At the end of July, The New York Times Book Review featured a guide to Nordic noir. Categorized by country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden), I was familiar with a few of the authors, but happily there were many unfamiliar names as well. Keeping in mind that dark is the hallmark of the ... [Continue Reading]
Ordeal by Jorn Lier Horst
Modern day Norway Taxi driver Jens Hummel has been missing for six months, and Chief Inspector William Wisting and his colleagues in the Larvik Criminal Investigation Unit are no closer to finding him. Just as they are about to give up, a promising lead materializes, which suggests a link to ... [Continue Reading]
Hunting Game by Helene Tursten
It’s moose hunting season in Sweden, and twenty-eight-year-old Embla Nyström, a Detective Inspector in the Västra Götaland County Bureau of Investigation’s mobile unit (VGM) is looking forward to the annual hunt with family and friends. Because the hunting rights have been in the same families for ... [Continue Reading]
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen I’m always on the lookout for a new mystery series, so I was thrilled when my cousin Harriet suggested the Department Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. The first novel in the series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, introduces veteran Homicide Detective ... [Continue Reading]
The Inspector and Silence and Munster’s Case by Hakan Nesser
The Inspector and Silence and Munster’s Case by Hakan Nesser Ever since the success of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, publishers are translating Nordic crime novels into English as fast as they can gobble up the rights. The good news is that if you find a winning series, there is usually a ... [Continue Reading]
International Crime Fiction
Books by Nina Borg, Helene Tursten and the writing team of Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis When in Boston last month, I attended the Boston Book Festival where I happily discovered the booth of SOHO Crime, a twenty-year-old publisher that specializes in international crime fiction. I ... [Continue Reading]