“Being a policeman is not a profession. And it is certainly not a vocation either. It is a curse.”                                 

– From a Swedish mystery novel

 

English translations of contemporary European fiction fail to find many readers in the United States. But mysteries by Scandinavian writers are an exception. They are becoming more and more popular and more and more plentiful.

As a bookstore in a Scandinavian-themed town, we are pleased to draw your attention to several of these excellent writers. Like the long, cold Scandinavian winters, their work is often quite dark and bleak their detectives tend to be melancholic and pensive, rather than cynical.

 “Canadian poet and broadcaster Barbara Corey, who claims she is not usually a murder mystery fan, says: “Solving the crime is just one aspect of Nordic murder mysteries. The way the authors delve into the complexities of human relationships and psychological truths, keeps me reading.” Rather than whodunits, they are really whydunits.

 

Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

 This Swedish husband-wife team can be considered the godparents of modern Scandinavian crime fiction. Their mysteries, featuring policeman Martin Beck, began appearing in the U.S. in the ’70s and attracted wide readership despite a translation that today’s experts quibble with. Among their titles are “The Laughing Policeman,” “The Man Who Went Up in Smoke” and “The Fire Engine that Disappeared.”

 

Karin Fossum

A poet, best known as “Norway’s Queen of Crime,” Fossum’s leading character is Inspector Konrad Sejer. “Calling Out for You,” “Don’t Look Back” and “Indian Bride” ($14) are some of her titles.

 

Asa Larsson

Born in 1966, this former tax lawyer now writes full-time and lives in rural, northern Sweden with her husband, two children and several chickens. A Swedish reviewer asks rhetorically, “Is there any other crime writer who writes so matter of fact yet so sensually about forest temptations, wolf life and everyday people?” “The Blood Spilt” ($22) and “Sun Storm” ($12) feature attorney Rebecka Martinsson.   

 

Ake Edwardson

Another Swede, this master of crime fiction writes compelling, dark thrillers that are as much about character interaction as they are about plot. Set in Gothenburg, these novels featuring Inspector Erik Winter include “Sun and Shadow” ($13), “Never End” ($14) and “Frozen Tracks” ($25.95).

 

Arnaldur Indridson

Two of this Icelandic author’s books are “Jar City” and “Silence of the Grave” ($14). An enthusiastic Amazon reviewer commented, “If his books were made into movies, they would need Alfred Hitchcock as director. Both tease you with fear.”

 

Hakan Nessen (Sweden)

“Borkmann’s Point,” recently out in paperback ($12.95), is characterized by a certain playfulness. Nessen’s Swedish detective, Van Veeteren, has been compared to Georges Simenon’s classic French Inspector Maigret.

 

Henning Mankell (Sweden)

The best known and most translated of contemporary Scandinavian mystery writers, Mankell also writes plays and children’s books. He is especially popular in Germany where he outsells Harry Potter.

A true man of the world, he lives half the year in Stockholm, Sweden and the other half in Mozambique, where he directs the national theater. Although the author has said that he would not particularly enjoy spending time with a real-life Inspector Kurt Wallander, his main character reflects upon Swedish society and seems saddened by the crimes he investigates.

A few years ago a news story, datelined London, reported that Mankell’s ardent readers, “Include the Prime Minister and half his cabinet, reflecting the popular concern his books articulate for a once-utopian society starting to rip with the stresses of inequality, immigration, racism and amoral violence.”

Among the Kurt Wallander mysteries are “Faceless Killers,” “The Fifth Woman” and “Firewall.”