crime, LGBTQ+, Thriller
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
A sunlit forest. A dragonfly’s flicker. A yellow sports car that doesn’t stop. The hit-and-run death of a little girl on an August road will stain Helsinki’s winter long before the first snow falls. When celebrated editor Pekka Wall and his much-younger partner, rising sci-fi star Tuomas Ylivire, step into the President’s Independence Day gala, they’re Finland’s most-watched queer couple—glamour, gossip, and a kiss seen round the nation—until a drunken whisper on live TV hints at bodies buried beneath the city’s polished veneer. What follows is pure Scandi-noir: a humid, overpacked castle reception turning sour, a city of neoclassical facades and frozen harbours, and a trail that leads from luxury boardrooms to back-street bedsits. As Pekka and Tuomas are pulled into a lethal game, a power “triumvirate” of media darlings and tech money finds murder, sex, and blackmail just another line item—evidence laundered, reputations traded, and desire weaponised, with whispers...
Genres: General Fiction, LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA), New Adult
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 12-15, 18+
A Story of Courage, Friendship, and Finding Your Own Way In the crisp spring of suburban Finland, Tuomas Ylivire is on the edge of growing up—and on the brink of something bigger. Armed with nothing but his judo kit, sharp wit, and a rule-breaking spirit inherited from his legendary detective father, Tuomas is ready for anything life throws at him. Or so he thinks. When the enigmatic Esa enters his world and long-hidden truths begin to surface, Tuomas faces his greatest challenge yet: learning to trust, to love, to accept himself, and to reach out—no matter how high the stakes. As secrets unravel and friendships are tested, the boys discover that while being gay is perfectly normal, being true, open, and happy takes rare courage. Handful is a modern, heartfelt coming-of-age novel that blends suspense, smart humour, and the messiness of real life into an unputdownable page-turner. With every chapter,...
Genres: Crime, General Fiction, LGBTQ+
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
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...