Sukuni murhamysteeri is a popular podcast whose fourth season was recently released on Yle Areena. This time, Hannamari Vallila investigates several deaths, discussing the questions they raise with police officer, researcher and author Mikko Porvali, historian Heidi Ruotsalainen and lawyer Marko Tuhkanen. Numerous other experts are also interviewed.
Not much remains of the podcast’s original premise—an unsolved murder haunting a family—but that hardly matters, as the subject is fascinating.
The Soviet Union is known to have assassinated people it regarded as enemies around the world, both before and after the Second World War. The best-known victim was probably Leon Trotsky. As the podcast repeatedly asks: could the same thing have happened in Finland? Some answers do emerge.
The people featured in the podcast are likeable, and Vallila’s enthusiasm for digging into the cases is endearing. As in previous seasons, the main problem is that everything is explained in excessive detail. The facts, clues and speculation are reviewed and repeated too many times. Vallila also punctuates the narration with constant exclamations such as “unbelievable” and “creepy”. The podcast therefore works better in small doses than as something to binge in one sitting.