Nordic crime fiction has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years. Spurred on by the wild success of the Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy, many popular northern European authors have been translated into English.
Nordic mysteries are often dark, suspenseful police procedurals. The murders are often grittily detailed, and the lead investigators are tortured and flawed but highly moral characters.
In the 1960s, the husband and wife team of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo collaborated on the Story of Crime series; smart, intricately plotted mysteries featuring the brooding Superintendent Martin Beck. Suspenseful, but not fastpaced, these mysteries will immerse you in the big city problems of Stockholm.
Many mystery readers will be familiar with Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander - his introspective, sometimes angst-ridden inspector. Mankell's mysteries are well-written, complex and multi-layered, with well-developed characters and a strong sense of place.
Jo Nesbo's police detective Harry Hole is a tortured figure who fights his own demons while solving grisly murders in Oslo and beyond.
Hold on for the ride as these violent thrillers don't let up on the tension and suspense.
Award-winning author Arnaldur Indrioason sets his atmospheric thrillers in his native Iceland. Expect detailed crime investigations, plot twists and a strong sense of isolated Iceland as Erlunder Sveinsson and his team solve horrific crimes.
Swedish journalist Annika Bengtzon fights corruption and solves murders in best-selling author Liza Marklund's fast-paced mysteries. Icelandic author Yrsa Siguroardottir and Sweden's Helene Tursten also feature strong female characters. Inspectors Thora Gudmundsdottir and Irene Hess, respectively, juggle family and work life as they solve gruesome murders.
For a true sense of the bleak and chilling Scandinavian landscape, try Sweden's Camilla Lackberg, Asa Larsson and Johan Theorin.
Finally, don't miss Danish author Peter Hoeg's tautly crafted Smilla's Sense of Snow.
In this complex, absorbing thriller, Smilla, a young Danish-Inuit woman, uses her knowledge of snow to solve the death of her six-year-old neighbour. Smilla would give Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander a run for her money.
