OK, today my entry on the Mystery genre deals with Scandinavian authors. I hope I'm not insulting anyone by calling it The Scandi's - my apologies if I am). For this region I'm including Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Once again, my apologies if I'm adding countries. Please let me know.
From my book lists, I've got over 12 authors to mention so I'll break this down into 3 sections. The first will be those authors I've enjoyed that aren't from Sweden. So on that note, away we go!
Scandinavian Authors not from Sweden
 |
| Jussi Adler - Olsen |
"What a surprisingly excellent mystery and story. I've had it on my bookshelf for awhile and am so glad that I finally pulled it down to read. The mystery, the cold case involving the disappearance of Merete, was different from any I've read before. The main characters, Carl Morck, head of new Division Q and his assistant, Assad, were so well crafted.
Carl is a police detective just coming back to work after he and his two partners were ambushed, one killed, one a cripple still in hospital and Carl, recovered, now trying to get back to work. His boss assigns him to a newly created unit as its chief, partly to keep him away from the other detectives.
Carl avoids work until his new assistant, Assad brings him the cold case involving Merete, who was reported missing, presumed dead, five years ago on a ferry to Germany. The story weaves between Carl and Assad, working their way through the old case and Merete, working from the past, 5 years before, until the present as she tries to adjust and sort out where she is and why she was abducted in the first place.
Carl is an interesting character, his personal life also slowly being developed and his investigating talents becoming more visible. All in all, it was an excellent story, witty, but also with a great deal of tension as the story winds up to its climax. Loved it and am looking forward to reading more Department Q mysteries. (5 stars)"
"The first book in the Station Q mysteries, set in Denmark, was a pleasant surprise last year. I was worried about the sophomore jinx with this second book, but I needn't have been. The story was different and excellent. Detective Inspector Morck is such an interesting character, intelligent, troubled, thoughtful and funny. His assistant, Assad, is a wily, hard working character and I still want to find out more about him. Added to the mix in this second story is Rose, an unwanted assistant thrust upon Morck by his boss. But we find that Rose, even though she is outspoken and irritates Morc to no end, she also proves to be a smart, independent thinking and hard working. I like how Olsen presents his stories, alternating from the point of view of Morck and that of the suspect(s). It's a dark story, edgy and hard hitting but engrossing all the same. If you enjoyed the first book, you won't be disappointed with the next in the series. Give it a try. (4 stars)"
The other books in the series are -
- A Conspiracy of Faith
- The Purity of Vengeance
- The Marco Effect
- The Hanging Girl
- The Scarred Woman
"This is a collection of mystery short stories set in Finland by, you guessed it, Finnish mystery writers. There are three themes; Deep Cuts, Broken Blades and Winds of Violence. This Noir series is quite extensive with books set in cities and countries around the world. I tried this book by chance and for the most part, I enjoyed the experience. I haven't read a great many 'noir' mystery books so it was interesting to finally attempt it. I didn't find any great stories, but at the same time, I didn't hate any either. It was an entertaining selection of stories, some fairly gritty and all showing the darker part of life. An entertaining, three star read."
 |
| Karin Fossum |
"Don't Look Back heralds the arrival of an exotic new crime series featuring Inspector Sejer, a smart and enigmatic hero, tough but fair. The setting is a small, idyllic village at the foot of Norway's Kollen Mountain, where neighbors know neighbors and children play happily in the streets. But when the body of a teenage girl is found by the lake at the mountaintop, the town's tranquillity is shattered forever. Annie was strong, intelligent, and loved by everyone. What went so terribly wrong? Doggedly, yet subtly, Inspector Sejer uncovers layer upon layer of distrust and lies beneath the town's seemingly perfect façade. (I gave it 4 stars)"
"A boy arrives - breathless and aghast - at his police station, to report the discovery of a horribly maimed body outside an isolated house in the woods. Yet there was another person in the woods that day - standing nearby, hidden within the trees, was the mysterious figure of the local misfit, Errki. The next morning a bank in the nearby town is robbed at gunpoint. The gunman takes a hostage and flees. As his plans begin to come apart he, unlike his passive hostage, rapidly loses control. Meanwhile the search for the killer has developed into a manhunt - everyone is looking for the enigmatic Errki."
"Gunder Jomann thinks his life has been made complete when he returns from a trip to India a married man. But on the day his bride arrives in Norway she vanishes. Then the town is shocked by the news of an Indian woman found bludgeoned to death in a nearby meadow.
Inspector Sejer and his colleague Skarre head the murder inquiry, planting seeds of suspicion in a community which has always believed itself to be peaceful and safe."
 |
| Jo Nesbo |
"Harry Hole, drunkard, loner and brilliant detective is reassigned to surveillance after a high profile mistake.
He's bored by his new job until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest because of its possible links to Neo Nazi activity. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. Next Harry's former partner is murdered. Why had she been trying to reach Harry on the night her head was smashed in? The investigation leads Harry to suspect that the crimes have their roots in the battlefields of Eastern Front during WWII. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and Vienna, Harry finds himself perpetually one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel's nail-biting conclusion." (I gave it 5 stars)
"Detective Harry Hole arrives in a steaming hot Bangkok. But it's work, not pleasure. The Norwegian ambassador has been found dead in a seedy motel room, and no witnesses have come forward. The ambassador had close ties to the Norwegian prime minister, and to avoid a scandal Harry is sent there to hush up the case. But he quickly discovers that there is much more going on behind the scenes and very few people willing to talk. When Harry lays hands on some CCTV footage that will help him unravel what happened that night, things only get more complicated. The man who gave him the tape goes missing, and Harry realises that failing to solve a murder case is by no means the only danger in Bangkok." (I gave this one 3 stars)
"SOON THE FIRST SNOW WILL COME.
A young boy wakes to find his mother missing. Their house is empty but outside in the garden he sees his mother's favourite scarf - wrapped around the neck of a snowman.
AND THEN HE WILL APPEAR AGAIN.
As Harry Hole and his team begin their investigation they discover that an alarming number of wives and mothers have gone missing over the years.
AND WHEN THE SNOW IS GONE...
When a second woman disappears it seems that Harry's worst suspicions are confirmed: for the first time in his career Harry finds himself confronted with a serial killer operating on his home turf.
...HE WILL HAVE TAKEN SOMEONE ELSE"
 |
| Arnaldur Indridason |
"When a lonely old man is found murdered in his Reykjavík flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl’s grave. Inspector Erlendur, who heads the investigation team, discovers that many years ago the victim was accused, though not convicted, of an unsolved crime. Did the old man’s past come back to haunt him?
As the team of detectives reopen this very cold case, Inspector Erlendur uncovers secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man--secrets that have been carefully guarded by many people for many years. As he follows a fascinating trail of unusual forensic evidence, Erlendur also confronts stubborn personal conflicts that reveal his own depth and complexity of character." (I gave it 3 stars)
"Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason is the second Inspector Erelendur mystery that I've tried. Set in Reykjavik, Iceland, it is definitely a grim old story. It's a cold case; a body is found in an excavation and Erlendur and his detectives, Elinburg and Sigurdur Oli begin an investigation into the identity of the skeleton, which they figure has been in place since the 1950's. The engage the support of an archaeologist to help ascertain the identity of the bones and when it was buried.
Interspersed with this investigation we go back in history and follow the domestic abuse of a family by their awful father. This is a terribly grim and upsetting part of the story. As well, Erlendur must try and cope with the coma his daughter is in, visiting at the hospital and trying to cope with their feelings for each other and with his own personalities difficulties.
The story moves along nicely with the investigators checking various possibilities, while the story from the past progresses nicely. It did end with a bit of a surprise which was very nice. I enjoyed the story and the mystery but it was a bit dark and depressing for my taste. Still, I think I'll continue with the series and see how the various relationships progress. (3.5 stars)"
"In the wake of an earthquake, the water level of an Icelandic lake drops suddenly, revealing the skeleton of a man half-buried in its sandy bed. It is clear immediately that it has been there for many years. There is a large hole in the skull. Yet more mysteriously, a heavy communication device is attached to it, possibly some sort of radio transmitter, bearing inscriptions in Russian. The police are called in and Erlendur, Elínborg and Sigurður Óli begin their investigation, which gradually leads them back to the time of the Cold War when bright, left-wing students would be sent from Iceland to study in the ‘heavenly state’ of Communist East Germany. The Draining Lake is another remarkable Indriðason mystery about passions and shattered dreams, the fate of the missing and the grief of those left behind."
So there you go. Part One complete. I'll start with my first batch of Swedish writers next. Enjoy!!
No comments:
Post a Comment