Scandinavian Noir: In Pursuit of a Mystery

by Wendy Lesser

An in-depth and personal exploration of Scandinavian crime fiction as a way into Scandinavian culture at large

For nearly four decades, Wendy Lesser's primary source of information about three Scandinavian countries—Sweden, Norway, and Denmark—was mystery and crime novels, and the murders committed and solved in their pages. Having never visited the region, Lesser constructed a fictional Scandinavia of her own making, something between a map, a portrait, and a cultural history of a place that both exists and does not exist. Lesser’s Scandinavia is disproportionately populated with police officers, but also with the stuff of everyday life, the likes of which are relayed in great detail in the novels she a fully realized world complete with its own traditions, customs, and, of course, people.

Over the course of many years, Lesser’s fictional Scandinavia grew more and more solidly visible to her, yet she never had a strong desire to visit the real countries that corresponded to the made-up ones. Until, she writes, “between one day and the next, that no longer seemed sufficient.” It was time to travel to Scandinavia.

With vivid storytelling and an astonishing command of the literature, Wendy Lesser’s Scandinavian In Pursuit of a Mystery illuminates the vast, peculiar world of Scandinavian noir—first as it appears on the page, then as it grows in her mind, and finally, in the summer of 2018, as it exists in reality. Guided by sharp criticism, evocative travel writing, and a whimsical need to discover “the difference between existence and imagination, reality and dream,” Scandinavian Noir is a thrilling and inventive literary adventure from a masterful writer and critic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mystery, Books About Books, Travel, Crime, History, Literary Criticism

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Wendy Lesser a critic, novelist, and editor based in Berkeley, California.

She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first 40% of this book read like a preface to a real book. It was just short chapters that essentially discussed for a page or two some theme in scandi noir that the author had identified. It was neither enlightening nor particularly rigorous. The rest of the book was written in the third person while the author visits three Scandinavian countries. It was incredibly weird reading this woman talk about herself in the third person as she traveled around. This book reads like a reflection response paper in a freshmen lit class that goes on and on and on and on. Do not recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd premise for a book...of interest only to those who read/are obsessed by Nordic noir. Still, the first half is worthwhile, sticking as it does only to the "facts" as gleaned from these mysteries. Some interesting conclusions are drawn. But the second half takes an odd turn to 3rd person travelogue and the effect is jarring; the jaunty and mundane tone hard to square with the the first half.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now here’s the book I liked conceptually just as much as in its execution. Great idea that lead to a great trip for the author and a memorable armchair one for me. So the premise is (I’m sure infinitely relatable to great any readers out there)…a woman spends nearly four decades obsessed with Scandinavian noir genre. We’re talking way before Stieg Larsson’s books popularized it for the West and the rest of the world, we’re talking since way back when. And through these books she constructs and image and an understanding of the Scandinavian way of life, culture and, of course, detective work. That’s first 50% of the book, fiction as reality, laid out in alphabetical essay style entries on various aspects of life according to books. And then in 2018 the author takes an actual trip to visit all the places from her beloved books and observes how reality corresponds to fiction. That’s the other 50% of the book. Laid out so cleverly that in fact the essays are done in first person (and thus pretty much read like a lively, albeit necessarily one sided, conversation with someone about their favorite books) and the actual trip is done in third person, the author herself becoming a character in her very own story. That’s the basics and they are pretty great. And now for some specifics…the author only travels to Norway, Denmark and Sweden, since that is where most of her favorite stories take place. If you haven’t read any of the books she talks about and might want to in the future, there are some crucial plot giveaways throughout. It might be ok, though since there’s so much information in general, you might forget some of it by the time you actually get around to the books. And if and when you do, there’s a comprehensive reading list in the addendum. Personally, I’ve read some of Nordic noir, enough to have a general idea of the genre and my level of appreciation for it (considerable, in fact, live the starkness and succinctness of writing, the locales, the attitudes, etc.). Might read some more after this, there’s definitely at least one book that’s available at our library. There are fascinating discrepancies between the fictional and real world, as the author and we the readers along with her learn, there are less actual crimes, especially murders, there’s a considerably greater gender equality in the police force and so on. The author interviews police officers in different countries to establish all this. But it’s more than this, it’s her cultural and sociopolitical observations too, the way a person gets introduced to a different world, and a way of life one I personally find infinitely superior to all alternatives. Albeit, ironically enough, only from things I’ve read. So anyway, read this book if you love books, read this book if you love travelogues. Read this book to dream of what if scenarios readers can dream up. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre survey, literary criticism and travelogue on Scandinavian (AKA Nordic) Noir .


Bucolic Nordic Noir Venue

My dead tree copy was a slender by modern standards 288 pages. It had a 2020 US copyright. This book contains three (3) sections and an Appendix.

Wendy Lesser is an American critic, writer, and editor. She has more than 10-books published, in fiction, but primarily in non-fiction. This was the first book I’ve read by the author.

TL;DR Synopsis

The book was an intellectual unpacking in three parts of the genre’s books and incidentally films from the three main countries producing it: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The first section was a survey and decomposition of the genre. For example, comparing and contrasting common genre plot elements like: Female Cops, Bureaucracy, Xenophobia, etc. in Scandinavian noir and similar American fiction. The second section was a travelogue of site visits to the locations of selected series in Norway (Oslo), Sweden (Stockholm, et al.) and Denmark (Copenhagen). Included in this section are interviews with real homicide detectives from the different countries. The travelogue contrasts the genre's books and the conclusions of the second section with IRL in Oslo, Copenhagen , Stockholm, et al. The final section was an Appendix, An Annotated List of Mysteries and Thrillers. This contains a list of Scandi Noir books and films covering about a 50-years year period up to the publication.

The Long Review

I don’t normally read books of literary criticism. (I may be critical enough without any encouragement?) I came upon this book while browsing a bookstore in a college town I occasionally pass through. This somewhat out-of-character reading selection was the triumph of physically browsing the shelves over the internet’s, subtle, algorithmic, force feeding.

Like Ms. Lesser, I’m a fan of Scandi noir. Although, our interests in the genre don’t completely overlap. For example, she’s more a fan of the books from the mid-60’s and into the first decade of the new millennium. While I’m more oriented toward books starting in the first decade of the new millennium to the present. We both have an interest in the (mostly subtitled) films and mini-series produced in the genre’s home countries. Finally, we’ve both made the pilgrimage to Scandinavia to gain context on the subject. Although hers was a longer trip to more locations and a deeper dive into more series' characters.

In the first section, Lesser does a critical analysis of the genre. This was a compare and contrast of plot elements between series in the genre. Mostly her analysis was based on the genre’s Martin Beck and Kurt Wallander characters. I’d only read one or two books with these characters. These series were written in the 60’s through 90’s. I think of them as being very Old Skool. Although, I’ve seen almost all the available films (including television mini-series) for them.

She did secondarily include the books featuring the Harry Hole and Lisbeth Salander characters. These are two series I am and was very interested in. Lessor highly regards the Hole series. So do I. I’m currently grinding my way through the Hole books. At this writing, I’m reading The Redeemer (Harry Hole #6). The Salander series gets less attention, and less positive remarks. Lesser regarded the Salander books to be too violent and too antifeminist. The Salander books written by Stieg Larsson were what originally set me on to Scandi Noir. Note I quickly stopped reading the Salander series books no longer written by Larsson. The Deparment Q books and films were also mentioned. I’ve only watched the five (5), Danish film adaptions of the books.

I appreciated her analysis, even with the included spoilers. Her list of common genre plot elements was 26 long. Unfortunately, the weighting of the list's members was uneven. It started out strong, but withered away as the list got long. For example, a strong plot element in the genre was the discussion of pervasive use and abuse of alcohol. Every book includes some amount of drinking. A weak one was the assassination of Olof Palme. Palme was important in the genre’s Beck and Wallander days, but is rarely, if ever mentioned in the contemporary stories. I generally felt the author was biased against the newer, grittier, not exclusively-hetro sexier, druggier, industrial-tinted techno and mind warping club music Scandi Noir fiction and toward the late 50’s thru 70’s style which was vanilla “sex, drugs and accordion music".

The second section was a peculiar piece of travel writing. The author after years of reading Scandinavian noir books and watching their films, had to see how her mental picture corresponded to real life. She travelled to Norway, Denmark and Sweden in 2018. I myself went to Copenhagen and Stockholm on the same mission in 2017. I greatly enjoyed reading her descriptions of venues we’d both visited. Our opinions were the same, but different. For example, I suspect I’m more at ease in barrios than she may be? The area around the Copenhagen Main RR Station didn’t impress me as a rough area. On the other hand, we both felt we could live in Stockholm’s Södermalm. I was seriously disappointed she didn't visit the alcoholic, Harry Hole's watering hole, Restaurant Schrøder in Oslo.


Restaurant Schrøder, Sofies gate, Oslo

The most interesting part of this section, was her interviews with homicide detectives in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. It showed that the series needed to be taken in historical context. Contemporary Scandinavian detective work had changed. It was very different from the Beck and Wallander days. Also that the crimes and criminals in IRL were scarcely as entertaining as the stories or films.

One peculiar thing about this section was it was written in the 3rd person. It felt very affected. In addition, Lesser made several references to “her companion” during the traveling investigation. Who was this mysterious, obviously American, travel “companion”? Was it her: husband, son, ex-business partner, or new lover? I was almost more interested in this, than I was about the majority of Scandinavian homicide detectives now being women.

The final section (an Appendix) was a list of Scandi Noir books and films. This was the best list on the genre I’ve seen in one place. I added several books directly from it to my TBR. In addition, the list included films, many of which I’ve never heard of. Several of them have not yet been either dubbed or subtitled into English. Anyone interested in the genre will benefit from browsing this list.

I thought this was a book that only a Scandi Noir fanboi or fangrrl could love. Note the author is a bigger fan of the genre than I am. For the most part I liked the literary critic’s analysis of genre. Although I thought she was stretching to find so many Scandi Noir common plot points. . I was a tad disappointed that we only completely overlapped in our interest in the genre with the Harry Hole series. She was more interested in the genre’s “early” days, and I’m oriented toward the more contemporary films and books. I also felt akin to the author, because we both travelled there to “check it out” for ourselves. I’m jealous that she had more time and access to Norwegians, Danes and Swedes than I did. However, her choice of POV for the entire travel writing section was just weird. Finally, the Appendix was a rich source of material for folks looking for books and films on the genre. Note that the annotations have the author’s built-in biases. Recommended for true believers only.

Readers interested in this book can read an important part of it published almost verbatim here: The Paris Review: The Origins of Scandinavian Noir by Wendy Lesser (6 May 2020).

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendy Lesser reads more Nordic noir than I do, and that says a lot. As she notes in her charming new book, Scandinavian Noir, she’s been addicted to the stuff for nearly forty years. It all started for her when someone (she can’t remember who) recommended the ten-book Martin Beck series of police procedurals by the Swedish husband-and-wife team of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. By contrast, I’ve been exploring this genre for a mere twenty years. And my introduction to Nordic noir wasn’t Martin Beck, a more recently acquired obsession, but Henning Mankell‘s gloomy Swedish detective Kurt Wallander. Lesser has clearly read hundreds of these novels. I can’t claim to have made my way through more than a few score. Truth to tell, I’m not trying to catch up. I wonder if anyone could.

An insightful introduction to Scandinavian noir

Lesser devotes most of her attention to the Martin Beck novels. But she refers to a great many other Nordic noir series, describing the protagonists and their circumstances and exploring how they reflect life in the countries where they’re set. (She limits her account to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, ruling out Iceland and Finland.) Principal among the books are those of Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson (the Lisbeth Salander trilogy), Jo Nesbø (Harry Hole), and Jussi Adler-Olsen (Carl Mørck). But she notes, and in some cases describes, a number of other authors as well, many of them unfamiliar to me.

A book divided into two very different parts

In the first of the two parts into which Scandinavian Noir is divided, Lesser recounts her experiences with the Martin Beck stories and many of her other excursions into the genre. Along the way, she describes the picture the authors paint of Scandinavia as their characters (and the sometimes omniscient narrators) perceive it. Throughout, she wonders to what extent the reality of the region matches that picture.

In the book’s second part, Lesser writes about a trip to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to investigate that question. It’s a travelogue, enlivened by her occasional interviews with police officers and social and political commentary on the conditions she observes in the region. On the whole, she finds that the most recently written novels tend to reflect the reality on the ground. However, there is one intriguing respect in which they differ. Female police officers are few and far between in the books. In fact, women tend to outnumber men in today’s Scandinavian police forces and often hold the most senior positions.

If you too are a fan of Nordic noir, or if are intrigued by the sketchier images of Scandinavian life that surface in our news media, read this book. You’ll enjoy it.

What another reviewer finds

In reviewing this book for the New York Times Book Review (August 2, 2020), Kate Tuttle terms its first half “a spellbinding long essay in which Lesser tells us what she has learned in four decades of reading Scandinavian noir.” Like me, she finds the book’s second half less compelling. “It’s charming and illuminating, if not quite equal to the brilliance of the first section,” she writes. I agree. Tuttle writes about books for the Boston Globe.

About the author

Wendy Lesser (1952) is a critic, author, and editor based in Berkeley, California. Scandinavian Noir is the twelfth book she has written over the past three decades. She is also the founding editor of the arts journal The Threepenny Review.

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first part of the book, the history of the Scandinavian noir. The second part in which the author attempts to write her experience being in Scandinavian countries researching, visiting, and talking to people about Scandinavian noir in the style of a mystery I couldn't continue unless a skimmed. I found it annoying in terms of style attempt, but I also scanned until I found a phrase or an interesting topic.

A received a d-arc from Edelweiss for an honest review.

[LAPL Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the course of the past thirty years, Scandinavian crime fiction has become an increasingly popular genre among English-speaking readers and television viewers, to the extent that a guidebook called Nordic Noir was published in 2013.

Wendy Lesser, editor of the journal Threepenny Review, author of numerous books about literature and art, and confirmed Nordic noir fan, has approached the topic from a different angle in her latest book. In the first half, called “Fiction as Reality”, she describes what a reader, who has never visited Scandinavia, can deduce about the region from the plots and characters of Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish crime novels. (She excludes Iceland, admitting that she prefers books with urban settings.) Then, in the concluding half, “Reality as Fiction”, she travels to all three countries for the first time, and speaks with a variety of natives, including quite a few police officers.

Lesser, like many American mystery readers, was first introduced to Scandinavian crime through the ten Martin Beck novels, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, by Swedish authors Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. She discovered them in the early 1980s, and they remain her favorite Scandinavian crime series; she has read and re-read them numerous times. Their popularity in America did not immediately lead to a flood of other Scandinavian translations into English; that had to wait until the late 1990s, when Henning Mankell’s books about Swedish police inspector Kurt Wallander began to appear in translation; their success and that of Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander books, a few years later, has led to a flood of Nordic police and crime novels that shows no sign of abating. Lesser’s favorite among living authors in the genre is Norway’s Jo Nesbø, the creator of Oslo police detective Harry Hole. All of these, plus many other fictional sleuths created by other writers, are frequently referenced in the “Fiction as Reality” section of the book, which is, for no particular reason, divided into 26 sections representing topics that start with each letter of the alphabet. (If you’re wondering, “X” is for xenophobia.) This series of mini-essays offers interesting speculations on a variety of topics such as the apparent importance of both alcohol and holidays in Scandinavian culture; the focus on teamwork among the Scandinavian police (as opposed to the “loner” cops and private eyes favored by most American writers); and the alarmingly high incidence of crimes against children in these books.

Once Lesser arrives in Scandinavia, the narrative moves into third-person present tense and becomes more of a travelogue. She discovers that some of her fiction-based assumptions are correct: Denmark is the grungiest of the three nations--the one where you’re most likely to encounter people passed out drunk on the street. Norway is the neatest and cleanest--to the extent of being a trifle dull on occasion, and Sweden is somewhere in between. This is reflected in details such as the packaging for the popular smokeless tobacco snus, which is sold in plain tins in Oslo but in brightly colored ones in Stockholm. The murder rate in all three nations is much lower than in the U.S., with Sweden’s being highest. The many guns owned by Scandinavians are carefully regulated, with most owned by hunters and target-shooters, and few bought for protection. None of the Scandinavian countries has the death penalty, and in Norway the maximum sentence, even for mass murderer Anders Breivik, is 21 years--though that can be extended as the authorities see fit.

The conversations Lesser has with real-life police officials are illuminating and often entertaining. They all admit to enjoying the exploits of their fictional counterparts, though one points out that Harry Hole’s actions would have gotten him kicked off the actual Oslo police force in no time. They give serious, thoughtful answers to questions about issues like the assimilation problems of recent Middle East refugees. When she visits Ystad in southern Sweden, where the fictional Kurt Wallander lived, the police officer there commiserates with her, over her horror that parts of the town resemble a Wallander theme park, with tourist maps, cute shop names, etc.

This clever examination of the parallels and divergences between fiction and reality is recommended for readers who are already familiar with Nordic noir, for those who think they might like to give it a try, and for anyone who enjoys a well-written, thoughtful travel diary.

Readers can find a selection of novels in this LAPL Reads book list:
https://lapl.org/books-emedia/lapl-re...

Reviewed by Robert Anderson, Librarian, Literature & Fiction

[Dimitris Passas (TapTheLine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

his is a book that I've been waiting for since I've read its synopsis. As a fellow Nordic noir aficionado, I was intrigued by the thought of a book that is all about an obsessive reader's take on the Scandinavian countries, built in its entirety by the works of this highly popular genre. Wendy Lesser a critic, novelist, and editor based in Berkeley, California, and her fascination with the genre began when she read the Martin Beck series by Per Wahloo and the recently deceased Maj Sjowall. Lesser formed a picture of the three Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway (Iceland and Finland are not a part of this exploration) through the eyes of the native authors and their work. But this was only the beginning of the author's infatuation with the genre. Soon after she moved on to reading the novels by the most well-known representatives of Scandinavia's crime fiction writers such as Jo Nesbo, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Karin Fossum, Henning Mankell, Lotte & Soren Hammer, Thomas Enger, Arne Dahl, Lars Kepler, and many others. Lesser writes: "For a long time now, my primary source of information about Denmark, Sweden, and Norway has been these novels about murders committed and murders solved. That they all contained a great deal of information aside from the murders is what has enabled me to construct my imaginary Scandinavia". The result of all this reading is a splendid book that the fans of the genre will certainly love and those who are not familiar with it will be both educated and entertained by the author's risky endeavor.

To read my full review visit https://tapthelinemag.com/post/scandi...

[Dorai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I daresay I was expecting a comedy of errors: Avid reader of an escapist genre goes to the real-world location of her beloved novels, only to have her expectations hilariously upended. Turns out this is intended as a sober rumination on the differing crime and policing situations in Scandinavia vs the USA, using Scandi noir novels as an entry point, and a subsequent short visit to their locales as a confirmation check (and mostly everything checks out, apparently). The treatment is frankly anecdotal, and involves short interviews with a few police officers, with some qualitative discussion of things like politics, social policy, bureaucracy, immigration, nature of crimes, gun control, child safety, education, poverty. The detail seems too little and scattershot to satisfy policy-wonk-type readers, but it is quite readable as a travelogue for the general reader, even if it won't convince them one way or the other about great issues like crime and punishment.

The appendix does list many Scandi noir authors that aren't yet as internationally known as Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, and Jo Nesbø, so I'm grateful to have something to search for in Libby.com. (I'm puzzled that Peter Høeg's _Smilla's Sense of Snow_ doesn't merit a mention. It arguably introduced the world to this genre well before Larsson and his dragon tattoo.)

The author includes capsule evaluations of the authors. Most of them don't fair too well in her estimation, but, as she herself admits, that shouldn't stop anyone from exploring. One of the authors she mildly disses is Karin Fossum, whom she considers cruel and sadistic. By pure luck, I happen to have read a couple of Fossums -- one of her novels involves an Indian woman who is sucked into danger before she really has a chance to recognize it --, and while there is tragedy, I didn't find it of the disgusting type (I'm quite squeamish). Indeed, the pain Fossum explores in her noirs seems very individual and thus all the more moving and true-ringing, rather than a policing statistic that can be easily categorized and hence used to critique the crime-containment policy of nations. I guess effective noir is inherently Tolstoyan: every unhappiness is different.

[Awallens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but I could have done without the authors editorializing about what books she thought were good and what weren't. Trust the reader to know what they like, and just give the list of books. No need for side comments. They come off as snide!

[Dsm Jsm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first half, but was less engaged when the author changed to third person halfway through the book. I am not sure why this was done -- probably something obvious I am missing -- but I really liked the first person asides and writing style, and that was mostly lost in the switch. The insights were interesting, and I loved knowing more about places I would like to visit, even though I'm not a specific fan of Nordic crime fiction (I like it, just not more than any others).

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandinavian Noir is a love letter by the author to her beloved Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian mysteries. It is also a memoir describing how she loved the written version of Scandinavia so much, she moved to Stockholm.

I have read at least one book in each of the author’s three favorite series: Sjowall/Wahloo’s Martin Beck, Mankell’s Kurt Wallander, and Nesbo’s Harry Hole. Interestingly, the book I liked best, Nesbo’s The Snowman, was described as “the one where the Grand Guigol theatrics begin to intrude”. In fact, the introduction explains why I do not enjoy Scandinavian mysteries much.

“This is the mystery novel not as a puzzle that can be forgotten as soon as it is solved, but as an experience one is living through along with the characters.”

As an Agatha Christie fan, I agree to disagree that puzzle mystery books are quickly forgotten. While I agree that a foreign setting does add an extra layer to a mystery, it is not the main reason I read mysteries. It appears that to some extent that is why the author is attracted to Scandinavian Noir.

In the first half of the book, commonalities among the books are discussed. Alcohol, bureaucracy, and isolation figure prominently in this mystery sub-genre. Unfortunately, child abuse, sexism and xenophobia are also frequently present.

The second half explores how the written version compares to the author’s real-life experience in Sweden. There is also an excellent list of books to read in the sub-genre in the appendix.

If you are already a fan of this sub-genre, Scandinavian Noir is a must read. For the rest of us, the author admits that spoilers abound in the first part but the list of books to read and in what order is invaluable. 4 stars!

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across an excerpt from this unique book and my raves compelled my mystery-loving friend Carol to gift it for my birthday. For any of you who follow my feed, you know that I am the target audience for Lesser's study of the roots and context of Nordic Noir (both books and TV serials). My own interest in detective fiction started with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew in the first grade, and continued as I read ALL of the Perry Mason novels in the third grade and continued over the years as I devoured the American canon, namely Hammett, Cain, Chandler, and Ross MacDonald, and much more. Somewhere in the 70s my scope broadened to include international sleuths, including the Martin Beck Series set in Sweden. Like Ms. Lesser, I fell for the pre-planned cycle of ten novels like a ton of bricks, and stayed on the lookout for those influenced by the husband-wife team Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. Lesser charts their revolutionary style, structure and intentions compared to previous Scandinavian crime literature, indeed, the movement worldwide. Almost equally sacred to Lesser and to me are the Wallender series, set in Ystad, Southern Sweden; and Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbø. I agree without reservation.

I doubt that "Scandinavian Noir" would interest anyone who hasn't already read and loved at least some of these books, or even the Stieg Larsson series. Section one attempts to paint a picture of modern Sweden, Norway and Denmark based upon her close reading of dozens of mystery novels, many of which were new to me -- social trends, national psychology, historical impact of each country's role in WWII, role of sex and many other elements are studiously examined -- slightly academic but fun for us fans. Section II is a travelogue of the author's visit to the three countries where she observed the physical environments, talked to cops and newspapermen, and provided a lot of context for the settings. I myself almost did a version of this trip, going so far as ordering travel brochures, but alas, I never got to make the trip. Finally, the appendix is her own personal ranking of the various series under study, ranked by her preference. I trust her, because her top three were mine as well. I promptly went to Amazon and ordered a bunch more Kindle copies of series I have not read. News you can use!

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the whole Henning Mankell WALLANDER series and several other Scandinavian Noir series, I thought I might enjoy this book. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explores this literary genre and the second part takes us to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to see if the crime brought out in these books is really a true crime picture of these three countries. I found the first part quite compelling and enjoyed her exploration of this genre. While I love travel books, I found the second part less compelling. Wendy Lesser does an odd thing between the two parts in that she switches from the 1st person in the first section to just labeling her persona in the travel section as "she." Overall, it is worth reading if you have explored any of these mystery series and wondered how accurately they portrayed these fairly peaceful countries.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a reader of Scandinavian Noir I was interested in this book which, on the whole, was interesting, occasionally thought provoking, and generally entertaining.

Written in two parts (well three parts if you count the reading list and biographical details) Lesser first considers the novels she has read, and to a lesser degree the TV shows she has viewed, whose origins are Scandi. She relates these to each other, to the nations in which they are set and asks interesting questions about what they say about the places and people they represent.

In the second part Lesser visits the sites of the novels, interviews local police and, to an extent, tests her thoughts and theories from part one.

I struggled with a couple of things. First up this is very selective (and subjective but that didn't bother me) in that only Sweden, Norway and Denmark are considered. Secondly, why did Lesser choose to write in the third person in part two? The she walked to, she spoke to really distanced me.

A generally interesting read whose bibliography has added to my want to read pile.

[clismo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deel één, waarin de schrijfster inzoomt op eigenaardigheden die Scandinavische thrillers met elkaar delen, is amusant en riep een enorme drang op om eens een paar van de onbekende boeken te gaan lezen. Vier sterren.

Deel twee, waarin de schrijfster Scandinavië bezoekt, zichzelf in de derde persoon beschrijft en haar mening geeft over allerlei zaken heb ik niet uitgelezen. Net terug van vier dagen Stockholm krijg ik het gevoel dat de schrijfster van alles gemist heeft en niet begrijpt. In elk geval is haar mening verre van boeiend. Twee sterren.

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious cultural history of a Norway, Sweden and Denmark through the limited perspective of Scandinavian crime fiction. The first half of the book is an overview of Scandinavian noir and the author’s impressions of the countries gained through her reading. The second half of the book recounts a short trip she made to validate her impressions (although I’m baffled at her decision to write this part in the third person).

[Rincey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strong YMMV sort of book because the beginning is just an overview of (some) Scandinavian Noir and then the second half is about the author traveling to those countries. But it weirdly switches to a third person perspective and I could not get over it

Watch me discuss it more here: https://youtu.be/B72trBIQVSA

[Bettie]

FSG Books: Wendy Lesser’s SCANDANAVIAN NOIR is a study of Scandinavian manners and mores as grasped through the looking-glass world of crime fiction, drawing on hundreds of novels to present an efficient survey of the genre’s conventions and obsessions.

[Jo Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers of Scandinavian murder mysteries will find some interesting information in this book. The author first discusses her ideas about life in Scandinavia from the fiction that she has read. In the second half of the book, she then discusses the reality of life based on her own extensive trips and interviews in Scandinavia. The fact that she does focus on a number of authors, whom I have never read, makes it less relevant to me, but still interesting. She does, however, bring in four authors with whom I am familiar, namely Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, and Karin Fossum.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who just got into Scandinavian authors and genre a few years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Kind of wish I had it when I first started reading. I have a ton of books and 75% are scandi crime. I'm just now venturing into old scandi books from decades ago.

Highly recommend this book. Would also make a great gift to a fellow reader along with a scandi book.

[Julie Stielstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Scandi noir, then you will probably enjoy this - I certainly did. Lesser is a fellow devourer of the genre, and writes with affection, intelligence, and a writerly eye about the writing, characters, plots, and - importantly - the settings of these often dark, brooding, eccentric books. The focus of the first half of this book is what she as a reader learns - or thinks she learns - about the culture and societies of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark as depicted in them. Her own taste leads her to exclude Iceland - for which I fault her! Arnaldur Indridason is one of my favorites - and Finland (with an exception or two). She begins (as we all should!) with Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo's iconic and seminal series of ten Martin Beck books, and carries on through Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, Hakan Nesser, Jussi Adler-Olsen and others less familiar. Her tastes and mine frequently coincided, so that raised frequent smiles and nods - but not always (I couldn't read Stieg Larsson if my life depended on it). If you already know and enjoy these books, there is plenty to appreciate - if you don't, you may well be inspired to give them a try.

The second half of the book covers her trip to Scandinavia, to see the the countries and the cities for themselves, to see if her impressions based on the novels are accurate. She makes pilgrimages to sites from the novels, visits local art and history museums and festivals. For unclear reasons, she narrates this in the third person, as a nameless "she" and her traveling companion. Perhaps she is making herself a "character" in her own Scandi story? The trip to Ystad to Wallander territory is sad: the town has become a virtual Wallander theme park. Some of this is a bit overlong. The best parts are when she snags interviews with working police dtetectives in the towns she visits, who tend to be patient and generous with their time and attention. Some are themselves fans of the noir genre, some not so much. She asks how many murders there are in Oslo (a city of about 650,000) in a year - they tease her and ask her to guess. "Fifty? A hundred?" she hazards. They laugh. Twelve to fifteen. It's about that in Copenhagen, and maybe thirty or so in Stockholm. One detective pauses to think, and says he can't remember any serial killers in his city in his career. Rapists, yes, but not killers. She explores why the literature coming out of these mostly well-run, peaceful cities is depicted as so much gorier, twisted, and just so much MORE than it actually is.

The book concludes with an annotated bibliography of books and television series. She recommends some wholeheartedly, others with reservations, but gives the reader a nice selection of titles to try (we have two more TV series on our Netflix list now). If you're not already into this genre, it may or may not invite you in, but it's smart fun for us already in the fold.

juliestielstra.com

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book on Seattle Independent Bookstore Day in 2019 from the Nordic section of Liberty Bay Books, in the Norwegian-themed town of Poulsbo. As you can see, the book sat on my shelf for years before I read it. I immediately identified with the book’s premise… an American obsessed with Scandinavian Noir and decides to go to Scandinavia to visit scenes in the books and talk to Scandinavian police men and detectives.

Now, I’m always wary of the term Scandinavian because it leaves out my beloved Finland. I prefer to use the term Nordic Noir so it will also include Finland and my new-beloved Iceland.

And in this book, the author specifically does not include Iceland and Finland. Well, shit!

But I read anyway, since I do love the Dragon Tattoo novels, which take place in Sweden. It fact it sparked my whole obsession with Nordic Noir and I too would love to visit Sweden to take in the places of the novel.

Well, turns out this authors obsession and my obsession are not the same… overlooking her lack of appreciation of Finland.

The author is obsessed with the Martin Beck detective series by authors Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. I thought about picking it up because her love of these novels certainly come through the page. However these books were written in the 1970s! No thanks! There will be no modern computers as in the Dragon Tattoo novels.

I made the mistake once of trying to pick up old spy novels after loving the Jason Borne movies. The books were however so outdated that the movies made them more modern.

I did get some great suggestions. She highly recommends the fourth novel in the Rebecka Martinsson series Until Thy Wrath Be Past. I’ve read the first three novels in the series, so I’m excited to read the fourth and best novel. Hopefully the author is correct, because we don’t necessarily have the same taste. She also steered me away from Karin Fossum books which were on my TBR list. The author writes Fossum is especially gruesome. Thanks for the tip! I will avoid.

The first half of the book is a conversation about all the old Scandinavian mystery novels she has read. The newer novels I have read hardly have any mention, so I found it okay but not as interesting or relatable. Maybe my mother would like this conversation more.

The second half of the book is her visit to Scandinavia talking about all the places of interest in her old novels. Rather uninteresting to me, but I did appreciate her visits and conversations with policemen she had interviews with in each of the three Scandinavian countries she visited. Their thoughts on crime in Scandinavia, why people are obsessed with these stories, compared with the realities of the crimes these detectives actual investigate in such low violent crime countries. I also appreciate her asking the detectives their thoughts on crime in the US. So I actually appreciated the very end of this book more than the first 3/4ths of the book.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I am a big fan of some Scandinavian detective novels, I got this book for Christmas from my daughter. It is written by an American writer who is addicted to the genre. The first half of the book is her impressions of Scandinavian countries from the novels she’s read. It feels a bit like a academic thesis but brings up some interesting ideas; then the second half is written as if she is a character in her own memoir of her trip to Sweden, Norway and Denmark, seeing the real Scandinavia and getting input from citizens and police about their country and it’s crime.
It was a very interesting read but I disagree with her insistence that the Martin Beck series of novels is the high bar that ever other series falls way under. I read three in the series and they were okay but I found them depressing. When she tells two British tourists to not bother with the Viveca Sten novels and to read the Martin Beck’s instead, I found that a bit off-putting. And she never mentions the Patrik Hegstrom series which I love!
I did find it interesting that there are at least 50% women detectives in most Scandinavian countries.
And she includes her suggestions for books and movie/TV shows but again this is her taste and not everyone’s.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful overview of a popular mystery subgenre. Orients the reader as to the scope of the subgenre and breaks down the genre into cultural aspects relevant to the novels: alcohol, sex, female roles, kids, holidays, travel, isolation, law enforcement attitudes and techniques, and more. There's also a section in which she compares Scandi fiction to the reality of life in Scandinavia, and a companion section in which she describes how her experience traveling in Scandinavia is reflected in the fiction she reads--both very interesting and enlightening. There's also an appendix listing all the major Scandinavian series in order of the author's preference with opinions on the best of each. Scandinavian TV shows and movies based on the books is also covered to a lesser extent. She warns readers upfront that the book may contain spoilers for some titles she discusses. In addition, the narrative voice is very engaging and readable as something of a travelogue through Scandinavian mystery fiction. Not a bad way to familiarize yourself with the genre before plunging in.

[Stephlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self-professed nerd and avid traveler, this book was right up my alley. It is the type of analysis I could see myself have myself pursuing. I am reminded of searching out Agatha Christie in Istanbul, at the station terminus of the Orient Express and the Pera Palace Hotel. I liked the structure of the book... the first half being the preconceptions of Scandinavia gleaned from Nordic noir thrillers, and the second half being her observations while actually visiting the locations where the literature is set. I have read a lot of Icelandic noir, but she focuses on Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The Harry Hole series is the only one in this book’s purview that I have read so far (well, I read the series up through Police, and I think I’m done), but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this book. In fact, the book gave me many more books to add to my to-read list. I think Wallender will be my next noir series to devour.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Scandinavian noir, or are just starting to read it, this is an interesting discussion of how the Scandinavia portrayed in these thrillers compares to real world Norway, Sweden and Denmark and their respective police departments of today.
The first section focuses on the books and authors as well as TV series based on them. The second describes her visits to locations found in the books, and interviews with police officers in those locations
The last section is a list of series with recommendations of which books and films/series she liked the best.
Be aware that there are a few spoilers for some of the books in her discussions.
As someone who has read a few of these books and visited Norway and Sweden, I found it very interesting. I now have a list of these books I want to read. (We even stayed, and ate dinner, in the same spot in Oslo)

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

To me, this was an odd discourse. It seemed to be a very long book review of the various Scandinavian noir mystery series. I was disappointed that one of my favorite authors, Camilla Lackberg, was not included. And why not? I have read some of the authors Ms. Lesser listed. I've read 2-3 books in the series, then as the characters changed and/or the plots have become darker or more unbelievable, I lost interest in continuing. At the end of the book, Ms. Lesser is honest in encouraging readers to try some of the books, but then discouraging them to continue the particular series for a variety of reasons. I appreciate this honesty, because this is precisely what's happened to me . . . except for Ms. Lackberg's books, which I continue to read.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a revelationary read this. It was interesting to see just how close Scandinavia was to the perception of the reader of Scandi crime and how far apart it also was. In reality Scandinavia has elements of mundane day to day life as do most countries in the world but the novels also reflect (note I use Reflect rather than Contain) aspects of life within the novels as well. Although the author's study is very in depth as regards the novels it merely grazez the surface of real life. But an interesting appraisal for all that. Good too are the appendices with lists of both Scandinavian novels and Scandinavian Crime Series dvd's.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesser and I are, I guess, close contemporaries and have been reading Scandinavian mysteries since the early Martin Beck books in the 80's. I read Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo before my first trip to Demark, Sweden and Norway in the late '80's. Like Lesser I felt they opened a doorway into Swedish society, reaction to the War in Vietnam, even the city of Stockholm. I've been a devotee ever since, especially of the writers most interested in exploring the social/political scene in the countries Lesser is interested in. A thoroughly engaging book.