English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

For the month of February 2024 we presently have eleven book to choose from. I will add books as they become known to us. Good reading.

1) Trondheim by Cormac James to be published on the 6th of February 2024. Norway.

A son’s collapse pulls his two mothers together and apart in a novel that probes the limits of love, hope, and forgiveness In Norway, thousands of miles from home, a student drops dead on the street. A passerby revives his heart, but he remains in a coma from which he may never wake. His mothers rush across the continent to his bedside where they endure the strain of helpless waiting. As the tense hospital vigil continues day after day and they vacillate between extremes of hope, fear, and psychic pain, their troubled relationship is pushed to the edge. A profound exploration of a family in crisis, Trondheim portrays the way each woman copes with the looming tragedy and the possibility of healing in the wake of a life-altering emergency.

2) The Invisible Thread: A Constable Petra Jensen Novella by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 6th of February 2024. Greenland.

A stack of mildewed letters discovered in an abandoned cabin mark the beginning of a very personal missing persons case for Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen.The Invisible Thread is the twenty-third in the Greenland Missing Persons series of novellas and novels set in the harsh, unpredictable Arctic, rich in tradition, myth and culture.The Invisible Thread continues the adventures of Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen, ably assisted by interesting characters, together with a few familiar faces making cameo appearances in the series.The Greenland Missing Persons stories are set prior to The Ice Star and Seven Graves, One Winter.Pick up your copy of The Invisible Thread and continue the search for Greenland’s missing persons today!

3) Antiquity by Hanna Johansson to be published on the 6th of February 2024. Swedish author but in book is in Greece.

Elegant, slippery, and provocative, Antiquity is a queer Lolita story by prize-winning Swedish author Hanna Johansson—a story of desire, power, obsession, observation, and taboo

Antiquity follows its unnamed narrator, a lonely woman in her thirties who becomes enamored of a chic older artist, Helena, after interviewing her for a magazine. Helena invites the narrator to join her in the Greek city of Ermoupoli where she summers with her teenage daughter Olga. At first an object of jealousy, Olga morphs into an object of desire as the pull of Helena is transposed onto her daughter and the prospect of becoming someone’s first, if perverse, lover.

With echoes of Death in Venice, Call Me by Your Name, The Lover, and Lolita, but wholly original and contemporary, Antiquity probes the depths of memory, power, and the narratives that arrange our experience of the world.

4) A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow to be published on the 13th of February 2024. Viking.

An elemental witch and her shieldmaiden journey into a world of ancient myth and unexpected destiny in this sweeping Norse-inspired epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow.

The Black Land is spent myth. Centuries have passed since the Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, every village still lights a ritual fire to banish the dark.

That is Solveig’s duty. Favored by the gods with powerful magic, Sol calls forth flame to keep her home safe. But when her brother accidentally kills a northern lord’s son, she is sent away as weregild—part hostage, part guest—for a year and a day.

The further north Sol travels, the clearer it becomes the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her and her magic are shrouded in secrecy.

With only her loyal shieldmaid and her own wits to reply upon, Sol must master power beyond her imagination to wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land’s army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness—unless Sol can find the courage to stop it.

They thought the old ways were dead. But now, the Enemy awakens…

5) The Perfect Grave: A Constable Petra Jensen Novella by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 20th of February 2024. Greenland.

A girls’ weekend for Luui Angakkuarneq and Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen spirals rapidly out of control when the shaman’s daughter discovers the perfect grave.The Perfect Grave is the twenty-fourth in the Greenland Missing Persons series of novellas and novels set in the harsh, unpredictable Arctic, rich in tradition, myth and culture.The Perfect Grave continues the adventures of Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen, ably assisted by interesting characters, together with a few familiar faces making cameo appearances in the series.The Greenland Missing Persons stories are set prior to The Ice Star and Seven Graves, One Winter.

6) Blue Notes by Anne Cathrine Bomann to be published on the 22nd of February 2024. Denmark.

How much grief is too much? How far should we go to avoid pain? From the author of the international bestselling novel Agatha comes a literary thriller about grief, love, science, and societal norms. A Danish university research group is finishing its study of a new medicine, the world’s first pill for grief. But psychology professor Thorsten Gjeldsted suspects that someone has manipulated the numbers to hide a disturbing side effect. When no-one believes him, he teams up with two young students to Anna, who has recently experienced traumatic grief herself, and Shadi, whose statistical skills might prevent her from living a quiet life in the shadows. Together, these sleuthing academics try to discover what’s really happening before the drug is released to the entire population. Blue Notes is brimming with ethical and existential ideas about the search for identity and one’s place in the world, while offering a highly original literary adventure that ultimately underscores the healing power of love.

7) Whale Fjord: by Michael Ridpath to be published on the 24th of February 2024. Iceland.

Iceland 1940. Britain invades Iceland. Lieutenant Tom Marks is a British officer tasked with defending Whale Fjord. He meets Kristín, a young widow from a nearby farm, who has a small son. Tom is smitten.Iceland 2023. Inspector Magnus Ragnarsson is called to the shores of Whale Fjord where the skeletons of a man and a woman have been discovered, both shot with British wartime bullets. Magnus uncovers a web of anger and revenge that stretches back eighty years and forward to a shocking murder in Reykjavík.Praise for the Magnus Iceland Mystery "International thriller writing at its best, fine characters, page turning suspense and a great, fresh location." - Peter James“One of our finest thriller writers” – Daily Mail“Ridpath has that read-on factor that sets bestsellers apart.” - The Guardian"Michael Ridpath continues to amaze me with his great sense of place with regards to Iceland. On top of that the book is an absolute page turner, as good as they come." - Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, No1 Icelandic crime writer“Magnus Jonson is a complex and totally compelling character, fitting perfectly into the bleak and intimidating settings of Ridpath’s Iceland.” – New York Journal of BooksAbout the AuthorBefore becoming a writer, Michael Ridpath worked in the City of London. After writing several financial thrillers, which were published in over 30 languages, he began a crime series featuring the Icelandic detective Magnus Jonson. He has also written five stand-alone thrillers. He splits his time between London and Massachusetts. Visit his website at www.michaelridpath.com.

8) Backlash Blues: A Nordic Noir, Private Detective Mystery by Amulya Malladi to be published on the 26th of February 2024. Denmark.

When Banks Go Bad...And Not Just at Math!

Copenhagen's usually cool, but not when Private Detective, Gabriel Præst is on the scene. Hired to dig into the apparent suicide of Noor Mallik, a young worker bee from Denmark's biggest bank, he expects nothing more than corporate politics and bad office coffee. But instead, he finds himself knee-deep in a plot thicker than Danish brown gravy.

Silas Haagen, the bank's hotshot executive, might be hiding more than just a ridiculously fancy office. As Gabriel dives into a potential #MeToo scandal, he uncovers layers that make an onion look bare. From dark money from even darker places to the ever-elusive hitman known as "The Ghost" (who probably just needs a hug), Gabriel realizes he will need more than his trusty blues guitar and dry wit to solve this one.

Journeying from the cozy cafés of Copenhagen to the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, our bluesy detective navigates banking conspiracies, spicy romantic entanglements, and the daunting challenge of a dry month; thirty days without wine or cigarettes. (The last one's the real kicker.)

BACKLASH BLUES hits all the right notes in a tale of money, mischief, and some very shady shenanigans.

9) Ghost Island by Max Seeck to be published on the 27th of February 2024. Finland.

On a secluded island, homicide detective Jessica Niemi must investigate a drowning that is tied to a frightening ghostly legend in this riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Jessica Niemi is put on leave after a violent altercation between her and a belligerent man makes headlines. To escape the unwanted scrutiny, Jessica travels to a remote island in the Åland archipelago and rents a room at a small seaside inn. She is hoping to be left alone as she faces the possibility that she is losing what is left of her sanity but three elderly visitors have arrived at the inn for their yearly sojourn. Jessica learns that they are the remaining ‘birds of spring’, former refugees who fled Finland as children during World War II and lived together for a few months in an orphanage on the island.

The orphanage no longer exists but the local legend about one of its inhabitants, a girl named Maija, still haunts the surviving orphans. Every evening Maija would put on her blue coat and stand on the pier, looking out at the dark water until one night, she disappeared and was never seen again. When one of the ‘birds of spring’ is found dead, drowned alongside the same pier, and Jessica learns about two other deaths from the past, also connected to the orphanage, she has no choice but to try and put the pieces of this terrifying mystery together.

Jessica can’t be sure whether she’s facing a killer or—just like the legend says—the ghost of Maija, the girl in the blue coat. Uncertain what is real and what is not, Jessica desperately searches for answers that she hopes will stop the murders and finally silence her own demons once and for all…

10 A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke to be published on the 27th of February 2024. Iceland.

A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches.

The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s just her, the freezing ocean, and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them...

Now, over one hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed up on the forbidding, remote coast of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels an inexplicable pull to document its last days, even though those who have ventured onto the wreck before her have met uncanny ends.

Onboard the boat, Dominique will uncover a dark past riddled with lies, cruelty, and murder—and her discovery will change everything. Because she’ll soon realize she’s not alone. Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge.

11) Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson to be published on the 27th of February 2024. Sweden.

On a cold November night in rural Sweden, a farmhouse burns to the ground. Inside, a young woman is found dead—murdered. To the people of Marbäck, the fire becomes a before and after. For ten-year-old Isak, it sets in motion something he cannot control, igniting his future into an inferno.

The police immediately focus their attention on Edvard, the boyfriend of the murdered woman and Isak’s beloved uncle. After a quick investigation, Edvard is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, and Marbäck believes it can return to its innocence. Vidar, the rookie officer who first responded to the fire, prides himself on having helped solve the murder. Little does he know this will become the defining case of his career and that it will drive him to the brink of professional and personal disaster—and link his fate to young Isak’s.

A celebrated professor of criminology, Christoffer Carlsson digs deep into the psyches of ordinary people and shows how one crime can haunt a community for decades. A #1 international bestseller, Under the Storm is already a modern classic of Scandinavian crime fiction and shows why many regard Carlsson as one of the great crime writers of his generation.

Ken wrote: "11) Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson to be published on the 27th of February..."

This book sounds good. Not heard of Carlsson before, added him to my list. Thanks!

I've read every book by Christoffer Carlsson! Excellent! I loved every one. Already signed up for Under the Storm! I know that you are focused on the new books for review. However, there are some great books like the two from Jesper Stein, Die for Me and Unrest. Only two of his books have been translated which is such a shame. Wish more was done to get more of his books translated!

War Spine: Roman Fantasy Fiction by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 12th of February 2024. Roman Fantasy.

When eight legionaries enter the desert to find a notorious band of thieves, they discover there are other hunters of men in the parched lands.War Spine is a thirty-minute read connected to Christoffer Petersen’s Reviver series of prehistoric action and adventure novels, novellas, and short stories.

15) RÓSA by Guðrún Sigríður Sæmundsen to be published on the 13th of February 2024. Iceland.

A young woman who is seeking the truth after suffering a series of blows to her life.

The central character Rósa‘s existence is permeated by alienation from reality, she does not realise on which side of the line she is standing. While the life of her best friend Díana seems to be perfect, Rósa incessantly tries to dig deeper in order to find answers to events that happened a few years back. Everything that happens or has happened becomes a question: Is this actually based on reality?
When Elvar, Rósa‘s former fiancé and the father of her child, is found murdered, Rósa starts to doubt her own innocence, until the truth is eventually revealed.

Delving deep into the text, the story revolves mainly around Rósa's and Díana's friendship and the conflicts that sometimes arise in close friendships. How in the innocence of youth, diverse personalities are attracted to one another and how the passage of time and changed circumstances can bring about emotional distancing between former close companions; jealousy and constant comparison, treachery and lusting after what one’s counterpart has.

Translated by: Björg Árnadóttir and Andrew Cauthery.

Sæmundsen deals with important matters and mental complications, love and loss, acceptance and violence, schizophrenia and illusion, dreams and reality. A noteworthy novel!
- Steinþór Guðbjartsson, Morgunblaðið

16) The Karelian Connection by Matthew Dennis to be published on the 14th of February 2024. Finland, Russia, and Great Britain.

The Karelian Connection starts with the murder of Finnish man found beaten and drowned in the Thames. The only identification on the victim is a Finnish social security card. By chance the lead detective on the case was previously married to a Finn, now a detective in Helsinki, and he enlists her, and her colleagues help to solve the crime. The dead man’s connection to a key Russian scientist is quickly unearthed. They were childhood friends, and this forms an early potential clue to his death. Marko, the deceased, is a highly paid banker in London, and his new relationship with a Russian woman is an intriguing part of the plot.After the murder and the initial police investigations, the story jumps back in time several weeks to the roots of the defection and Marko’s link to Rudi, the key scientist. Their childhood home of Sortavala, in what is now Russian Karelia, gives the geographical backdrop to the novel. The main part of the book is taken up chasing through north-western Russia and eastern Finland with the eventual escape of Rudi and his family. Their escape is by car during a heavy winter, through the sparsely populated and porous border, over 1300 km long.The Russians learn of the operation though a traitor in London, but the timing of the betrayal is just too late to stop the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) team and the family from crossing the border. The Finnish authorities had not been told of any such operation on their soil but immediately suspect British involvement. Although angry at being put in a compromising position, the Finns do their best to support the escape of the family whilst professing no involvement or knowledge of the defection to the Russian security authorities.After the family escape, the story returns to London where the detectives. Now informed by the SIS of the reasons behind Marko’s murder, and who they believe suspects to be, focus their search. The search splits into two parts. The hunt for the actual murderer, a British contract killer, but also for the people who planned and lured Marko to his death. The London – Helsinki detective team elect to follow the planners and after following the fleeing couple back to Finland, finally arrest their targets in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. Back in England the killer does not have his day in court. The SIS see to that.

17) Piper on the Street Corner: A short story perfect for Valentine's Day by Christoffer Petersen to be published on the 14th of February 2024. Denmark.

Fresh from a breakup, a young man’s world is turned upside down by a mysterious flautist on the street corner. Piper on the Street Corner is a twenty-minute read perfect for Valentine's Day. Pick up Piper on the Street Corner for an alternative short story from Christoffer Petersen today!