English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten is our additional read for September 2011.

I forgot that her husband was a chef.

Irene Huss DVD’s , based on the books by Helene Tursten
by ROBERT on FEBRUARY 7, 2010
This is a boxed set of six Swedish crime fiction movies. The movies are: The Torso (Den Krossade tanghästen), The Horse Figurine (Guldkalven), The Fire Dance (Elddansen), The Night Round (Nattrond), The Glass Devil (Glasdjävulen), and The Gold Digger (Tatuerad torso). They are produced by Illusion Film and Yellow Bird Films (the company that made the Stieg Larsson movies in Sweden). The movies were extremely well received in Sweden, where several of them have been no 1 bestselling movies.

Short summaries of the movies:

1. The Torso

A part of a dismembered corpse is washed up on a rocky shore on the outskirts of Gothenburg.
The only worthwhile lead Detective Inspector Irene Huss has to go on is a striking tattoo on the torso.
Her investigations lead her to Copenhagen, where she is plunged into a manhunt for a depraved and vicious killer. A killer she knows will soon strike again, and who is becoming far too interested in her family…

2. The Horse Figurine

A man jumps from a balcony and dies. His terrified wife witnesses the event in a nearby taxi cab.

Once DI Irene Huss (see picture) arrives on the scene, it soon turns out that what appeared to be a tragic suicide is actually a brutal murder, and the victim is one of Gothenburg’s wealthiest men.

When it becomes clear that a biker gang is involved, the investigation gets even more complicated and Irene finds herself tracking down a shrewd and dangerous murderer among ex-millionaires, motorcycle gangs, drug-dealers and blackmailers. Suddenly, the lives of Irene, her family and her colleagues are in danger. At the same time, she has to deal with everyday life and a teenage daughter who has decided to join a gang of skinheads with neo-Nazi tendencies.

3. The Fire Dance

Gothenburg is struck by a series of fires. Irene Huss starts investigating an arson case that may be connected to an event that occurred fifteen years ago, a tragic unsolved case that challenged Irene when she first came to the Violent Crimes Unit. The population is unnerved by the thought of an arsonist on the loose, and the pressure on Irene and the rest of her team is immense.

In the midst of everything else, a woman has been stabbed to death. The victim, a reclusive old lady, seems to have little in common with the fires that ravage the mainland. But as Irene digs deeper into the case, she reveals secrets from the past.

4. The Night Round

A blackout leaves the distinguished halls of the Löwanderska Hospital in complete darkness. Doctor Sverker Löwander hears the alarm when one of the ventilators go off, and rushes to the intensive care unit only to find the nurse in charge dead in the stairwell and the other disappeared without a trace.

When DI Irene Huss arrives, the only witness claims to have seen Nurse Tekla doing her rounds. There’s only one slight problem: Nurse Tekla committed suicide at the hospital sixty years ago.

Irene is challenged by an intriguing case and dramatic relations, all spiced up with wandering ghosts from the past.

5. The Glass Devil

In a small village near Gothenburg, three members of the Schyttelius family are brutally murdered in their respective homes, and the victims blood is used to draw upside-down pentagrams on the walls. The investigators soon learn that the upside-down pentagrams symbolize the face of Satan.

Irene Huss finds out that Sten Shyttelius, a minister, and his family, have been trying to investigate a local Satanist movement in their parish. Irene pursues the lead, but is the answer really a satanic cult? And do only the good go to church?

6. The Gold Digger

An online poker company promises fame and fortune. When the bubble bursts, it´s not only the dream of big money that bites the dust: three separate men are all brutally executed in one of Gothenburg’s most fashionable areas.

But that’s also all they appear to have in common. The complex investigation of the three dead men immerses DI Irene Huss and her colleagues into a world of expensive cars, fancy homes and impressive castles in the air.

Meanwhile, the normally so peaceful atmosphere of the Huss family is disturbed by marital tension as Irene suspects her husband Krister of a having an affair with a younger woman.

Information
Actors: Angela Kovacs, Bjarne Henriksen, Dag Malmberg, Eric Ericson, Inga Landgré
Directors: Alexander Moberg, Anders Engström, Martin Asphaug
Format: Import, PAL, Box set, Widescreen
Subtitles: English, Swedish, Danish
Region: Region 2, NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada.
Number of discs: 6
Studio: Nordisk
Run Time: 529 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Scene Access,
Note: ***Attention: The DVD title (Torso) does not contain English subtitles*** (Can be found on the internet);
Links to the Irene Huss movies at Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon CAN


Tagged as: crime fiction movies, Detective Inspector Irene Huss, DVD, Irene Huss DVD's, Swedish

http://scandinavianbooks.com/crime-bo...

Some good info

I'll say thanks a million.

oooh I just found a copy of this on my groaning TBR shelves...totally forgot I had it. Now going to try to join in on discussion...must go get reading.

This was one of my first reads on Swedish books. I'll have to re-read it to make comments.

I'm about halfway thru. So far it's pretty good. I just think sometimes the author goes a bit overboard with details and descriptions.

Kenneth wrote: "I forgot that her husband was a chef."

I giggled at there being a Swedish chef in the book...in my head I read in a Muppets voice for a few pages I think :)

I finished it today and thoroughly enjoyed it - almost technically perfect police procedural. I liked some of the dead ends almost as much as the main storyline

I haven't thought of it that way but now it won't come out of my head.
The Swedish chef, the Muppets, thanks Bernadette ;)

Any comments, I have a crush on Helene Tursten.

Helene Tursten or Irene Huss? ;)

Helene Tursten :)

There's a new book coming out called "Night Rounds" by Helene Tursten. It's about time.

I read this book last winter and although I liked it, I wasn't anxious to pick up the next one. How about the rest of you?

So you're in the UK, see I told you guys get everything a year early, you don't believe me.

@ Kenneth, I was referring to Detective Inspector Huss...sorry to confuse the discussion!

Sorry.

Scary, I just ordered three of her books.....

Weeelll... there's always an easy solution for not having to wait for years to get the translation: learn Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish, and get the books when they're fresh from the print/iBook store. :)

(Fortunately that does not apply to Jim's books, heh)

Sharon wrote: "Irene Huss DVD’s , based on the books by Helene Tursten
by ROBERT on FEBRUARY 7, 2010
This is a boxed set of six Swedish crime fiction movies. The movies are: The Torso (Den Krossade tanghästen), T..."

Just saw two episodes, and I love them. Angela Kovacs really captures the spirit of Irene Huss.

Florence wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Irene Huss DVD’s , based on the books by Helene Tursten
by ROBERT on FEBRUARY 7, 2010
This is a boxed set of six Swedish crime fiction movies. The movies are: The Torso (Den Krossade..."

Aren't they good...she is Irene .....plus other recurring characters are more or less as I pictured as reading all her books so far translated. Look fwd to more. Night Rounds was latest released but it was NOT in order. Curious what the next one will be....enjoy reading her. And watching.

I just found this author recently and downloaded a sample of one of her books. I really want to read Night Rounds. Any thoughts on this book? Do I need to start from the first in the series?

You'd have to know she's a judo champ and she has two daughters (twins) and a husband that is a chef. Otherwise your good to go.

I agree with Kenneth. But Night Rounds is new out BUT not in sequence anyway. Translation issues I assume. Otherwise, always best to read in order.

I've read two out of the order (as just happened to find The Torso and Glass Devil); both worked well as standalone. You have everything you need to understand the main characters and their relationships, the way it should be.
But of course I'll keep my eyes for the earlier and later ones too.