English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

For the month of June 2026 we have 12 books that can be read during the month. If books become available we will add them. Good reading.

1) Sons of the Sea and Shadow by Mario Luxxor to be published on the 1st of June 2026. Viking. 553 pages.

Sons of the Sea and Shadow is a myth carved from salt, blood, and silence.

In the Four Months of Dark, when the sea becomes a wall of black and the sun forgets the world, a Viking crew drifts further than maps were ever meant to reach. What they find is not land. Not treasure. But a boy.

Saelar does not belong to any clan, any god, or any known story. He survives by drinking blood—not as a monster, not as a myth, but as something in between. Feared, hidden, and misunderstood, he has learned to live quietly in a world that would destroy him if it understood what he is.

But the sea has other plans.

When an ancient divine being rises from the deep—wounded, impossible, and older than belief itself—the boundary between man and god begins to collapse. The crew is forced into a reality where survival is no longer about strength or steel, but about what is real… and what was never meant to be seen.

As loyalty fractures and fear grows, Saelar becomes something no one can define: not savior, not curse, not human as they understand it. And the deeper they sail into the dark, the more the sea begins to look back.

Because in this world, gods do not rule.

They return.

And when they do, they do not come clean.

Sons of the Sea and Shadow is a mythic Viking fantasy about survival, transformation, and the terrifying cost of touching something divine.

When the gods turn away, men create their own monsters.

2) The Home of the Drowned by Elin Anna Labba to be published on the 2nd of June 2026. Sami. 352 pages.

The haunting, multigenerational saga of a family of Sámi women fighting the devastation of their way of life

Nothing is true, and everything is true; poetry will never hurt more than what has happened. Every summer, Iŋgá, her mother Rávdná, and her Aunt Ánne travel west to their village on the lake. But the summer Iŋgá is thirteen, they arrive to find their home and possessions have disappeared under water, the land flooded by a dam built to supply hydropower to a society that has continually stolen from them.

The Home of the Drowned follows these women’s fortunes over forty years—from 1942 to 1982—as the water their people have lived near for centuries is transformed into a menacing force that threatens all they hold dear. Defying the authorities, Rávdná decides to build a proper house on the lake to replace what was lost, becoming an unlikely activist even as her actions isolate her family from the rest of the community. Meanwhile, Ánne’s health is in decline, and a concerned Iŋgá merely longs to live like everyone else—an impossible wish when the Swedish state is relentlessly drowning her world.

Drawing on her own family’s history of forced relocation and violent colonial dispossession, Elin Anna Labba’s debut novel brings Sámi history to the fore through this intimate story. In poetic prose deftly translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel, she reveals connections between land, water, and people that hauntingly reverberate with the question: what is it that makes a home?

3) The Room in the Ground: A Thriller by John Ajvide Lindqvist to be published on the 2nd of June 2026. Sweden. 437 pages.

In a tense return to the Bloodstorm series, past choices come back to haunt those who were wronged—and the ever-blurring lines between good and evil make them question what is right.

Kim Ribbing is a peculiar man—a skilled hacker, but otherwise reticent and fiercely private. Crime writer Julia Malmros never expected more than a working relationship with him, but all that changed the moment they locked eyes. Now there’s something between them just as thrilling as the mysteries they investigate together.

And just as dangerous too.

Because Kim has secrets. Enemies. A murky past. And it’s all coming to a head in the confines of his basement.

When Julia and fourteen-year-old Astrid—orphaned in a childhood friend’s murder Julia and Kim investigated—venture downstairs, they’re pulled into the darkest corners of Kim’s life. And they resolve to help him finally get out.

As deep as they go, they still can’t escape Jonny, Julia’s detective ex-husband who’s got an axe to grind with Kim. When a new case lands on his desk, confirming his suspicions, he knows just where to look.

But some people always know just how to hide.

4) Harald Fairhair by Ole Åsli and Tony Bakkejord to be published on the 2nd of June 2026. Viking. 478 pages.

A gripping Viking coming-of-age adventure filled with war, loyalty, and the rise of a king.

A boy inherits a crown. A kingdom demands a conqueror.

When ten-year-old Harald becomes king after his father’s death, his enemies move fast. Rival kings and jarls rise against him, certain a child cannot hold power. Outnumbered and untested, Harald must prove himself in battle or lose everything before he’s even begun.

Guided by warriors, mentors, and the loyal few who believe in him, Harald is forced to grow up in the harshest way possible. Every victory comes at a cost. Every decision shapes the kind of king he will become.

Then a single challenge changes everything.

When Gyda, daughter of a rival king, refuses him and demands he become king of all Norway, Harald makes a vow—he will not cut or comb his hair until the land is his.

As alliances form against him and war spreads across Norway, Harald must face the battle that will decide everything at Hafrsfjord.

He will unite the land. Or die trying.

Harald Fairhair is a fast-paced historical adventure inspired by the legendary rise of Norway’s first king—perfect for readers of Bernard Cornwell, Peter Gibbons, and Tim Hodkinson.

5) Every Beat After by Sara B. Larson to be published on the 2nd of June 2026. Sweden. 384 pages.

She’s guarding a borrowed heart. He’s locked his heart away. But the connection igniting between them might become the one thing they can’t live without.

Years after a life-saving heart transplant, Liv Karlsson lives in the fragile space between gratitude and fear—thankful for every heartbeat and afraid of when they might stop. Running her family’s cozy Swedish bakery gives her purpose, but mounting financial pressures and the shadows of her past leave her wondering: Is she truly living . . . or simply existing?

Then Hunter moves in next door. Guarded, cynical, and annoyingly attractive, he’s everything Liv avoids—and he’s also unfortunately her roommate’s cousin. But when he unexpectedly steps in to help Liv save the bakery with a new marketing plan, their reluctant partnership sparks something neither one is prepared for. He pushes her. Challenges her. Sees her. Suddenly, the girl who’s spent years protecting her heart finds it racing for someone who might just understand her better than anyone ever has.

But just as Liv begins to imagine a future worth fighting for, a devastating revelation threatens to unravel everything. Now Liv must face the ultimate test: Will she find the courage to love, or will fear take it all away?

6) Meet Me in the Darkness by Martta Kaukonen to be published on the 4th of June 2026. Finland. 256 pages.

Once Ida nearly died at the hands of a killer. Now she's trying to live again, to forget the monsters in her head. But the nightmares are coming back, more terrible than ever.

Because Ida, now working as a journalist, has uncovered evidence of a serial killer stalking Helsinki's streets. And no one - not Ida, not homicide officer Kerttu Leppänen, tortured by her own demons - can stop them.

Sometimes the monsters are real. And hunting them can destroy you.

7) With Raven Wine: 1153 Orkneyjar by Jean Gill to be published on the 5th of June 2026. Viking. 364 pages.

The gripping conclusion to an award-winning series. Don't just read Viking history - live it!
Praise for the series
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A yarn fit for a Norse saga. Full of action, poetry and heart; a thrilling voyage through the vibrant world of the twelfth century." Matthew Harffy
Gifts from the gods come with a price.
Warrior-poet Skarfr Kristinsson has crossed the world, facing exile and battles. Forgiven at last by his lord Jarl Rognvald, he is restored to honour but destiny is not done with him yet.
From the holy waters of the River Jordan to the gilded intrigues of Constantinople, Skarfr and his formidable trader-wife Hlif are drawn into a web of ambition, betrayal and vengeance. Hlif’s dangerous gift of dream-walking allows her to cross into the shadow world where the old gods still rule and where fate can be glimpsed, but never escaped.
While the pilgrim fleet is far from home, Orkney descends into chaos. Old grudges ignite, loyalties fracture, and blood is spilled, the 'raven wine' of sagas.
Epic, brutal and lyrical, With Raven Wine is the powerful conclusion to Jean Gill’s award-winning Midwinter Dragon series, a re-imagining of the Orkneyinga Saga, perfect for readers who love Madeline Miller, Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy.
Praise for the series
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Made me want to read on... just one more chapter... and then another, and another. Late into the night!" B A Morton
1st prize winner of the Chaucer Awards
Shortlisted in the Selfies Award
EDITOR'S CHOICE - The Historical Novel Society
"Stunningly authentic." The Booklife Prize

8) The Break-Up Retreat by Camilla Sten to be published on the 9th of June 2026. Sweden. 320 pages.

An undercover journalist goes to expose an exclusive psychological wellness clinic where women go to recover from heartbreak, with dire consequences, in this creepy thriller from The Bachelorette Party author Camilla Sten.

Welcome to Himlafall Clinic, where we use revolutionary therapy techniques to heal you from heartbreak. Whether you are going through a devastating breakup, or can’t seem to stop picking the wrong partners, we are here to help you change your life, once and for all…

Isobel Anderssen has heard rumors. Nestled deep in the Swedish woods, there is a clinic. Primarily aimed at helping women who have gone through devastating break-ups, the Himlafall Clinic is meant to heal your mind and help you move on.

Sometimes people are never heard from again.

Armed with a fake story and a contraband phone to record interviews, Isobel is ready to expose Himlafall’s founder and get closure for the families of missing loved ones. But when she gets there, nothing goes to plan. Her contact is missing. The founder, Dr. Martina Hastings, knows how to get under Isobel’s skin in ways she didn’t anticipate. And all the while, the ghosts of the missing haunt her at every turn. It is clear something is going wrong and Himlafall, and Isobel must uncover the truth, before she disappears once and for all.

9) On the Other Side Is March by Sólrun Michelsen to be published on the 16th of June 2026. Faroe Islands. 121 pages,

A poignant and darkly witty portrait of aging, memory, and multigenerational caretaking from the first female Faroese writer to ever appear in English.

I’m a woman in my early sixties. Somewhere between late and never. No longer the career woman, mother, housewife, and lover doing it all… Now I’m wife, mother, grandmother and my mother’s mother. But I still have to satisfy all the demands placed on me.

So begins Sólrún Michelsen’s tender and darkly witty exploration of what she considers to be the strange, remaining leg of life’s journey. Her kids are grown and out of the house and she’s faced with a time that, for years, she always seemed to be looking toward—a time when she wasn’t needed by somebody or something. But now, with her mother’s declining health, she finds herself revisiting childhood scenes, family hymns, and folk songs—revealing a lifetime of love, duty, awe, and regret. She tends to her mother amid the stark rhythms of Faroese life, waiting for a new nursing home that never arrives, and confronts the reality of being part of the “army of women” who inherit care. In her grief and private goodbye to her mother, however, is also a gorgeous meditation about life, as translator Marita Thomsen says in her preface, “in its ragged mundane glory.”

A lyrical portrait of caretaking and the invisible labor of motherhood, On the Other Side Is March is a tribute to caretakers across generational lines, as well as the the rich oral traditions of singing and storytelling that kept the Faroese language alive centuries before its standard written form.

10) Heart of the Panther by Michelle Love to be published on the 25th of June 2026. Viking. 401 pages.

The daughter of an English farmer—plagued by vivid dreams and sinister voices—might be the one blessed by Freyja to protect a Viking clan on the brink of war with the gods.

Consumed with grief, Elara struggles to move forward, doing her best to care for her father. Her brother, Edmund, died years ago, and now with her mother gone, it is just the two of them.

For years, Elara’s dreams foreshadowed the future, something she firmly ignored.

Until now.

Now, it begs for attention, showing her visions of ash and smoke and a man who terrifies and thrills her.

Then, there are the voices—disembodied, haunting, and taunting. The unseen whispers call to her, beckoning towards something foreboding. A mysterious woman appears, and Elara isn’t sure whether it’s a dream or reality when the shimmering figure grants her a boon to keep the voices at bay.

A massive black panther, dripping with shadow.

When the dreams of ash and smoke turn real, Elara finds her father at the mercy of a hulking warrior, their village under attack. Driven by instinct, Elara flings herself between the man and her father, offering him anything to keep her father safe.

To her surprise, the warrior accepted her offer.

Except what he wants isn't silver.

What he wants is a war prize.

What he wants is her.

Heart of the Panther is book 2 of the Cold Hearts series. It is a Viking romantasy with touch her die, shadow kitty, enemies to lovers, reluctant mates, and an MMC who is soft only for her. It can be read as a standalone with its own happily ever after.

11) Small Comfort by Ia Genberg to be published on the 30th of June 2026. Sweden. 367 pages.

From the successful child actor who has now turned into a failing thief; to an actor hired to give a speech at a stranger's wedding; to a couple feigning married bliss to keep their inheritance: Small Comfort is a brilliantly original examination of the value of people and money. How do financial structures, such as currency, relate to our own emotional landscapes? What does it really mean to be in debt to someone? And what do we lose when we supposedly win?

12) Tangled Roots by Maria Turtschaninoff to be published on the 30th of June 2026. Finland. 416 pages.

An old soldier carves a croft out of the Finnish forest and calls it home, but try as he might to tame the land, its wild magic endures. For centuries his descendants will work the farm, through days of plenty and famine, love and war, their fates entangled with the rhythms of the ancient wilderness, where mysterious shapes flit between the trees and danger lurks in the treacherous fen…

Like dragonflies darting over the marsh, their lives glimmer briefly and then are gone: a young girl entranced by the forest folk, a faithless fiancé who meets his match beneath the age-old branches, a farmhand with a strange obsession….

What endures is the wild, and the certainty that wherever we put down roots, the land will grow roots in us too.

13) The Storm King's Heart by Andrea Jenelle to be published on the 30th of June 2026. Viking. 266 pages.

An enemies to lovers historical romantasy set in 300 B.C.

This is the star-crossed story of a shield maiden and a shapeshifter king.
It’s set in the Dark Ages and is full of mist and magic and battle and betrayal.
Brunhild Ranulfsdottir knows how to cleave skulls with her ax and terrorize villages with her raiding party. She doesn’t know how to be soft or surrender to anyone—especially a man. She’s seen firsthand how women become vulnerable when they succumb to the whims of others or bow to inferiority.
The last thing she wants is to be bartered in marriage—nothing more than a pawn in her father’s delusions of grandeur.
Toran Lir is doing everything he can to keep his kingdom from falling apart. He never wanted the crown resting on his brow or the mantle of responsibility that came with it—but the alternative is far worse. He needs the Berserker King’s fleet of ships to repel the Kraken invasion and he’ll sacrifice whatever he needs to in order to secure them. Even if it means he has to give up a mountain of gold and bind himself to the man’s fierce warrior daughter.
Their bargain is of fire and blood, prophecy and forsaken vows.
Love was never meant to be part of it.

14) BLUE HOUR: A Psychological Nordic Thriller by Ane Kraus to be published on the 5th of June 2026. Norway. 122 pages.

THE CAMERA ALWAYS REVEALS WHAT THE SNOW TRIES TO BURY.

When English photographer Olivia Wren captures something she shouldn't have on an isolated Norwegian beach, a ten-year-old murder case resurfaces—and someone will kill to keep it buried.

English photographer Olivia Wren travels to the isolated Lofoten Islands to capture the "blue hour"—the brief, haunting twilight when the world loses its edges and fades into the winter dark. But on the desolate beach of Gimsøya, her lens registers something not meant to be seen: the shadowy figure of a man lurking near an abandoned coastal shed, in a place he swore to his wife he had never been.

This accidental frame puts her in the crosshairs of Mikkel Arnesen, a local detective haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his sister ten years ago. When a macabre piece of evidence from that cold case—a cut strip of his sister's camera strap—appears pinned to the curtain of Olivia's rented room, it becomes terrifyingly clear that the island's past never truly sank into the sea.

Trapped in a claustrophobic community where silence is a survival tactic and the brutal weather acts as a constant executioner, Olivia and Mikkel are forced into a raw, dangerous proximity. Surrounded by an unforgiving landscape, they must navigate their own fractured pasts and an undeniable friction as they hunt a truth that threatens the fjord's most untouchable figures.

Atmospheric, suffocating, and visually lethal, BLUE HOUR is a gripping psychological Nordic Noir about the heavy price of looking away... and the deadly consequences of finally bringing the truth into focus.

15) The Empty Harbor: A Nordic Noir Thriller of Vanishing Boats, Buried Corruption, and the Cost of Knowing the Truth by Erik Vahlgren to be published on the 7th of June 2026. Scandinavia. 200 pages.

The harbor emptied overnight. Twenty-three boats. Cut lines. Meals still warm on kitchen tables.

When Jens Ahlqvist returns to his Arctic hometown for his brother's funeral, he expects to find a dying village, a shuttered fish plant, and the quiet resignation of people who have lost everything. What he does not expect is the empty harbor.

His brother Lars left a single line in his suicide note: "They're not coming back."

But Lars also left a notebook. Fifteen years of observations. Fifteen years of watching something rotten grow beneath the surface of the village's only industry. The shipments that didn't match. The containers that went to the wrong ports. The Korean phrase copied from a memo he was never supposed to see.

Jens was a maritime police officer once. He knows how to read a shipping manifest. He knows how to spot a lie. And he knows that his brother did not kill himself because he was weak. He killed himself because he found something worth dying for.

With the help of Marianne Hauge, the village's only police officer, Jens begins to pull at the threads Lars left behind. The plant manager is hiding something. The municipal administrator took a suspicious consulting contract. And the regional director of the parent company wrote a letter that said: "I'll handle it."

The day before Lars died.

The Empty Harbor is a cold, unflinching Nordic Noir thriller. It is a story about the slow death of a community, the corruption that hides inside respectable institutions, and the impossible weight of a phone call you did not return.

The harbor is empty. The truth is not.

16) The Photographs in the Snow.: A Nordic Noir Thriller of Surveillance, Isolation, and the Fear of Being Watched by Erik Vahlgren to be published on the 2nd of June 2026. Scandinavia. 150 pages.

The rescue team thought they were looking for the missing.

They were wrong.

Captain Elias Eriksson has led search-and-rescue missions across northern Sweden for nearly twenty years. He knows how people disappear. He knows what cold, hunger, and fear can do to the human mind.

When two hikers vanish in the mountains during a winter storm, the mission appears routine.

Difficult.

Dangerous.

But routine.

Then the team finds the camp.

Abandoned.

Silent.

Waiting.

Inside a weatherproof emergency shelter is a collection of photographs.

Every image depicts Elias and his team.

Walking through the snow.

Crossing frozen rivers.

Setting up camp.

Searching for the missing hikers.

The photographs are recent.

Detailed.

Impossible.

Someone has been watching them.

The discovery transforms a rescue operation into a nightmare.

Cut off by worsening weather and days from outside assistance, Elias, Lena Nilsson, rookie medic Oskar Lund, and veteran tracker Bjorn Sandström find themselves trapped in a wilderness where every footprint raises new questions.

Who took the photographs?

How long have they been watching?

And why do some of the images show moments that have not happened yet?

As paranoia spreads through the team, trust begins to fracture. Every shadow feels deliberate. Every wrong turn feels planned. Every decision seems anticipated by the unseen intelligence following them through the mountains.

The hikers are no longer the only missing people.

And the rescuers are no longer the hunters.

Someone has turned them into prey.

As the storm closes in and the truth emerges, Elias must confront a terrifying possibility: the photographs were never evidence.

They were instructions.

The Watcher in the Snow is a chilling Nordic Noir thriller about isolation, surveillance, psychological manipulation, and the terrifying consequences of being observed by someone who knows you better than you know yourself.