English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

February 2019 has six books so far that are to be published they are in order: 1) The Memory Man by Steven Savile to be published February 1, 2019. 2) Hunted by Arne Dahl to be published February 2, 2019. Sweden. 3) Such Good Work by Johannes Lichtman to be published February 5, 2019. Sweden. 4) After She's Gone by Camilla Grebe to b e published February 5, 2019. Sweden. 5) Any Means Necessary: A Leona Lindberg Thriller by Jenny Rogneby to be published February 12, 2019. Sweden. 6) The Enemy by Desmond Bagley to be publishjed February 19, 2019. Sweden. I note all books are from Sweden. We will always let you know when books are published during February 2019. Good reading.

We have Alexander McCall Smith's latest book called "The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists" to be published February 26, 2019. Sweden. On Amazon but not on Goodreads yet.

Detective Ulf Varg from the Department of Sensitive Crimes is often called upon to investigate unusual matters. But rarely is he asked to conduct an inquiry on behalf of his own family. Is such a thing ethical? Adding to Ulf’s moral discomfort is the fact that he does not exactly see eye to eye with his younger brother Bjorn—a leading player in one of Sweden’s right-wing parties, the Moderate Extremists. Still, family is family, so Ulf finds himself working to uncover the mole leaking secrets to a rival party, the Extreme Moderates. All of this in addition to his responsibilities to the Department, which include investigating a case of cat-related sabotage. As always, it’s up to Ulf to close the case . . . even if he encounters unexpected resistance from the victims themselves.

From literary master McCall Smith, this is a bewitching short foray, witty and warm, into Scandinavian mystery.

Missed the The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup was published January 10, 2019. Denmark. He was the author of the Killing (made into a TV series).

The police make a terrible discovery in a suburb of Copenhagen. A young woman has been killed and dumped at a playground. One of her hands has been cut off, and above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.


Young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner is Mark Hess, a burned-out investigator who's just been kicked out of Europol's headquarters in The Hague. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man - evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead, the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. A man confessed to her murder, and the case is long since solved.

Soon afterwards, another woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there's a connection between the Hartung case, the murdered women and a killer who is spreading fear throughout the country. But what is it?

Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it's clear that the murderer is on a mission that is far from over . .

The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky was published January 29, 2019. Denmark (Greenland).

A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.

"There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale."

Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people.

But the gods have stopped listening and Omat's family is starving. Alone at the edge of the world, hope is all they have left.

Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she meets a Viking warrior and his strange new gods, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world...or save it.

We have another book which was published January 27, 2019 called Isdal Woman. Life and Death: Norway's Biggest Mystery by L Robinson. Norway.

This is a true life and death mystery. A case that dates back to November 1970.
A time before cell phones, CCTV cameras, Tightened border security, DNA...
Although this strange and haunting cold case occurred in Bergen, Norway, in theory, it could be solved by anyone, from anywhere in the world. Because no-one knows where the woman came from.
The woman appeared from nowhere - she travelled around with many false identities - and she died in a remote valley in what looked like a classic case of suicide - but then she apparently set herself on fire!
She was smart, stylish, sophisticated and she left behind several puzzling clues, but after almost 50 years, they still remain unsolved.

Someone, somewhere, knows this woman and in my completed account of this case, I have included every possible detail that is available to the public, including my own artist impressions of the woman. My sole aim is to make this case available for everyone to read, in every part of the world.
Can you help to solve the puzzle of the Isdal Woman?

Found by Miss M, Kjell Ola Dahl a book called The Courier Published January 21, 2019. Norway.

In 1942, Jewish courier Ester is betrayed, narrowly avoiding arrest by the Gestapo. In a great haste, she escapes to Sweden, saving herself. Her family in Oslo, however, is deported to Auschwitz. In Stockholm, Ester meets the resistance hero, Gerhard Falkum, who has left his little daughter and fled both the Germans and allegations that he murdered his wife, Åse, who helped Ester get to Sweden. Their burgeoning relationship ends abruptly when Falkum dies in a fire.
And yet, twenty-five years later, Falkum shows up in Oslo. He wants to reconnect with his daughter. But where has he been, and what is the real reason for his return? Ester stumbles across information that forces her to look closely at her past, and to revisit her war-time training to stay alive…
Written with Dahl's trademark characterization and elegant plotting, The Courier sees the hugely respected godfather of Nordic Noir at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in a exceptional, shocking thriller.