10 best Scandinavian thrillers and detectives that captivate from the first page

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many book lovers know for sure that Scandinavian thrillers are invariably exciting reading, in which a rather dark atmosphere and a very charismatic protagonist are always present. At the same time, Scandinavian authors know how to surprise with unexpected plot twists and a deep study of the psychological characteristics of the central characters. You definitely need to get to know the works of this genre personally.

J. Nesbo, "The Knife"

This author is a recognized master of the genre, and his twelfth book on the investigations of police officer Harry Hole is connected not only with crimes, but, first of all, with Hole's struggle with his own demons. The character, loved by many readers, will suddenly appear in a new perspective and make you think about the secrets of the soul and the unpredictability of the turns of fate.

Lars Kepler, Rabbit Hunt

The reclusive police commissioner has something to hide in his own past, and for a new investigation, Jon Lynn is even released from prison, where he was serving his sentence for his previous investigation. It seems that the plot of the author's new detective story is tightly twisted already at the very beginning of the work, but the tension does not release until the very last page. The investigation will take Lynn to the past and acquaint her with the origins of the crime, the roots of which are hidden in the school where the representatives of the modern elite were brought up.

Eric Axl Sund, Crow Girl

A cruel and very dark story surpasses many Scandinavian thrillers in its creepiness. The first part of the trilogy "The Weakness of Victoria Bergman" was not for nothing that it became a sensation, acquainting readers with the dark depths of the soul and terrible crimes that are to be disclosed to the police commissioner. But the psychotherapist will play an important role in the investigation. The debut work of two authors, Yerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundqvist, hiding behind a pseudonym, turned out to be truly stunning.

Soren Sveistrup, "The Chestnut Man"

Danish police officers are investigating a series of chilling crimes, and the Chestnut Man, present in those places where the next murder is committed, becomes the calling card of the unknown maniac. At the same time, fingerprints of a very small girl are preserved on each toy, since the moment of her death a whole year has passed. Her mother is a well-known politician in the country, and the criminal seems to have been serving a sentence for what he did for a long time.

Niklas Nutt-o-Doug, "1793. The story of one murder"

An atmospheric detective story, whose chilling events unfold in the distant past, captivates from the first pages. Two detectives solve the most terrible riddles and try to get to the bottom of the causes of crimes taking place in gloomy and dark Stockholm. Sometimes it seems as if the city itself is the best friend and harbinger of criminals. Will the detectives manage to outwit not only living criminals, but also the center of filth and vice?

Nicolas Böglé, The Scream

Police inspectors Sarah Geringer are distinguished by their attractive appearance, unbreakable willpower and steel character. Compared to her, many men can seem weak. For this amazing woman, the investigation of terrible secrets is a priority in life, so she methodically and cold-bloodedly unwinds the tangle of events, as a result of which a mysterious patient of a psychological clinic suddenly died of fear.

Camilla Lackburgh, The Witch

What connection can there be between the events of the past that took place three centuries ago and the murder of a four-year-old girl? And then another one that happened thirty years after the first? It is with this that the police detective and his wife-writer will have to figure it out, who have undertaken to unravel a strange case.

Matthias Edwardsson, Almost Normal Family

Can a family be perfect, and can the relationship between parents and children be normal? When the reader gets acquainted with the new work of Matthias Edvardsson, he begins to very much doubt it. After all, it was in the family, as it turned out, that the roots of the brutal murder committed by the girl from the seemingly ideal family are hidden.

Stefan Anhem, "The Ninth Grave"

How can the disappearance of the Prime Minister of a Scandinavian country be connected with the murder of the spouse of a show business representative? A meticulous detective will not only have to find a connection between the two crimes, but also to cope with those obstacles that someone specially builds on his way to the denouement.

Arne Dahl, "Unpopulated Lands"

It's amazing how small the world is. How could a police inspector and a terrible criminal who fear the parents of 15-year-old schoolgirls be connected? Girls with enviable regularity are kidnapped by a maniac, and who will be the victim next time is completely incomprehensible. As it turns out, the inspector himself investigating this case is familiar with someone whose actions defy logical explanation.

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