Scandinavian Crime Fiction
Scandinavian Crime Fiction utilizes the cold and vast landscapes of the Scandinavian countries as the backdrop for the investigation of rather heinous crimes. The detectives in these stories are often flawed melancholic characters who are wrestling with their own problems. These novels frequently engage with complex social and political problems in the Scandinavian countries as well. The list below offers a selection of crime fiction from a number of these countries.
The Thirst, by Jo Nesbo
Detective Harry Hole is inextricably drawn back into the Oslo police force by a serial murderer who has been targeting Tinder daters using methods reminiscent of a nemesis from Harry's past.
Mind's Eye, by Hakan Nesser
Chief Inspector Van Veeteren becomes suspicious about the seemingly open-and-shut case against Janek Mitter, who was convicted of killing his wife while drunk, especially when Mitter becomes a victim as well. A full-scale investigation is launched into both slayings, linked to a mysterious letter written by the second victim, to unravel the truth and find the real killer.
1222, by Anne Holt
A train on its way to the northern reaches of Norway derails during a massive blizzard, 1,222 meters above sea level. The passengers abandon the train for a nearby hotel, centuries-old and practically empty, except for the staff. With plenty of food and shelter from the storm, the passengers think they are safe, until one of them is found dead the next morning.
Sun Storm, by Asa Larsson
When a body is discovered in her hometown, a young Swedish lawyer is called back home, only to become traped in a perilous web of betrayal, suspicion, religious fanaticism, and death, in a suspense novel set against the backdrop of northern Sweden.
Spring Tide, by Cecilia Borjlind
While training to follow in her father's footsteps by joining the police force, Olivia Rèonning receives a challenge from her professor to pick a cold case and solve it, unknowingly putting herself in danger.
Stone Coffin, by Kjell Eriksson
On a sunny morning in June, a young woman and her six-year old daughter are run over by a car on the road to Uppsala. Both are killed immediately. Is it an accident, or did someone kill them on purpose? The same morning the husband of the deceased young woman disappears. During the police investigation, it turns out that the husband had recently bought a property in the Dominican Republic, something that nobody knew about. A few days later a macabre discovery is made in a forest nearby.
Summer Death, by Mons Kallentoft
A teenage girl is found naked and bleeding in a city park in Linköping, Sweden. She has no memory of what happened to her; another grisly discovery is made on a lakeside beach, and the whole town is on edge. Malin Fors must uncover the secrets behind these crimes, potentially putting herself and her own family at risk.
Unwanted, by Kristina Ohlsson
Inspector Fredericka Bergman investigates the kidnapping and murder of a child who had been separated from her mother on a crowded train on a rainy Swedish summer day, a case that points to the work of a brilliant and ruthless killer.
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