You’ve waited for the sequel to the Millennium trilogy, and you got it. Has David Lagercrantz done a job worthy of Stieg Larsson’s work? The opinions differ, but one thing is sure: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the sequels are not the only Scandinavian thriller novels that will speed up your circulation while it’s raining or snowing outside. Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are obviously fruitful land for great thrillers – no matter if it’s just one book or a whole series. Here are five authors we think you should definitely check out!
Henning Mankell
Born: February 3, 1948, Stockholm, Sweden
Died: October 5, 2015, Gothenburg, Sweden
Henning Georg Mankell was a Swedish crime writer, children’s author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He was also a social critic and activist.
Book to start with: Faceless Killers
Jo Nesbø
Born: March 29, 1960, Oslo, Norway
Jo Nesbø is a Norwegian author and musician. As of March 2014 more than 3 million copies of his novels have been sold in Norway, and his work has been translated into over 40 languages, selling 23 million copies.
Book to start with: The Bat
Camilla Lackberg
Born: August 30, 1974, Fjällbacka, Sweden
Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg Eriksson is a Swedish crime writer. Her work has been translated into 33 languages. Already being hailed by many as the Swedish Agatha Christie.
Book to start with: The Ice Princess
Asa Larsson
Born: June 28, 1966, Uppsala, Sweden
Åsa Larsson is a Swedish crime-writer. Although born in Uppsala, she was raised in Kiruna in the far north. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Larsson was a tax lawyer, a profession she shares with the heroine of her novels, Rebecka Martinsson.
Book to start with: The Savage Altar
Peter Høeg
Born: May 17, 1957, Copenhagen, Denmark
Peter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He was sensation when he was published in the U.S. His strong female protagonist, Smilla Jaspersen–half Danish, half Greenlander—charmed readers. It was most likely the first Danish mystery author that Americans read.
Book to start with: Smilla’s Sense of Snow
