Owen Laukkanen

Owen Laukkanen is a Canadian novelist known for his mysteries and thrillers, especially the critically-acclaimed Stevens and Windermere series.

Laukkanen was born on February 20, 1983 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The family moved to Windsor in 1985 when Laukkanen was a toddler. Laukkanen spent his childhood and teenage years in Windsor, developing a love for reading and making happy memories attending the local library and to book fairs.

After high school, Laukkanen headed back to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia. He achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2006, and worked

for a few years as a commercial fisherman and as a reporter for the World Series of Poker before launching a successful career as a novelist. Laukkanen’s first novel, The Professionals, was published in 2012 and was partly inspired by his experiences as a recent graduate in a challenging job market. The novel presents the story of four struggling graduates who take up organized crime to make a living, and it was met with immediate praise. In fact, his publisher envisioned this as the first book in a series that followed the adventures of its lead characters, state investigator Kirk Stevens and FBI Agent Carla Windermere. Laukkanen has published five more novels in the Stevens and Windermere series in addition to the maritime thriller, Gale Force (2018), and book one in the Neah Bay series, Deception Cove (2019).
Laukkanen also writes Young Adult fiction under the pseudonym Owen Matthews.

Sources:

“Bio.” Owen Laukkanen (n.d.).

Chau, David. “Author Owen Laukkanen looks for human nature in crime.” Georgia Straight (September 19, 2012).

Davidson, Dan. “Owen Laukkanen: ‘Keep writing and edit your own work ruthlessly.'” What’s Up Yukon (April 25, 2018).

Medley, Mark. “The criminal mind of Owen Laukkanen.” National Post (May 10, 2012).

Weinman, Sarah. “Owen Laukkanen’s got a hit on his hands.” Maclean’s (March 9, 2012).