English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

We have 3 or 4 books to read this month depending on the date of publication, they are:

1) Secret Alliances: Special Operations and Intelligence in Norway 1940-1945 - The British Perspective by Tony Insall to be published 9 June 2020. Norway.

In this extraordinary book, historian Tony Insall reveals how some of the most striking achievements of the Norwegian resistance were the detailed reports produced by intelligence agents living in the dangerous conditions of the country's desolate wilderness.

A definitive appraisal of Anglo-Norwegian WWII cooperation, Secret Alliances provides remarkable insights into the uniquely close political relationship that afforded powerful assistance for a successful resistance movement. Using previously unpublished archival material from London, Oslo and Moscow, Insall explores how SIS and SOE developed productive links with their Norwegian counterparts and examines the crucial intelligence from the Security Service and Bletchley Park codebreakers who supported their sabotage operations.

Offering dramatic details on operations such as gunnerside which targeted the heavy water plant in Vemork in order to foil the Nazis plans to build an atomic bomb and the sinking of the Tirpitz in November 1944, Secret Alliances is an authoritative new perspective on some of the most remarkable exploits of the Second World War.

2) Cold Malice by Quentin Bates to be published 11 June 2020 now it says 11 August 2020. Iceland.

Reykjavík detective Gunnhildur Gísladóttir tries not to believe in ghosts. But when Helgi, one of her team is certain he's seen a man who had been declared dead more than fifteen years ago, she reluctantly gives him some unofficial leeway to look into it.

Has the not-so-dead man returned from the grave to settle old scores, or has he just decided to take a last look around his old haunts?

Either way, there are people who have nursed grudges for years, hoping for a reckoning one day. Even the rumour of his being alive and kicking is enough to spark a storm of fury and revenge, with Gunnhildur and Helgi caught up in the middle of it.

3) Deep as Death by Katja Ivar to be published 23 June 2020. Finland.

Hella Mauzer was the first-ever woman Inspector in the Helsinki Homicide Unit. But she's been fired despite solving her first murder case. This is Helsinki, March 1953. An unusually long and cold winter, everywhere frozen sea, ice-covered lakes and rivers. In a port city flooded with refugees, who cares if a young woman goes missing? An up-and-coming inspector who views this as an opportunity to advance his career. A heartbroken PI with a score to settle. They have yet to discover one thing: the most dangerous lies are those we tell ourselves. It all begins when Nellie, a prostitute working in a high-end brothel is found floating upside down in Helsinki Harbor. Not exactly a high priority case for the Helsinki police, so homicide chief Jokela passes the job to his former colleague Hella. It's beginning to look like a serial killer is at work when Elena, another lady of the night, narrowly escapes being driven into the harbor by her 19-year-old john. Problem was he had handcuffed her in the car. And to add further excitement to Hella's life, the madam is soon found dead in the garden outside the brothel. What begins like a taut whodunit turns into something more tantalizing and psychological as Hella investigates different suspects, including Steve, the US DJ and love her life, reluctant to leave his wife for Hella, and the fascinating Inspector Mustonen, charismatic, ambitious and trying desperately to live up the standards of his high maintenance wife. There are dark powers at play, including Finnish obsessions with the social and religious cleansing powers of death by drowning in icy waters, as well as lighter passages, particularly those involving Anita, voluptuous but savvy, freshly arrived from Lapland to join the Helsinki police force, a most unwanted roommate for Hella. Sadly she too ends up in deep trouble, in a satisfying denouement of twists and turns.

4) The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck now this is where we have a problem with the date when I first found it it was 30 June 2020 now is says 29 September. I will leave it in for now because NetGalley and Edelweiss+ have had it to read.

A shocking murder in an affluent Helsinki suburb has ties to the occult in this thrilling US debut from Finnish author Max Seeck.

A bestselling author’s wife has been found dead in a gorgeous black evening gown, sitting at the head of a formally set dinner table. Her most chilling feature—her face is frozen in a ghastly smile.

At first it seems as though a deranged psychopath is reenacting the gruesome murders from The Witch Hunter, the bestseller written by the victim’s husband. But investigator Jessica Niemi soon realizes she’s not looking for a single killer but rather for dozens of believers in a sinister form of witchcraft.

They know her every move and are always one step ahead. As the bodies start piling up, Jessica knows they won’t stop until they get what they want. And when her dark past comes to light, Jessica finds herself battling her own demons while desperately trying to catch a coven of killers before they claim their next victim.


......As always we will add books as they become available during the month of June. Good reading.

Well we have a book by J. J. Marsh which comes under Finland it's called White Night and it was published 2 June 2020. Finland.

If there's one thing Beatrice Stubbs hates more than weddings, it's wedding planning. So when a missing persons' case in Finland offers a chance of escape, she grabs assistant Theo and runs to the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Two environmental protestors have disappeared after an anti-nuclear demonstration in Helsinki turned violent. Suspicions revolve around the energy companies and their controversial modular reactor. But the woman in charge is the same person who hired Beatrice to find the teenagers. Is this a serious job or a PR exercise?

Using natural charm and acquired skills, Theo infiltrates the Gaia Warriors to discover passion, ideology and deep fissures in their foundations. Meanwhile, Beatrice tackles the energy giants, allies herself with the police and reports to her boss. Confidential information finds its way into the press. Her ship has sprung a leak.

Family demands grow unbearable and she's run out of time. When a storm hits the Finnish coast, finding the young people becomes an emergency. On an insider tip, Theo rushes to the rescue.

Beatrice is trapped. The police won't listen and a Nordic giant is on her tail. She has to place her faith in a new acquaintance and risk everything on a gut feeling. Or lose more than one life.

Can Beatrice trust her right-hand man?

This sounds good, will hunt for a copy. Thanks Ken!

Didn’t realize that this is #10 in a series. I’ll try to read the earlier books first 😉

The Paintings of Rauma by John Swallow to be published 13 June 2020. Finland.

The Paintings of Rauma takes the reader to Finland for a thrilling crime adventure. The story is based in the beautiful coastal city of Rauma and takes Jussi, a local Police Officer, on a journey to investigate connected crimes across Finland, Sweden and Singapore. This Nordic Noir mystery begins with a minor incident that sets in motion a chain of events involving theft, murder, passion and hidden treasure. Jussi is a local Police Officer whose life is turned upside down when someone from the past comes back into his life, following a weekend in Helsinki. A gang of criminals make their way around Finland, wreaking havoc in search of great wealth. Treasure from the past is found and millions are made and then lost. Jussi finds that there is much more to police work in Rauma than he ever expected.

Under a Dark Sky by Johan M. Dahlgren published 16 June 2020. Swedish author more Sci-Fi.

On the rebel colony planet Elysium, a man is executed in a live video streamed by religious extremists. When he doesn't die, he becomes the most hunted man in the system as every major power sets out to find him for their own dark purposes.