English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Thanks. Steven. :-)

You're welcome, Junying. There's always a story behind publication...

Steven T. wrote: "You're welcome, Junying. There's always a story behind publication..."

And thanks for sharing that ....very interesting. IMO his first was the best, so curious what I will think of number three and if the translation has played a role.

Sharon wrote: "Steven T. wrote: "You're welcome, Junying. There's always a story behind publication..."

And thanks for sharing that ....very interesting. IMO his first was the best, so curious what I will thin..."

From what I've heard the coming volumes get more and more anti-woman, something as a member of Sisters in Crime I don't like at all.

I am back! After studying textbooks on linguistics, I started The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson. :)

Eva wrote: "I am back! After studying textbooks on linguistics, I started The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson. :)"

Enjoy...I loved her books so much...they follow each other making a good series IMO. Keen for more to be translated .....the first four just left me wanting more and it is a long wait.

Thanks, Steven and Sharon - always good to learn background stories - if his hooks come across as anti-women, I don't think i'd continue. An author's political stand will shine through his/her work.

Eva wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Eva wrote: "I am back! After studying textbooks on linguistics, I started The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson. :)"

Enjoy...I loved her books so much...they follow each other making a goo..."

Wish you luck with that. Of all my writers I found those four the most continuous book by book, story by story. Another like that IMO is Camilla Lackberg.

You are right but my memory is so poor i would have to read them one after another without any further books in between :) i have Camilla Läckberg's books "properly". Not long ago i saw "The Lost Boy". Looking forward to it!

Eva wrote: "You are right but my memory is so poor i would have to read them one after another without any further books in between :) i have Camilla Läckberg's books "properly". Not long ago i saw "The Lost B..."

It is quite good, as IMO are all of her books. I read four through seven and loved them one after the other. Watch out as The Lost Boy is also published as both The Lighthouse and Guardian Keeper....same book.

Asa Larssons books were by far my favorite one after the other and sure look fwd to more. Loving watching the TV series of both Liza Marklunds and Helene Turstens books.

The Black Box by Michael Connelly!!

Reading my forth Mari Jungstedt "Dead of Summer". It is so very easy to get hooked on her books.

Marsha wrote: "Sharon wrote: "The Black Box by Michael Connelly!!"

Michael Connelly is a favorite of mine; haven't read him in a few years though."

I love Michael Connelly/Harry Bosch as well and just read The Black Ice by him.

Yesterday I finished by Anne Holt and have just started

by Helene Tursten

Reading The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. Heavy duty mystery!

The Cuckoo's Calling
This does not belong here but I just heard about it so want to share.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainme...
Just downloaded to iBook and ready to go.
Curious has anyone read yet.....did they know it was JKRowling?

Thanks Sharon I just ordered this book from the library before EVERY BODY wants it. I'm a big fan of Rowling.

Thanks, Sharon, for the tip. I read a few reviews and will look forward to reading it. I just now put in a purchase request to the library. Ruth Rendell and John Banville, among others, use pseudonyms to differentiate their literary styles. Rowling will be in good company.

Kind of like Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb

Sheila wrote: "Kind of like Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb"

Agree ladies. Ian Rankin also has a pen name, Jack Harvey.
Glad you don't mind the post on Scandinavian ....group.

Sharon wrote: "The Cuckoo's Calling
This does not belong here but I just heard about it so want to share.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainme...
Just downloaded to iBook and ready to go.
Curiou..."

Sharon,

You are a gem; a mine of information.

I have the book - "signed" bought through a London bookstore - I shall have to check the signature now............

I didn't know the 'true' author was using a pen name; wanted it based solely on good reviews - bonus; I think I prefer female crime writers but that is a whole new topic.

Will have to read as soon as the decks are clear my to reads section is crammed with books I want to read, NOW!

Richard wrote: "Sharon wrote: "The Cuckoo's Calling
This does not belong here but I just heard about it so want to share.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainme...
Just downloaded to iBook and ready ..."

Lucky you with a signed copy. I downloaded from iBook store. Am keen to start but.....
We suffer the same luxurious problem Richard, too many good books! :-)

Can't believe my good fortune: I was browsing the library the other day and came across Jo Nesbo's "the Bat." There are some 60 plus holds on it, and I was lucky enough to come across a copy that had been mistakenly placed on the shelf. So now I don't have to wait to read it.

I just finished "Some Kind of Peace" (Siri Bergman #1) and really enjoyed it.

Stephanie wrote: "Can't believe my good fortune: I was browsing the library the other day and came across Jo Nesbo's "the Bat." There are some 60 plus holds on it, and I was lucky enough to come across a copy that h..."

You lucky duck! I have that one on hold because I am kind of a stickler for reading books in order. His other books are available but I don't want to read them until after I've read the bat. I am 8th in line at my library for the kindle book.

Sheila wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Can't believe my good fortune: I was browsing the library the other day and came across Jo Nesbo's "the Bat." There are some 60 plus holds on it, and I was lucky enough to come ac..."

Same here Sheila! At the very least I like to start with the first in the series. It is worth the wait- I'm liking it so far. Glad that you don't have to wait too long for the ebook version.

I'm reading Missing by Karin Alvtegen

My first read by this Swedish author.

I'm excited I just scored the audiobook of Jussi Adler-Olsen's newest from the library. Love Carl Merck!

The Bat is my least favorite Nesbo book, he really hadn't developed his style yet. It also isn't necessary to start the series with it, it has little character development. It wouldn't hurt to skip it all together, Nesbo is my favorite writer but I did not like The Bat. It does not measure up to his other books. Sometimes when a book from a series isn't translated there's a reason, lol.

Barbara wrote: "The Bat is my least favorite Nesbo book, he really hadn't developed his style yet. It also isn't necessary to start the series with it, it has little character development. It wouldn't hurt to skip..."

Interesting. Having read them all over the years and the many references to the case in Oz, I was happy to fill in the blanks. And look fwd to book two, Cockroaches, when it finally comes my way in English.

Thanks Barbara maybe I'll read book 2 while waiting for The Bat. I've been trying to read the winners of the Glass Award as well and The Bat won in 1998. The next one is one called The Cockroaches.

Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books.

You can also try Nesbo's Headhunters, it's not a Harry Hole book. It's my favorite, excellent story. They've already done a Norwegian movie but there will be a Hollywood one too.

Michael, my favorites are Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Arnaldur Indridason, Hakan Nesser, Karin Fossum, Asa Larsson, Jussi Adler-Olsen and of course Stieg Larsson. They all have series. Lars Kepler is good too but he is pretty graphic.

Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction. Peter Høeg's wonderful Smilla's Sense of Snow and Henning Mankell's excellent Faceless Killers began the recent trend. However, Mankell has shown a light on the earlier team of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö as his inspiration. Their first Inspector Martin Beck novel was Roseanna, and you couldn't find a better starting point IMO. However, if you prefer to 'browse the shelf' you don't need to look any further than the up-to-the-minute listing on our Bookshelf (see link, top right on this page) skilfully maintained by our moderator, Kenneth Fredette. Happy reading!

Smilla's Sense Of Snow was AWESOME. I haven't read any of his others yet though. I love complex, twisty stories. I've read 2 Sjowall/Wahloo books and didn't care for them but they weren't the type I like. The stories were pretty straight forward police procedurals.

What type of stories do you like Michael? There is a lot of similarity in Scandinavian crime novels that make them a distinct genre (IMO) but there are still some individual styles. All of the ones I listed write mostly complex twisty stories but even among those there are differences. Like I said about Lars Kepler, he can be pretty graphic. Karin Fossum writes kind of gently. Mankell's Wallander and Nesbo's Hole are pretty similar characters, and their styles are quite similar. If you love one you'll love the other. Nesbo can be a little more political. Stieg Larsson was very political, and IMO could have used a better editor, but the stories are excellent.

Pat wrote: "Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction. Peter Høeg's wonderful Smi..."

Well said Pat.
Just watched the Beck series on TV and really enjoyed them.

Barbara wrote: "Smilla's Sense Of Snow was AWESOME. I haven't read any of his others yet though. I love complex, twisty stories. I've read 2 Sjowall/Wahloo books and didn't care for them but they weren't the type ..."

See you are a writer yourself Michael and a European. You will IMO really enjoy the genre once you get started. They are all political with Mankell having lead the pack in that area. They tend to be more subtle yet chilling in their reality reflecting many problems in our times. I also recommend the various original only series, films. If you catch the current BBC Four Saturday night old series of Wallander, they are not the best of the three, but will give you a taste of the genre. Not sure if you get it in Glasgow but we do here in The Hague. I am a true old time Rebus and Wallander fan.....enjoy and welcome.

Since I am wanting to read my first Jo Nesbo/Harry Hole novel and I am in a holding pattern at the library for The Bat, what is the next one that is available in English?

This is what fantastic fiction shows but I can't seem to find the earlier ones. Have they been translated?

Series

Harry Hole
1. The Bat (2012)
2. The Cockroaches (2013) - December 2013?
3. The Redbreast (2006)
4. Nemesis (2008)
5. The Devil's Star (2005)
6. The Redeemer (2009)
7. The Snowman (2010)
8. The Leopard (2011)
9. Phantom (2012)

Currently reading

Missing by Alvtegen, Karin (this one is really different than what I expected)

AND

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

Sheila wrote: "Since I am wanting to read my first Jo Nesbo/Harry Hole novel and I am in a holding pattern at the library for The Bat, what is the next one that is available in English?

This is what fantastic fi..."

The Redbreast is the next available in English right now. The Cockroaches is coming coming... But before it the translation of the latest book (Police) will be out in September.

Redbreast is available, it has been. The Cockroach is the only one that hasn't been translated yet.

Fizzycola wrote: "Sheila wrote: "Since I am wanting to read my first Jo Nesbo/Harry Hole novel and I am in a holding pattern at the library for The Bat, what is the next one that is available in English?

This is wh..."

Thanks Fizzycola. Redbreast will be the one I start with. Between the fact that the names are usually changed and the fact that the translastion aren't necessarily done in the order of first publishing, I usually end up pretty confused. However I haven't been disappointed yet by this genre.

Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."

Thanks for the recommendations Barbara and thanks to everyone else who replied. I am a big fan of Stieg Larsson and I spent the last 2 years writing solidly with very little time for reading. My wife is a teacher and this summer she is spending her time reading books so I am reading with her. After writing one full length Scandinavian crime novel and ten novellas/short stories about a female Swedish assassin I can now find my way round Stockholm without a map so I wanted to read some more Scandinavian crime fiction. In case anyone is interested I just read a great book from our local library called “The Viper” by Hakan Ostlundh which is set on the island of Gotland. Reviews on that book are a little mixed. Some people really liked it, others did not. But if you like it then it is a really good read. I finished it in two days.

Michael Ward

Email: [email protected]

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A550QM

Pat wrote: "Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction. Peter Høeg's wonderful Smi..."

Hi Pat

I just took a look at the review on Amazon for Smilla’s Sense of Snow and that looks like a really interesting book. I like the comments in the reviews on the characters in the book – I am into really complex characters with depth to them. I’ll try Mankell’s “Faceless Killers” too – I have heard of that book somewhere before.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Michael Ward

Email: [email protected]

Michael Ward’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A550QM

Sharon wrote: "Pat wrote: "Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction. Peter Høeg's w..."

Hi Sharon
Thanks for your reply. I have a friend who lived in the Netherlands for a while and he loved it. I am a long way from Scotland now – I actually live in Jacksonville in Florida. I have also lived in Alaska and one of the highlights up there was driving 50 miles on my own on the frozen surface of the Beaufort Sea when I worked as a cost engineer for a contractor up there. In case anyone is interested the coldest I have been in is minus 85 fahrenheit with windchill (that’s minus 65 celsius) so it was the complete opposite of Florida.
I am a big fan of Rebus - my Scandinavian crime novel was pretty much inspired by Stieg Larsson’s books and the main character is a journalist. However, I realized I needed some police characters so I bought four of Ian Rankin’s Rebus books to find out how to write about policemen – they were so good I ended up buying all 18 Rebus books with three left to read. A reader once asked me how I knew so much about the Stockholm police and I said it was more due to Ian Rankin’s books than anything else. If anyone hasn’t read Ian Rankin’s Rebus books then they are a really good read and I can recommend them.
I have seen some Wallander on PBS (Public Broadcasting) in the States a couple of years ago and I really liked it – I think I caught about four episodes. Wallander has just come onto Netflix streaming over here so I am going to watch the whole series when I have time.
Michael ward
Email: [email protected]

Michael Ward’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A550QM

Ian Rankin was here in Melbourne last year to 'relaunch' Rebus. We were all very relieved that he hasn't disappeared after all! Rebus is a maverick cop and is more 'hard-boiled' than Wallander or Beck. The workings of a police procedural are very well depicted in those series. Solving the crime isn't always down to action sequences and sometimes it is strange quirks of fate that tip the balance. Maintaining the suspense can be the most interesting part of the book.

Michael wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Pat wrote: "Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction...."

Fascinating. What adventures you must have stored up. Must help your writing.
I started out in Canada myself. Been in Europe 30 years now.
Rebus was my first love. Glad Rankin has brought him back. Very.
Then Wallander. Again, glad Mankell just did up more TV 1.5 hour series from The Troubled Man plus five. The DVD box set five is out in NL now. There are very many more Wallander stories in the series than books.
If you watch try to see the KHendericks YellowBird Wallanders. Branagh, while a great actor, is just not Wallander. Original series of indeed all the Scandinavian books are best. Subtitles grow on you easily to enjoy such quality. We are rather spoilt with many here to enjoy.
The subtle yet complex characters and stories are totally addictive and with few exceptions most Scandinavian books and series have this IMO.
Find it a bit amusing the big flush of discovery following Stig Larssons three books. Suspect many Scandi authors are riding the wave but generally IMO they are ahead of the pack in quality anyway, so ride away...... Some very good European writers around. Love having way too many writers /books ....such luxury! Just need more time :-)

Pat wrote: "Ian Rankin was here in Melbourne last year to 'relaunch' Rebus. We were all very relieved that he hasn't disappeared after all! Rebus is a maverick cop and is more 'hard-boiled' than Wallander or B..."

Oh I so agree with you.....well said.

Michael wrote: In case anyone is interested I just read a great book from our local library called “The Viper” by Hakan Ostlundh which is set on the island of Gotland.

Put it on my wish list, thanks.

Michael wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Pat wrote: "Michael wrote: "Can anyone recommend some good Scandinavian crime books."
Barbara has highlighted a number of the best contemporary writers of Scandinavian crime fiction...."

Hi Pat
I’m a big fan of Rebus and I thought it was a mistake when Ian Rankin retired him. I’m glad he brought him back. My daughter bought me the latest Rebus book for my birthday which I haven’t had a chance to read yet so I’m looking forward to that. There are some great characters in the Rebus books. I agree with what you say about maintaining the suspense – Rankin is good at keeping you guessing until close to the end of the book.
Michael ward
Email: [email protected]

Michael Ward’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A550QM

Pat wrote: "Ian Rankin was here in Melbourne last year to 'relaunch' Rebus. We were all very relieved that he hasn't disappeared after all! Rebus is a maverick cop and is more 'hard-boiled' than Wallander or B..."

Hi Sharon

I do have a lot of adventures stored up. I set one novella/short story in Alaska partly based on some of my experiences. That one was called “Assassination in Anchorage, Alaska” – not that I assassinated anyone while I was up there but I did use a lot of the places I had been to in giving the story some authenticity.

I’m fine with subtitles. I grew up in England in an era of very bad British films and I used to watch French films on television with subtitles. A lot of them were really good. I still watch French films now whenever I get the chance. I watched the Swedish version of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series – that was made by Yellow Bird as well and it was really good. I agree with you on Scandinavian writing – they seem to have much more latitude than writers in the English speaking world. Perhaps that is because the publishers are smaller and smaller publishers tend to allow authors with more of a maverick voice. The big publishing groups tend to be too bothered about their corporate image to allow initiative – over-editing can definitely ruin a good book.

In case you’re interested one of my Scandinavian short story/novellas is free on Amazon this coming Friday, July 19. The word count is 8,663 and it is called “Lisa Molin Assassin – The Execution of a Vice President in Sweden”. Lisa Molin was originally a side character in my book “The Banker With a Face Full of Evil” who was there to kill a few investment bankers but she morphed into one of the major characters in the book. Several of my women readers said they became fascinated by Lisa and said they just had to find out what happened to her next. One woman told me she was up until four in the morning reading it and another one said that her husband told her at midnight that if she didn’t stop reading he wouldn’t be able to get up for work. The link to the free book “Lisa Molin Assassin – The Execution of a Vice President in Sweden” on Amazon is as follows:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LJA8GM

I will be heading off to the library today with a list of the Scandinavian authors you have given me to see what I can find.

If anyone is interested in hiking, I just read a great book called “Walking to Vermont” by Christopher S. Wren. The author retired his job at the New York Times and then walked to his house in Vermont and it is a book full of contrasts – the first part of the walk is through New York City, including Harlem and then he gets onto the Appalachian Trail and meets some really interesting people. He also mentions the Vermont Long Trail which runs from the south to the north of the State and he really made me want to hike that trail – I have always wanted to visit Vermont.

Michael Ward

[email protected]

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007A550QM

Agree with Michael's comments re Rebus, Fox was just okay but it is quite interesting how Rankin has brought Rebus back with Fox woven into the mix! Curious where it will go. Last book left me wanting to drive the A9 and spend time in that area. I am totally in love with modern Edinburgh...and indeed Scotland. This is the series currently. But if you enjoy Rankin's Rebus, he has written some other really good books as well, all except the comic book IMO.

17. Exit Music (2007)
18. Standing in Another's Man Grave. November 2012 iBook
19. Saints of the Shadow Bible www.shadowbible.com ...Pre ordered iBook 28/4/13

Fox series:
The Complaints
The Impossible Dead 2012