Painter: A chilling new Nordic Noir series from the author of The Find

by Venezia Miller

From the author of The Find series comes PAINTER, the first book in the gripping new nordic noir series, The Stockholm Killings.

In the frozen heart of a Stockholm winter, a new terror stalks the night. Families are being slaughtered, their bodies arranged in grotesque parodies of classical art—horrific masterpieces staged for Inspector Stefan Eklund to find. Haunted by his own past traumas, Eklund is thrust into leading a new elite unit, partnered with the sharp, ambitious Delara Holm and the unsettlingly brilliant forensic psychologist, Dr. Torre Nylander.

Their only lead is a man found drifting near a desolate lake, covered in blood that isn't his, his memory wiped clean. Is he the sole survivor of the killer's twisted game, or the architect of his family's demise hiding behind a fractured mind?

As Eklund’s team delves deeper, they uncover connections to disturbing artworks and a killer who views murder as creation. But the case forces Stefan to confront the very demons he’s tried to bury. Can he decipher the killer’s macabre gallery of death before becoming consumed by his own darkness, and before another family becomes the next exhibit?

Genres: Mystery, Nordic Noir

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2025

About the author

Engineer by day, writer by night—that's how I would describe myself. Since childhood, I have been fascinated with how writers can create entire worlds with simple words and draw others into their stories. I remember spending my summer holidays as a teenager reading detective stories and trying to write my own tales in the style of Agatha Christie on an old typewriter (yes, I'm that old!).

In the evenings, I would read my freshly typed pages to my younger sister, always ending on a cliffhanger to keep her longing for more. Those were precious moments. But as I got older and my schedule filled up with a job, husband, and children, there was little time left for writing. Eventually, I realized that all those stories in my head had disappeared.

In 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic, I decided to reignite my passion for writing and published my first novel, THE FIND, on Amazon. Since then, this has become a full-blown book series.

As a writer, I truly appreciate your feedback and reviews. I am still on a learning curve and can always do better.

I am grateful to all the readers who have taken the time to read my books.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the series.

Reviews

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venezia Miller created a fluctuating story which changed as characters were added and made to establish a red herrings which created an awful lot of changes in behavior of the characters. The story starts out by having Nord Dahlman and Adam Walling to a family massacre, where the red herrings start. Stefan Eklund was standing on a bridge prior to Christmas, he was an inspector with the police and just found out that Katherine was pregnant. He was also told that he had a new partner, Delara Holm. Another character added to Stefan's group is Dr. Torre Nylander. These are the people who are to find the killer or killers. Gustav Gyllenstierna, Benjamin Hartmann, Marnix Castner, and Alex Bergström are all the people who were with Lena Vinter when she was killed. All these people and their families were killed. Elsa Larsson and Adam Walling were married several times, Elsa was sleeping with Benjamin Hartmann. Seb Hartmann was Benjamin's son by his wife Anna and a known drug addict. You have most of the people but now you need to put it all together and find out the truth. It's an interesting story that is there for a good read.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional, just what I want in a thriller.
Troubled officer, new partner, intense case with so many layers that everyone is someone to check into, interesting backgrounds and family.
Mixed together with tension, drama and a whole lot of darkness and it is a good start to a new series.
Not starkly written but with just enough details to put you in it and not bog down with too many details.
Looking forward to the next book.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping that I had found a new Scandi crime series to devour but unfortunately this one didn’t reach the standard of other Scandi novelists. I found the characters poorly developed and the plot rather ludicrous. The writing and dialogue felt quite stilted - maybe this was due to the translation? The author seemed keen to draw the reader into the series by dropping hints and leaving a muted cliffhanger but not enough to tempt me back for more.

[Catherine Poe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrific killings. A staged crime scene. Families. Venezia Millers new Scandinavian crime series. Dark and chilling. Disturbing