Findings reveal that the Finnish homicide rate is one of the highest in the European Union; this is largely explained by the alcohol and drinking group related homicides of the socially marginalized men. In 2006, the Finnish Police reported 138 homicides; the crime rate was 2.6 victims per 100,000 people. The homicide remained steady from the 1970s to the end of the 1990s, but has decreased during the last 5 years. The majority of homicides occurred in the context of drinking quarrels between unemployed, middle-aged male alcoholics. In 2002 to 2006, 58 percent of male homicide offenders had prior convictions for violent crime and 37 percent had been in prison prior to the homicide. This brief further describes the basic historical trends and geographical patterns of Finnish homicide; details the FHMS; investigates the antecedents of homicidal incidents, such as offender’s and victim’s criminal records, the prior interaction of the participants, and the possible preceding warning signs; analyses core patterns of Finnish homicides; examines personal characteristics of victims and offenders; and explains what happens after the offense, such as how homicides become known to the police, how fast the prime suspect is identified, and what kind of punishment the offender receives. Finnish homicide is regionally patterned. The northern and eastern parts of the country have higher homicide rates than the other regions. During the last decade, the gap has widened. The overall drop in homicide occurrences reflects the decrease of lethal violence in the southern and western regions. The homicide rates of other socioeconomic groups are roughly the same as in the other Scandinavian countries. This brief is the first English report based on the FHMS which was launched in 2002. Figures, tables, references, and appendix