English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

For the month of October 2019 we have five books to read and they are:

1) Swede Hollow by Ola Larsmo to be published 1 October 2019. Sweden and U.S.A.

A riveting family saga immersed in the gritty, dark side of Swedish immigrant life in America in the early twentieth century


When Gustaf and Anna Klar and their three children leave Sweden for New York in 1897, they take with them a terrible secret and a longing for a new life. But their dream of starting over is nearly crushed at the outset: a fire devastates Ellis Island just as they arrive, and then the relentlessly harsh conditions and lack of work in the city make it impossible for Gustaf to support his family. An unexpected gift allows the Klars to make one more desperate move, this time to the Midwest and a place called Swede Hollow.

Their new home is a cluster of rough-hewn shacks in a deep, wooded ravine on the edge of St. Paul, Minnesota. The Irish, Italian, and Swedish immigrants who live here are a hardscrabble lot usually absent from the familiar stories of Swedish American history. The men hire on as poorly paid day laborers for the Great Northern or Northern Pacific railroads or work at the nearby brewery, and the women clean houses, work at laundries, or sew clothing in stifling factories. Outsiders malign Swede Hollow as unsanitary and rife with disease, but the Klar family and their neighbors persevere in this neglected corner of the city—and consider it home.

Extensively researched and beautifully written, Ola Larsmo’s award-winning novel vividly portrays a family and a community determined to survive. There are hardships, indignities, accidents, and harrowing encounters, but also acts of loyalty and kindness and moments of joy. This haunting story of a real place echoes the larger challenges of immigration in the twentieth century and today.

2) Cold Fear by Mads Peder Nordbo to be published 1 October 2019. Greenland.

Matthew Cave’s father Tom has been in hiding for years, after being accused of a double-murder. When Matthew’s sister disappears during a weekend away with friends, Tom’s case is re-examined. Matthew must investigate whether his long-lost father is guilty, as Greenland police and the American military also close in on the fugitive. As Matthew starts to unravel a terrible conspiracy, he must also face grave questions about his young friend Tupaarnaq, and whether her yearning for revenge has gone too far.

3) The Man Who Played with Fire: Stieg Larsson's Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin by Jan Stocklassa to be published 1 October 2019. Sweden.

The author of the Millennium novels laid out the clues. Now a journalist is following them.

When Stieg Larsson died, the author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had been working on a true mystery that out-twisted his Millennium novels: the assassination on February 28, 1986, of Olof Palme, the Swedish prime minister. It was the first time in history that a head of state had been murdered without a clue who’d done it—and on a Stockholm street at point-blank range.

Internationally known for his fictional far-right villains, Larsson was well acquainted with their real-life counterparts and documented extremist activities throughout the world. For years he’d been amassing evidence that linked their terrorist acts to what he called “one of the most astounding murder cases” he’d ever covered. Larsson’s archive was forgotten until journalist Jan Stocklassa was given exclusive access to the author’s secret project.

In The Man Who Played with Fire, Stocklassa collects the pieces of Larsson’s true-crime puzzle to follow the trail of intrigue, espionage, and conspiracy begun by one of the world’s most famous thriller writers. Together they set out to solve a mystery that no one else could.

4) In the Shadow of Power by Viveca Sten to be published 22 October 2019. Sweden.

What do the new arrivals on Sandhamn Island have to fear? Their own secrets—in this gripping novel of suspense by the bestselling author of In the Heat of the Moment.

The new summer house on Sandhamn Island is an architectural dream for its owner, Carsten Jonsson. It’s a nightmare for the locals. The venture capitalist has flouted local traditions, property lines, and the natural beauty of the coastline. He’s also too wealthy and arrogant to heed the anonymous warnings to leave. The threats escalate when his guest lodge is burned to the ground and an unidentifiable corpse is found in the charred ruins.

Detective Inspector Thomas Andreasson isn’t sure if it’s murder or a tragic accident. Until his friend attorney Nora Linde is drawn into the investigation. Nora’s emotional investment in Carsten’s fragile and fearful wife, Celia, is yielding a new level of suspicion: that the Jonssons are hiding more than anyone can imagine. Now Thomas and Nora must sift through the ashes of a puzzling crime and step into the shadows of a powerful family, whose deadly secrets are coming to light on Sandhamn.

5) The Flood by Kristina Ohlsson to be published 31 October 2019. Sweden.

A man, wearing his daughter’s wedding ring, is found in front of his fireplace, a bullet hole in his chest. A funeral director searches desperately for his brother – a man who doesn’t seem to be missed. A woman struggles to protect her children and her life as her husband turns ever more dangerous.

Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht believe that these three cases are totally unrelated… until they uncover a connection between these three people that changes everything. Soon Bergman and Recht are pulled into an escalating series of events where old sins return to haunt all involved. And someone is leaving them taunting messages… but who, and why?

We will always add books when the become known to us during the month of October. Good reading.

Here are my reviews for Cold Fear and In the Shadow of Power.

Cold Fear by Mads Peder Nordbo .

What this is was, was the second part of "The Girl Without Skin", a continuation that takes you to new heights in reading. You almost think you read it until you understand that it was the second part of the previous book. It starts out with Tupaarnaq looking down a cliff to the small town of Tasiilaq and seeing two men. Fast forward to the end of the book and she's back at Tasiilaq and there are three men walking towards her. I won't give you the spoiler's but it was a really interesting play on what people did in everything that leads up to whats happening to Greenland now with the President wanting to buy it. It plays right into Mads Peder Nordbo's story. I think it was that this happened at this time. Read it and see if you come up with the same reasoning.

In the Shadow of Power by Viveca Sten .

We're given the reason for all the fires and people killed in the first chapter. You only had to know who the people were and the name changes to figure this out. Fat chance in remembering. I like the way Viveca sets us up with this, it happens every book so far. We're given Carsten Jonsson and his wife Celia as the new kids on the block to make the story whole. Carsten is an investment banker who has made investments in Russia in the oil and gas industry. He has built his house before his investment is sound and has invited everyone on the island to come to his house warming. Nora is involved with Celia and the children and with finding the truth about Carsten while Thomas, who's Nora friend is involved with the house fire and the death of a man. Agaton who's Carsten's neighbor has complained and had the local authorities bring things against Carsten. The story basically brings all these things to light and it goes on from there. I haven't talked about other characters but it's important you know all the people to resolve this mystery and to solve it. I like that Viveca lets us get involved with the other characters and she lets us know what happens to them. I would recommend this book to my people who follow my reviews.

We have a new book slated for the 19th of October 2019 by Antti Tuomainen called Little Siberia . Finland.

The arrival of a meteorite in a small Finnish town causes chaos and crime in this poignant, chilling and hilarious new thriller from the King of Helsinki Noir

‘Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe’ Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘The biting cold of Northern Finland is only matched by the cutting dark wit and compelling plot on this must-read crime novel … most highly recommended!!’ Denzil Meyrick

‘A brilliantly inventive and gloriously funny novel from Finland's greatest export’ MJ Arlidge

‘Finnish criminal chucklemeister Tuomainen is channelling Carl Hiaasen in this hilarious novel’ Sunday Times Crime Club

A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel.

But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his. As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is.

Transporting the reader to the culture, landscape and mores of northern Finland Little Siberia is both a crime novel and a hilarious, blacker-than-black comedy about faith and disbelief, love and death, and what to do when bolts from the blue – both literal and figurative – turn your life upside down.

‘What seems like a cockamamie crime novel full of dark humour is also a wonderfully poignant piece of writing by Antti Tuomainen’ Crime Fiction Lover.

Looking forward to Little Siberia. Anyone who writes in a vein similar to Carl Hiaasen is a must-read for me 🤗

We have Mark Munger's new book Kotimaa: Homeland Kotimaa: Homeland which was published 1 October 2019. Finland.

Immigrant Anders Alhomäki, introduced to readers in Munger's best selling novel Suomalaiset, returns in this prequel. Why did Anders leave his homeland? What dreams motivated him to journey from Finland to sub-Arctic Norway, northern Michigan, and the Vermillion Iron Range of Minnesota? How is Anders's story tied to that of a cold blooded assassin stalking a Finnish politician in modern day Finland? Don't miss this epic ride from the 1890s to Finland's Centennial Independence Day!

New to Amazon is "Detective Freja Hansen" by Christoffer Petersen to be published 19 October 2019. Scottish Highlands and Denmark.

New Detective Freja Hansen begins her career with a chase through the Scottish Highlands in pursuit of a serial killer, only to find herself trapped in a corporate conspiracy following a death at a Danish theatre on her return to Denmark.

Combining the introductory novella (Fell Runner) and the first novel in the series (Blackout Ingénue), this special edition of two previously published Danish crime stories introduces the characters of Freja and her estranged husband, ex-undercover cop Adam Hansen, as they solve cases while bringing up their daughter Ayoe.

With gritty Danish crime and family character drama, the Detective Freja Hansen series is perfect for fans of Danish and Scandinavian crime series.

On Amazon not Goodreads yet is "Taste For Treachery" by Glenn Brasse published 21 October 2019. Norway.

A Taste for Treachery

Espionage is a very dirty word


Anje Magrete, the beautiful ballerina . The widow of shipping magnate, Erhling Magrete . The friend of the Prime Minister and the Queen. A woman beyond
reproach ? But Norway is in the grip of fear. Huge dark predatory powers are closing in on her fragile independence. Spies and traitors are suspected to have infiltrated the highest places of society . And no one is under greater suspicion than Anje Magrete . Asbjorn Torgeir, police detective, is convinced she had a hand in the death of her husband . And in the death of a Polish diplomat. Is she a Nazi spy and assassin. ? Is she really irreproachable ? Or does she have taste for treachery?