Author(s)
Saija Kuusela
Illustrator(s)
Publication date
Tammi
Publisher
Format info
362 pages

The Forest Bears Witness

Syylliset

A haunting psychological thriller exploring obsession, guilt, and the forest’s dark will.

Who took the law into their own hands? Or does the forest have a will of its own?

When ambitious nature surveyor Johannes enters Rooki Forest to assess its ecological value, he expects resistance—not death. Locals whisper of a curse, hunters guard the woods, and soon reality begins to fray: phones die, compasses spin, GPS freezes. Then two colleagues are found dead.

Suspicion falls on Riia, a reclusive illustrator living deep in the forest with her wolf-like dog. Her eerie drawings mirror the crime scene, yet when police arrest her, all evidence vanishes as if swallowed by the forest. Is Riia hiding a crime—or something far more primal?

Drawn into Riia’s world of visions and folklore, Johannes uncovers secrets binding hunters, villagers, and the forest itself. In its depths, the line between human and nature, reality and myth, blurs—and survival means hearing the forest’s warning. Johannes and Riia must decide what is real, what is worth saving, and whether some forests should remain untouched—even by their protectors.

Atmospheric, unsettling and with echoes of Finnish folklore, The Forest Bears Witness will grip fans of Johan Theorin and Kerstin Ekman.

Materials

English sample translation
English synopsis
Finnish edition