Ratto Anderson was not dealt the best hand in life. He unfortunately happened to be born in Lahti, and dropped out of school before even finishing sixth grade. He found friends among local troublemakers and was arrested for the first time in his teens for falsifying STD test results. He wasn’t prosecuted due to his young age, but this was the beginning of a life on the wrong side of the law. Together with his gang Ratto committed robberies all over the city and nearby areas but somehow never got caught again until 2006. 

On the night that Lordi won the Eurovision song contest, Ratto and his friends went for a night out at Diva, a local nightclub, and got into an argument with a group of men from Hollola. Things escalated and Ratto ended up beating one of the men to death with the hammer he had on his keychain.

He received a 12-year sentence for murder, but as a first time offender only served six. During his time at Riihimäki prison he got to know the other inmates and started writing down the stories he heard from them, originally only to share with his friends after being released.

After serving his sentence Ratto met Vesa-Matti Noiri, the CEO of Noiri & Sons, at a gym sauna. Noiri was fascinated by the stories Ratto shared with him and immediately suggested he sign a publishing contract with Noiri & Sons. The company had been looking for a true crime writer to add to their roster and Vesa-Matti knew he had found a star in Ratto.

And a star he became. Ratto’s raw and realistic depictions of crimes committed by himself and the people he met in prison have captivated readers for over a decade. Unfortunately his success hasn’t come without drawbacks: not everyone whose stories he’s told has been happy about it. He has received hate mail and even direct threats on his life, incarcerated criminals have called him a turncoat and a rat. Ratto has fervently denied these accusations and stated that he hates rats more than anything. This statement led to a conflict with an animal rights group.

Ratto Anderson has been honest about his lack of education and has admitted to using a ghost writer. He is first and foremost a storyteller, drawing endless inspiration from the hard life he’s lived. He signed with Noiri & Sons almost straight away after his release from prison. He met Vesa-Matti Noiri at a sauna in Riihimäki and the CEO knew immediately that he was looking at true talent. Ratto’s subsequent success has proved that he was right.

His debut novel Vasaramuhaaja -Lanun aukion kuningas (It’s Hammertime -Lights Out in Lanu Square, 2013) was one of the first Finnish true crime novels and an immediate hit. It has sold over 75.000 copies and has gotten numerous reprints. The steady success of his books brought him several guest columnist stints at the prestigious crime tabloid, Alibi Magazine.

His long awaited new book, The Corpse Doesn’t Mind, was published in the summer of 2023 and has already proved to be a major hit with the fans.

Initially Ratto’s books focused on his own life, his friendships, crimes and finally, his new life on the straight and narrow. The honesty with which he writes about his life, without omitting even the dirtiest of details has made him a favourite among true crime readers

Often called the Hemingway of Lahti, Ratto is a true renegade whose rough no-frills writing shows life as it truly is, the good and the bad. Simple style and lack of adjectives and complicated sentence structures serve to let the stories speak for themselves. The colourful cast of real people he writes about, such as Jööti Kainulainen, Jari the Crack and doctor Lounamo, the venereal disease specialist, have become minor celebrities in the region. Some of them have gotten charged with new crimes thanks to Ratto’s books but this has only served to make them more beloved as local rogues.

In his later works Ratto has recounted stories of the people he met in prison. Readers have been thrilled by them, but the main characters themselves, less so, as some of them have even received additional sentences after new evidence has come to light in Ratto’s writing.

Ratto Anderson has published seven novels

• Ei ruumis pane pahakseen (“The Corpse Doesn’t Mind”, 2023)

• Tapoit, muuta et muista (“Dead Memories”, 2021)

• …Ja loput luetaan Alibista (“All Hope is Gone”, 2018)

• Jalkarannan jalkapallokentän jalkajousimurhat (“Wait and Bleed - The Crossbow Incident”, 2017)

• Kaikista suurin Jööti - Jööti Kainulaisen tarina ("The Best Shit - The Story of Jööti Kainulainen", 2015)

• Sukupuolitautina Murha (“Sexually Transmitted Murder”, 2014)

• Vasaramurhaaja - Lanun aukion kuningas (“It’s Hammertime - Lights Out in Lanu Square”, autobiographical novel, 2013)

Most notable Finnish awards and acknowledgements

• True Crime Book of the Year finalist, Alibi Magazine (2015)

• True Crime Book of the Year winner, Alibi Magazine (2013)