Mikko Porvali

Mikko Pietari Porvali (born 15 April 1980) is a Finnish author, historian, lawyer and a Detective Chief Inspector of the Finnish Police.

Porvali has published several books on historical themes, mostly dealing with topics such as military history and intelligence, as well as the history of the Finnish Police. His books have been published in Finland by Atena Publishing and in Sweden by Lind & Co.

Life Born in Petäjävesi, Porvali is a son of a policeman and a grandson of a family of Karelian evacuees. His family roots are in Kuokkala, Terijoki (presently Repino, Zelenogorsk, St. Petersburg), and many of his books are based on this setting and the lives of his elder relatives. This includes especially his grandfather, a Finnish soldier and a border guard on the Russian border of the Karelian Isthmus.

Porvali has served in the Finnish Police since 2001, proceeding from a rural area constable to higher ranks of the detective branch. He has graduated from the Finnish Police College and the Faculty of Law of the University of Lapland. Porvali served the Finnish Defence Forces both domestically and on crisis management missions abroad reaching the rank of Major.

Books An author of fact and fiction Porvali has published five non-fiction books about the Finnish military intelligence during World War II. His books describe the development of the Finnish military long range patrolling as well as the Finnish efforts on espionage during the war. His book Operaatio Hokki was nominated for the Finlandia Prize for non-fiction in 2011.

Two of Porvali's books depict colorful personal stories of the wartime era. The first, Kaatunut Normandiassa (Killed in action, Normandy) narrates the story of his relative killed as a member of the Canadian troops during the Normandy Campaign, and the second, Rautasormus (An Iron Ring) is a collection of exceptional wartime love stories.

In addition to non-fiction books, Porvali has written two crime fiction novels based on true stories stemming from the history of the Finnish police force. The first of these books, Sinisen kuoleman kuva (Face of the Blue Death), was published in 2015. The second, Veri ei vaikene (Blood never remains silent), published in 2016, was awarded as the year's best crime fiction book in Finland.