The Forgotten Name

Tuomas Niskakangas

Original title: Unohdettu nimi

Author: Tuomas Niskakangas

Published: 2026

Publisher: WSOY

Genre: Crime & Suspense

Pages: 400

Part of a series: Department K

Reading material:

English synopsis, Finnish edition

Intelligent, gripping, and disturbingly timely. What lies hidden in a web of lies?

Day after day, a mysterious old man stands in the rain outside the Presidential Palace. He refuses to leave until he can meet the president. Chief of Staff Kaarle Sachs quickly realizes this is not the protest of a confused elderly man. The old man knew the president years ago, and there is something chilling in the message he carries.

Investigative journalist Joel Saarni is trying to adjust to unemployment when a strange death pulls him into a new case. An unknown civil servant, Aarne Vesa, had been trying to reach Joel shortly before his death. As Joel digs into the unfinished project Aarne left behind, the trail once again leads him toward the shadowy Department K.

Petra Thorry, attorney for Nodus, has her own urgent reason for continuing to uncover Department K’s secrets. For her, it all began with a memory trace and the mystery of an abducted girl. As Petra and Joel approach the secrets of Department K from different directions, they realize they once again need each other’s help.

The Forgotten Name continues Tuomas Niskakangas’s Department K series.

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Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Memento

About author

Tuomas Niskakangas

Tuomas Niskakangas (b. 1980) is a Finnish journalist and thriller writer whose fiction draws directly from the worlds of power, secrecy, and global politics. He works on and off for Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s leading newspaper, but in recent years has focused primarily on writing novels.

He turned to fiction after returning to Finland from Washington, D.C., where he spent four years as a foreign correspondent. Having reported at the heart of international politics, he was looking to channel that experience into high-stakes thrillers – another long-time passion of his.

Influenced by writers such as Dan Brown, Stieg Larsson, and Jo Nesbø, Niskakangas writes fast-paced, plot-driven stories rooted in real-world power structures. His first series, Leo Koski, explores political ambition and sinister plans to change the society.

His newest series Department K moves into the shadowy territory of espionage and investigative journalism, uncovering dangerous secrets buried in the past. His novels combine propulsive storytelling, layered mysteries, and characters forced to choose how far they are willing to go for the truth.

Photo credit: Marek Sabogal

Bibliography


2026, Crime & Suspense

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The Forgotten Name


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The Sealed Case


2024, Crime & Suspense

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The Eagle


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The Act of Gladius


2021, Crime & Suspense

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Their Turn to Burn