English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

For the month of February 2023 we have 11 books to chose from so far. As we find new books for the month we will add them. Good reading.

1) If I Should Die: an utterly gripping and gritty Private Investigator thriller. *PREORDER NOW* by Anna Smith to be published on the 2nd of February 2023. Sweden.

Private investigator Billie Carlson is back in the next gripping instalment of this utterly addictive series. Perfect for fans of Martina Cole and Marnie Riches.

PI Billie Carlson is in Cleveland, Ohio following a lead on the whereabouts of her son, Lucas. But when the trail goes cold, she is forced to return to Glasgow and a life of waiting and praying that one day she might see him again.

Back in the office and ready to throw herself into work, she picks up a call from Lars, an old friend from her teenage years in Sweden. He tells her some devastating news. His younger sister, Astrid, was found dead in the Highlands, frozen to death with traces of drugs and alcohol in her system.

The police are convinced that Astrid killed herself, but Lars knows his sister would never do such a thing. He begs Billie to investigate and to accompany Astrid's body back to Sweden. Billie quickly agrees and soon finds herself involved in a web of institutional corruption linked to the dark recesses of the criminal underworld. Can Billie find out what happened to Astrid, or will she be silenced by those desperate to keep her from finding out the truth?

2) The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg to be published on the 7th of February 2023. Denmark.

From internationally bestselling author Katrine Engberg, the series that is a “gripping addition to the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon” ( Oprah Daily ) comes to a stunning conclusion as Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner rush to untangle a long-simmering mystery before a brutal killer strikes again.

Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer working on a biography on a female anthropologist with a mysterious past and coming to terms with her own crushing sense of loneliness in the wake of a dear friend’s death. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be.

Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner is tasked with leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered on a downtown playground. As she follows the strange trail of clues, they all seem to lead back to Bornholm. With an innocent offer to check out a lead, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Anette and Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late.

With her signature “unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists” (Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Katrine Engberg weaves a satisfying and white-knuckled finale to her Korner and Werner series that is a modern classic of Scandinavian noir.

3) War Monster by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 14th of February 2023. Denmark.

A commander’s bruised pride puts Ukaliina Nakinngi in the cockpit of a Cold War jet fighter at an international air show, unaware of sinister plans lurking in the background.

Climb into the cockpit with Greenlandic fighter pilot Ukaliina “Sled Dog” Nakinngi in this short, adrenaline-fuelled story set in the Arctic, and join self-confessed Top Gun fanboy Christoffer Petersen in this tongue-in-cheek adventure from Greenland.

4) The World Itself: Consciousness and the Everything of Physics by Ulf Danielsson to be published on the 21st of February 2023. Sweden.

“Engrossing. . . . Danielsson’s clarity of thought and expression and his use of illuminating literary and historical references are equal to the quality of his writing. Science ‘popularizing’ doesn’t get much more comprehensible, or provocative, than this.” — Kirkus Reviews.

Can we ever truly comprehend the universe before we fully understand consciousness and the wonders, and limits, of the mind? Ulf Danielsson, an acclaimed theoretical physicist who has dedicated his career to probing the deepest mysteries of nature, thinks not. As he dismantles the arguments of esteemed mathematicians and scientists, who would substitute their mathematical models for reality and equate the mind to a computer, he makes a lucid and passionate case that it is nature, full of beauty and meaning, which must compel us. In challenging established worldviews, he also takes a fresh look at major philosophical debates, including the notion of free will.

Fearless, provocative, and witty, The World Itself is essential reading for anyone curious about the profound questions surrounding life, the universe, and everything.

5) Iron Wolf by Siri Pettersen to be published on the 21st of February 2023. Norway.

A new series from the author of The Raven Rings trilogy - Siri Pettersen!

Juva knows all about blood readers. Praised for their Sight, they are nothing but swindlers, preying on people’s fears for power and profit. Born by blood readers herself, she knows only too well, and she has vowed never to become one of them.

But when her family is threatened by vardari, the eerie lasting ones, who never age, Juva is entangled in a desperate hunt for the blood readers’ legacy: a dark secret that once changed the world, and may do so again.

In order to survive, she has to confront the terrifying childhood memory she fought to forget.

Iron Wolf is a new spellbinding fantasy mystery from Siri Pettersen, built on a Norse foundation, about blood, desire and addiction. It’s the first book in the trilogy VARDARI, an independent series set in the universe of the award-winning fantasy phenomenon THE RAVEN RINGS.

6) The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore to be published on the 22nd of February 2023. Sweden.

I release myself from the shackles of the outside world and embrace the wilderness within.

As Bella drops her son off at university, she’s devastated. It’s been the two of them ever since Asher was born. The only thing helping her through is the upcoming week-long wilderness retreat in Sweden. It’ll be her chance to reconnect and recharge.

At the retreat, Bella basks in the beauty of the modern lodge, with its luxury rooms and picture-perfect views, the glistening lake and lush forest. For the full detox effect, everyone must surrender their phones.

The holiday seems idyllic until the person who ruined Bella’s life years ago arrives, threatening everything she’s worked hard for and will do anything to protect. Suddenly, a terrified Bella is trapped in the wild, knowing someone wants her dead…

7) The Last Grudge by Max Seeck to be published on the 23rd of February 2023. Finland.

While her colleagues investigate the brutal murder of a prominent businessman, Jessica Niemi must battle demons from her past in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Hunter.

Powerful executive Eliel Zetterborg has been found murdered in his upscale Helsinki home. What at first seems like a straightforward case soon proves to be anything but when it becomes clear the murderer has other targets. The only clue the police have is a photo of Zetterborg with three men whose faces have all been scratched off.

Detective Jessica Niemi has taken some time off from her work with the Helsinki police to track down the coven that nearly killed her, and her partner, Yusuf, is assigned to lead the investigation. But as Yusuf delves into the case, he realizes he needs Jessica’s help. And as they dig deeper, they realize that the evil they’ve been hunting all along has returned and is lying in wait for the right moment to strike.

8) CAP NORD: Une romance à suspense au cœur de la Norvège by Bettina Lockhart to be published on the 24th of February 2023. Norway. This is in French I thought it was in English.

Quand la radio de bord crachote un « 112 »

– un homicide à Kampen, un quartier chic d’Oslo –

Niels Olsen comprend que la soirée va être longue…

Selma ne le sait pas encore, mais pour elle c’est un cauchemar encore plus long qui commence.

« Henrik gisait mort dans la cuisine, la police avait envahi leur maison, et voilà que devant ses yeux effarés se tenait Niels Olsen, le premier homme qui avait compté dans sa vie, et dont elle n’avait plus de nouvelles depuis douze ans. « Impossible » était le seul mot qui convenait. Et pourtant… »

Une course-poursuite haletante à travers les paysages de la Norvège du Nord, par-delà le cercle polaire arctique, à la recherche d’un témoin capital – l’unique témoin susceptible de sauver Selma d’une inculpation de meurtre.

« Dehors, le vent polaire gémissait dans la nuit comme un animal triste et une pluie glacée s’était mise à tomber. Tout rappelait qu’ils étaient ici au dernier avant-poste de l’Europe du nord, face à l’océan glacial arctique. Une extrémité géographique qui donnait à Selma une conscience plus grande encore de sa propre solitude. Et l’espace d’un instant, elle n’eut plus qu’une envie : se blottir dans les bras de Niels, se lover contre lui et sombrer dans l’oubli. »

9) The City Between the Bridges: 1794 by Niklas Natt och Dag to be published on the 28th of February 2023. Sweden.

A #1 international bestseller, this atmospheric and breathtaking sequel to the “cerebral, immersive page-turner” (The Washington Post) The Wolf and the Watchman explores the darkness hidden beneath the splendor of 18th-century Stockholm.

Stockholm, 1794: A young nobleman, Eric Three Roses, languishes in a hospital as the rest of the city claims that he belongs in a madhouse. Riddled with guilt, he writes down the memories of his lost love—his beautiful wife who died on their wedding night.

The young woman’s mother also mourns her death and, desperate for justice, begs for help from the only person who will listen to her: Jean Mickel Cardell, the one-armed watchman. But she isn’t the only person seeking him out.

Emil, younger brother to the brilliant lawyer and detective Cecil Winge, finds the watchman to demand his late brother’s pocket watch back. Instead, Cardell enlists Emil’s help to discover what really happened at the Three Roses estate that dreaded wedding night.

The City Between the Bridges: 1794 is a suspenseful race for the truth before it’s too late from an author with a “thrilling, unnerving, clever, and beautiful” (Fredrik Backman, #1 New York Times bestselling author) voice.

10) Mysteries of the Far North: The Secret History of the Vikings in Greenland and North America by Jacques Privat to be published on the 28th of February 2023. Greenland.

• Explores in depth how Greenland and its surroundings were inhabited for nearly 5 centuries by two Nordic colonies, Vestri-bygd and Eystri-bygd

• Shares extensive evidence from the still-living indigenous oral tradition of the Far North as well as surviving sculptural art to show how the Vikings and the Inuit formed a harmonious community

• Examines ancient maps and other cartography, such as the 15th-century Martin Behaim globe, as well as explorers’ records of their voyages

Sharing his extensive and meticulous research, Jacques Privat reveals that the Vikings were in Greenland, its neighboring islands, and the eastern shores of Canada long before Columbus. He examines in depth how Greenland and its surroundings were inhabited for nearly five centuries by two Nordic colonies, Vestribygð and Eystribygð, which disappeared mysteriously: one in 1342 and the other in the 16th century. Drawing on the still-living indigenous oral tradition of the Far North, as well as surviving sculptural art carvings, he shows how, far from being constantly at odds with the native population, the Norsemen and the Inuit formed a harmonious community. He reveals how this friendly Inuit-Viking relationship encouraged the Scandinavian settlers to forsake Christianity and return to their pagan roots.

Working with ancient European maps and other cartography, such as the 15th-century Martin Behaim globe, as well as explorers’ records of their voyages, the author examines the English, Irish, German, Danish, Flemish, and Portuguese presence in the Far North. He explores how Portugal dominated many seas and produced the first correct cartography of Greenland as an island. He also reveals how Portugal may have been behind the disappearance of the Vikings in Greenland by enslaving them for their European plantations.

Dispelling once and for all the theories that the Inuit were responsible for the failure of the Scandinavian colonies of the Far North, the author reveals how, ultimately, the Church opted to cut all ties with the settlements—rather than publicize that a formerly Christian people had become pagan again. When the lands of the Far North were officially “discovered” after the Middle Ages, the Norse colonies had vanished, leaving behind only legends and mysterious ruins.

11) One Two Free by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 28th of February 2023. Greenland. Sorry it is now to be Published on the 2nd of March 2023.

When Constable David Maratse is captured by the IGA, Kamiila Sorsuttartoq risks everything to free him.

One Two Free is a short twenty-minute read plucked from Christoffer Petersen’s Guerrilla Greenland series of speculative novellas.

12) Reviver: Prehistoric Action and Adventure by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 14th of February 2023.

Details of the Reviver Project are known to a select few. Digital and audio whispers are quashed and suppressed by an elite team committed to the success of the military’s new satellite, and the new world order it has the potential to seed.

But as the launch date of the Reviver satellite approaches, a small team of archaeologists is stranded in a vast tract of desert set aside for the project. While evacuating the area is considered top priority and in the general interest of the team’s health and longevity, one dedicated archaeologist is determined to finish what she started. Unfortunately for her, so is the military.

Reviver is an action-packed adventure story filled with dinosaur action, from the author of The Ice Star, Seven Graves, One Winter and The Boy with the Narwhal Tooth, perfect for readers of Severed Press books and fans of Jurassic Park.

Arctic Squall: A Constable Maratse Stand Alone novella by Christoffer Petersen tobe published on the 21st of February 2023. Greenland.

With the IGA suffering from oppressive oversight and a change in administration, new methods of subduing Greenland’s guerrillas forces combatants on both sides to question their actions and the bleak future of Greenland.

Arctic Squall continues the stand-alone speculative storyline begun in Arctic State, set in Greenland in the near future.

Arctic Squall is the sixth book in the Guerrilla Greenland series of novellas.