"Scandicrime" not only in Scandinavia

"Scandicrime" is almost becoming a genre in its own right, whether it is set in Scandinavia or further afield. The late Stieg Larsson is, of course, one of the best known authors of this genre. People from all over the world flock to Stockholm to follow in the footsteps of his characters, Kalle Blomquist and Lisbeth Salander, as they track down the perpetrators in the Millenium Trilogy. You, too, can take a walking tour with The Stadsmuseum and follow the trail from Bellmansgatan to Fiskargatan and other locations that feature in his books.
http://www.stadsmuseum.stockholm.se/museet.php?artikel=109&sprak=english 

Today we have brought together several authors who have caught our eye and really know how to set their characters in a variety of locations - you almost feel you are there with them, accompanying the protagonists, seeing the cities as they see them and, of course, all the while enjoying a good read. Click on the covers for more information and to purchase.

Australia ✍ Sweden ✍ Latvia ✍ Isle of Lewis

The Bat is the very first in the Jo Nesbø Harry Hole series. Harry is in Sydney to investigate the murder of Inger Holter, a Norwegian woman who happens to be working in Australia. Inger was young, blonde and her body was found dumped in Gap Park. She was raped and strangled. With more murders and mysterious disappearances Harry Hole takes on the case, but simultaneously attracts the attention of a ruthless and cunning serial killer.




The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell. Sweden, winter, 1991. Inspector Kurt Wallander and his team receive an anonymous tip-off. A few days later a life raft is washed up on a beach. In it are two men, dressed in expensive suits, shot dead. The dead men were criminals, victims of what seems to have been a gangland hit. But what appears to be an open-and-shut case soon takes on a far more sinister aspect. Wallander travels across the Baltic Sea, to Riga in Latvia, where he is plunged into a frozen, alien world of police surveillance, scarcely veiled threats, and lies. Doomed always to be one step behind the shadowy figures he pursues, only Wallander's obstinate desire to see that justice is done brings the truth to light.



The Black House by Peter May is the first in the Isle of Lewis trilogy. 'In mood and texture, Peter May's novels, set on the Isle of Lewis, are essentially Nordic, and he bears comparison with some of the best writers from those cold desolate climes' The Times.







The Mind's Eye by Håkan Nesser starts out with Janek Mitter, as he stumbles into his bathroom one morning after a night of heavy drinking, to find his beautiful young wife, Eva, floating dead in the bath. She has been brutally murdered. Yet even during his trial Mitter cannot summon a single memory of attacking Eva, nor a clue as to who could have killed her if he had not. Drawing a blank after exhaustive interviews, Chief Inspector Van Veeteren remains convinced that something, or someone, in the dead woman’s life has caused these tragic events. But the reasons for her speedy remarriage have died with her. And as he delves even deeper, Van Veeteren realizes that the past never stops haunting the present . . .

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. His books have sold over 60 millions copies worldwide and this is the first in the Millenium Trilogy. Setin Södermalm, a trendy, bohemian district in Stockholm, where charming galleries and cafes mingle with historic wooden cottages.Central to the plot are Kalle Blomquist, a journalist convicted of libel and Lisbeth Salander, an expert system hacker and investigator, who can see patterns and links in the investigation that are not evident to to others. Blomquist is employed to investigate the unsolved disappearance of Harriet Vanger in the 1960's and together they start to explore the complex story - violence, and suspense, set against a Nordic backdrop.



We are sure readers out there have their favourite Scandicrime authors, so please come and share your "must read" authors with us here in the Comments Box and introduce others to your chosen fiction.