Supper Sleuths
Supper Sleuths
One reason for the sudden prominence of Scandinavian crime on U.S. shelves is the region’s newly found diversity since the break down of the Soviet Union and the resulting culture clash in a once very insular society. Henning Mankell’s Faceless Killers appeared in the U.S. in 1997, introducing readers to struggling police inspector Kurt Wallander who is so unlike the American hard-boiled hero and just as compelling. Mankell began the influx of Scandinavian authors who write about post-iron curtain crime and the new opportunities for corruption that occurs with the opening of borders.
(Ott, Bill. "A Hard-Boilied Gazetteer to Scandinavia," Booklist, May 1, 2007, p.8-11).
Thank you, once again, to Beebe Reference Librarian Beth Radcliffe for her thorough research on this list.
This list is by author, series character, title, date of publication, and country. Whenever possible, if a series, the titles are in order of publication date. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and please let us know if you feel that a title should be here. Please read one or more titles, and come prepared to discuss your impressions of them with the group.
| AUTHOR | CHARACTER | TITLE | COUNTRY |
| Arnaldur Indridason | Erlendur Sweinnson |
Jar City (2005)
Silence of the Grave (2006) Voices (2007) Draining Lake (2007) Not in NOBLE/Out of Print |
Iceland |
| Desmond Bagley | Alan Stewart | Running Blind (1993) | Iceland |
| James Benn | Bill Boyle | Billy Boyle (2006) | Norway |
| K.O.Dahl | Frolick&Gunnarstranda | The Fourth Man (2008) | Norway |
| Ake Edwardson | Erik Winter |
Sun and Shadow (2005)
Never End (2006) Frozen Tracks (2005) |
Sweden |
| Kerstin Ekman | Anna Raft Constable Thorsson |
Blackwater (1996)
Under the Snow (1996) |
Sweden |
| Kjell Ericksson | Ann Lindell | Princess of Burundi (2005)
Cruel Stars of the Night (2007) |
Sweden |
| Karin Fossum | Inspector Sejer |
Don't Look Back (2002)
He Who Fears the Wolf (2003) When the Devil Holds the Candle (2004) Indian Bride (2005) Black Seconds Due in July 2008 |
Norway |
| Alan Gordon | Fools'Guild | Antic Disposition (2004) | Denmark |
| Nicola Griffith | Aud Torvingen | Blue Place (1998) | Norway |
| Peter Hoeg |
Smilla's Sense of Snow (1993)
Quiet Girl (2007) |
Denmark | |
| Anne Holt | Johanne Vik & Adam Stubo |
What is Mine (2006)
What Never Happens (2008) |
Norway |
| Matti Joensuu | Det.Sgt.Timor Harjunpaa |
Stone Murders (1996)
Priest of Evil (2007) NOT in NOBLE |
Finland |
| Mari Jungstedt | Anders Knutas |
Unseen (2006)
Unspoken (2007) |
Sweden |
| Eric Koch | Icon in Love (1998) | Sweden | |
| Michael Larsen | Uncertainty (1996) | Denmark | |
| Asa Larsson | Rebecka Martinsson |
Sunstorm (2006)
Blood Split (2007) |
Sweden |
| Henning Mankell | Kurt Wallander |
Faceless Killers (1991)
Dogs of Riga (1992) White Lioness (1993) Sidetracked (1995) Fifth Woman (1996) One Step Behind (1997) Firewalled (1998) Man Who Smiled (2005) |
Sweden |
| Linda Wallander | Before the Frost (2004) | Sweden | |
| Liza Marklund | Annika Bengtzon |
Paradise (2000) Not in NOBLE Bomber (2001) Prime Time (2002) Not in NOBLE Studio Sex (2002) Red Wolf (2003) Not in NOBLE |
Sweden |
| Edward Marston | Nicholas Bracewell | Princess of Denmark; bk.16 (2006) | Denmark |
| Jo Nesbo | Redbreast (2007) | Norway | |
| Hakan Nesser | Chief Insp. Van Veeteren |
Borkmann's Point (2006)
Return (2007) |
Sweden |
| Tiina Nunnally | Magrit Andersson |
Runemaker (1996)
Fate of Ravens (1998) |
Denmark |
| Katherine Hall Page | Faith Fairchild | Body in the Fjord (1998) | Norway |
| Elizabeth Peters | Copenhagen Connection (1982) | Denmark | |
| Pernille Rygg | Ig Heitmann |
Butterfly Effect (1998) Not in NOBLE/Out of Print Golden Section (2003) Not in NOBLE/Out of Print |
Norway |
| Yrsa Sigurdardottir | Last Rituals (2007) | Iceland | |
|
Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo |
Martin Beck |
Roseanna (1965)
Man Who Went Up in Smoke (1966) Man On the Balcony (1967) Laughing Policeman (1968) Fire Engine that Disappeared (1969) Murder at the Savoy (1970) Abominable Man (1971) Locked Room (1972) Cop Killer (1974) Terrorists (1975) |
Sweden |
| Helene Tursten | Det. Insp. Huss |
Detective Inspector Huss (2003)
Torso (2006) Glass Devil (2007) |
Sweden |
| Jan Costin Wagner | Det. Insp. Kimmo | Ice Moon (2007) | Finland |
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