Nordic Mystery Explosion

Were you a fan of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy?  If so, there are many amazing Nordic mystery/thriller writers that are very popular in Europe and are relative undiscovered gems in the United States.  After I finished reading the final Stieg Larsson, my sister-in-law suggested that I try Jo Nesbo’s The Snowman.  I was hooked.  Jo Nesbo’s main character Harry Hole is every bit as compelling as Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander for different reasons of course.  Don’t get me wrong, these are fairly dark books, but ones that you won’t be able to put  down! After I read all of Jo Nesbo books I could get my hands on I found other Nordic writers that had a similar feel and began reading those books.  Occasionally people will ask me for suggestions for this type of book, so  I decided to put together a list of some of the best Nordic Mystery/Thriller writers and a few of their books so if you were so inclined you could take a walk on the dark side…and discover some new mystery writers in the process!  Here goes:

Camilla Lackberg- The Ice Princess, The Preacher

Karin Fossum-The Indian Bride

Henning Mankell-Faceless Killers(Kurt Wallender #1)

James Thompson-Helsinki White, Snow Angels, Lucifer’s Tears(Inspector Kari Vaara)

Lars Kepler-The Hypnotist, The Nightmare(Joona Linna)

Arnaldur Indridason-Artic Chill,Jar City, Silence of the Grave(Reykjavik Murder Mystery)

Asa Larson-Until Thy Wrath be Past(Police Inspector Anna-Maria Mella)

Sjowall-Wahloo-The Laughing Policeman,Roseanna(Martin Beck)

Jussi Adler-Olsen-The keeper of Lost Causes

Kjell Eriksson-The Princess of Burundi, the Demon of Dakar, The Cruel Stars of the Night(Ann Lindell Mysteries)

Lene Kaaberbol- The Boy in the Suitcase

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