#nordicnoir

[fictionfromafar]

Son by Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger

Orenda Books

Publication Date: 13 March 2025

Son is the first novel in an exciting collaboration between Swedish based French author Johana Gustawsson & Norwegian crime writer Thomas Enger. Expectations would be high as I’ve read and enjoyed books by both novelists before, including those that Enger wrote with Jørn Lier Horst. Of course, with a combined creation, you can never know who wrote what, but certainly the creation of central character Kari Voss gives the book a distinctive feature. Rather than being a police detective or a private investigator, Voss is a memory and body language specialist. Her skills have been recognised by her local police force in Oslo. She is often brought into interviews; particularly when the officers want to gage if someone is lying. While we see those skills in operation in the police station, we also learn of Voss’ impressions when she encounters people in her everyday life.

Voss, who was widowed when her husband perished in a house fire, is still lamenting the disappearance of her 9-year-old son, 7 years earlier. When she is contacted by her main contact in the force Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she is shocked to find the brutal murder of two teenagers - these victims were once classmates, indeed friends of her missing son. There is a lot pressing on the result of the investigation, as the victims were the daughters of famous people while their beautiful faces appear on the cover of very newspaper.

Enough about the case not only ensures that Kari Voss assists the police in her usual way, but also having knowledge of the families, she is also determined to carry out some investigations of her own. Yet that lying radar she has appears to suggest that nobody is telling the truth. You would never know that this book has been written by two different authors, in two different languages (sadly the translators are not credited on my promo copy) Gustawsson & Enger weave a tight narrative which leaves plenty of surprises for both the reader and our principal narrator.

Son is a very promising start to a new series and certainly offers plenty of potential for sequels or indeed prequels. It will be fascinating to see where Kari Voss will take them!

The blurb:

Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.

Still grieving for her dead husband and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.

When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…

With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son’s disappearance, but Kari's own life, too…

ABOUT JOHANA GUSTAWSSON & THOMAS ENGER

Known as the Queen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson is one of France's most highly regarded, award-winning crime writers, recipient of the prestigious Cultura Ligue de l`Imaginaire Award for her gothic mystery Yule Island. Number-one bestselling books include Block 46, Keeper, Blood Song and her historical thriller, The Bleeding. Johana lives in Sweden with her family.

A former journalist, Thomas Enger is the number-one bestselling author of the Henning Juul series and, with co-author Jørn Lier Horst, the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series, and one of the biggest proponents of the Nordic Noir genre. He lives in Oslo. Rights to Johana and Thomas’ books have been sold to a combined fifty countries and, for the first time, two crime writers, from two different countries, writing in two different languages, have joined forces to create an original series together.

[tidvis-games]

Steam Summer sale!

Hi everyone! The Widow's Boutique is now 55% off for the Steam Summer sale :D

Get your copy today! And please consider leaving a review :D

🌟✨ Discover "The Widow's Boutique" ✨🌟

Immerse yourself in a Nordic noir Visual Novel where drama, dresses, and danger await! Step into the shoes of Mrs. Sem, a recent widow in Christiania, navigating prejudice and tough times while running her inherited drapery business. Inspired by history, this game offers a thrilling blend of smuggling, espionage, and romantic pursuits.

Your choices shape the story with 15 unique endings, so choose wisely and be prepared for shady deals and social intrigue. Will you triumph or fall victim to the consequences?

[marypicken]

"Son"is a stand out, remarkable addition to contemporary crime fiction.

[thewritermuses]

The Bridge

The Bridge - Måns Mårlind, Hans Rosenfeldt & Björn Stein

Season Four This season's meta-plot flows the unpredictable twists and turns of the previous ones but the writers make the mistake of giving us too many hints about the killer too early on.These twists and turns are harder to follow and it feels like there are more sub-plots happening than in the previous seasons.This just makes it very hard to keep track of what is happening. To make matters worse we are missing our hero for what feels like half the season - probably more like a third.

We start with Saga in jail which is just terrible given we know there is no way that she would ever do this. We have seen her destroy the relationships around her to do the right thing.

Coupled with this is her boss, unsupportive as ever. But Linn's perspective in this case perplexes me. She is cold and uncaring but gives Saga so much space when she returns.These two positions don't fit. The writers seem to have forgotten that the reason we are here is for Saga.But just putting her on screen and showing her idiosyncracies is not enough. While this sort of ham-fisted writing might have worked during the first season when we were getting to know her it does not fly now. We know her and we want to see her being an amazing police officer.We do not get to see this until the final episode where her brilliance returns and she figures out that there were two killers and she saves Henrick's newly found daughter's life.The rest of the season we see her struggle with self-doubt and panic attacks. I don't think that this is plausible now more than in the first season.

The trauma that triggered the attacks happened before the first season and for them only to be manifesting now makes little sense. The show ends with Saga leaving the police force because her psychologist said that she did it all out of guilt.

While I don't disagree with the psychologist per se, just because Saga's original motivation for joining the force is guilt it doesn't mean that there are other reasons she should now stay.The whole episode feels like Saga is manipulated rather than helped as we have seen the same thing happen to her in earlier seasons. A person wanting to help her suggests a course of action - she does it and it blows up in her face. It also cheapens her whole character and life in the force.The rest of the surrounding story is good and the plot is interesting if somewhat hard to follow. The great supporting characters are back and I think that they made the right decision to base this season on the Danish side of the Bridge so we didn't have to see Linn.The season wasn't all that bad. It was just such a huge disappointment compared to the first three and knowing that we will see no more Saga is just really disappointing.They did well closing off all the plots that had been bubbling along. I would highly recommend watching the first three seasons but this one is only good if you need the closure.

Read the full article

[rosemariecawkwell]

Blog Tour Calendar: SON, by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger

[libroresumen]

Sueños de bronce de Camilla Läckberg

˗ˏˋ Sueños de bronce | Donde el poder susurra venganza ˎˊ˗

En las calles heladas de Estocolmo, donde el poder y la traición bailan un vals mortal, Camilla Läckberg nos entrega el final más explosivo de la trilogía Faye. Este thriller psicológico trasciende el noir nórdico tradicional para sumergirnos en una batalla donde cada sonrisa oculta un secreto capaz de destruir imperios.

⋆ título: Sueños de bronce ⋆ autora: Camilla Läckberg ⋆ género: Thriller psicológico ⋆ mood: Tenso, sofisticado, vengativo ⋆ recomendado para: Amantes de protagonistas femeninas complejas y venganzas elaboradas

Cuando pensabas que Faye por fin había alcanzado la cima, el destino tiene otros planes. Con su ex marido Jack fuera de escena y su imperio empresarial Revenge en pleno apogeo, la aparente victoria se desmorona cuando su padre escapa de prisión. Como si esto fuera poco, una misteriosa mujer emerge de las sombras, perfilándose como la némesis perfecta de nuestra protagonista.

Lo fascinante de esta entrega es cómo Läckberg construye un mundo donde el glamour del ambiente empresarial sueco sirve como telón de fondo para una guerra psicológica sin cuartel. La policía vigila cada movimiento de Faye mientras ella reúne a su círculo más íntimo para orquestar lo que promete ser "la venganza final".

El libro brilla especialmente en su exploración de temas como el poder, la traición y el precio de la supervivencia. La autora teje una red de tensión donde nada es lo que parece, y cada victoria podría ser el preludio de una caída devastadora.

↳ La transformación del noir nórdico en thriller psicológico puro ↳ La dualidad entre el glamour superficial y la oscuridad subyacente ↳ La complejidad psicológica de las relaciones de poder ↳ La atmósfera sofisticada y amenazante de Estocolmo

★★★★☆ Fortalezas:

Construcción magistral de la tensión psicológica

Exploración profunda de las dinámicas de poder

Ambientación impecable

Punto de mejora:

Algunas subtramas podrían estar más desarrolladas

¿Hasta dónde llegarías para proteger todo lo que has construido cuando tu peor pesadilla se hace realidad?

Momento perfecto para leerlo: Una noche de invierno, con una copa de vino tinto, mientras la lluvia golpea tu ventana y las sombras bailan en las paredes. 🖤

[thestoryloom]

Frozen Lies

The darkness in Reykjavik was different in winter. Not the gentle black of night, but something alive and hungry that swallowed everything whole. Detective Elias Sigurdsson watched his breath crystallize in the beam of his flashlight as he ducked under the yellow police tape. The temperature had dropped to minus fifteen, turning the world brittle enough to shatter. “Body’s under there,” Officer…

[idagyllensten]

[miriamvowen]

Stigma by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst #Norway

#Blogtour Stigma by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst @EngerThomas @LierHorst @OrendaBooks @annecater #RandomThingsTours #BlixAndRamm #NordicNoir

[calturnerreviews]

#BlogTour - #BookReview of #Son by Johana Gustawsson @JoGustawsson and Thomas Enger @EngerThomas @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours #NordicNoir #EveryoneHereIsLying #KariVossMystery

I’m delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for stunning thriller Son, first in a brand new series by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Booksfor giving me the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book. About the book: Psychologist and expert on body language and memory, Kari Voss investigates the murder of two teenaged girls in…

[fictionfromafar]

Murder Under the Midnight Sun By Stella Blómkvist

Murder Under the Midnight Sun

Stella Blómkvist

Translated by Quentin Bates

Corylus Books

Publication Date: 3 May 2024

Corylus Books have shown their commitment to bringing to an English audience the work of the mysterious author of Icelandic lawyer Stella Blómkvist with the publication last year of Murder At The Residence. Following quickly afterwards Murder Under the Midnight Son offers another compelling and multidimensional story. Whether you have read the earlier novel or not will in no way impact your enjoyment of this story and I must admit I have not investigated if these were originally consecutive stories in their original language.

After an initial meeting, the premise of Blómkvist's most next assignment is to solve the mystery of the fate of a young Scottish woman, who disappeared nearly a decade earlier. In a sparsely populated country like Iceland, the possible locations a body could be left are almost endless, yet the family seek closure.

Meanwhile a journalist friend of her's has excitedly told her about revelations that will not only create huge headlines in his newspaper but will also form the basis of a forthcoming expose book. However when his intent appears to be revealed, his predicament will also take some of Blómkvist's attention.

There are more components to the book. Intriguingly, there is a strong historical context to this story, particularly in respect of Iceland's role in the cold war, but also to the countries involvement following the more recent breakup of Yugoslavia. An additional layer of mystery is added when Blómkvist makes a gruesome discovery within a glacier which later appears to have a very distant origin. Given this book is just over two hundred pages long, a lot is packed into a relatively small number of pages.

There are several surprises ahead which I certainly did not guess. Personally I do feel that some elements of the story are more effective than others. Stella Blómkvist is shown to be self determined and headstrong in all aspects of her life and while this makes her a fascinating lead character for a crime novel, I did find that a particular personal relationship she developed appeared to me a little less plausible, particularly given the ethics the lawyers have to work to. Something supposedly spontaneous could also be viewed as exploitative. It will be interesting to see if this is a theme that endures in more of the author's novels and if our protagonist actually has some characteristics of the anti-hero.

These comments not withstanding, there is much more for the reader to get their teeth into with this book. While originally written 14 years ago, there is a timeliness which keeps the themes within the story very relevant. The distinctive touches featured in the narrative give the book quite a unique outlook which provided a welcome sidestep to some of the more downbeat viewpoints often featured in the Nordic subgenre. The story combines the isolation of the outdoors with the urban environment of Reykjavik, thus offering effective contrasts. The intertwined mysteries gradually unravel in a way which effectively keeps the readers' attention. If you've not yet picked up on Stella Stella Blómkvist, now is certainly the time to do so.

The blurb:

Murder Under the Midnight Sun by Stella Blómkvist What does a woman do when her husband's charged with the frenzied killing of her father and her best friend? She calls in Stella Blómkvist to investigate - however unwelcome the truth could turn out to be. Smart, ruthless and with a flexible moral code all of her own, razor-tongued lawyer Stella Blómkvist is also dealing with a desperate deathbed request to track down a young woman who vanished a decade ago. It looks like a dead end, but she agrees to pick up the stone-cold trail - and she never gives up, even if the police did a long time ago. Then there's the mystery behind the arm that emerges from an ice cap, with a mysterious ruby ring on one frozen finger? How does this connect to another unexplained disappearance, and why were the police at the time so keen to write it off as a tragic accident? Brutal present-day crimes have their roots in the past that some people would prefer to stay forgotten. As Stella pieces together the fragments, is she getting too close to the truth and making herself a target for ruthless men determined to conceal secret sins?

Stella Blómkvist has been a bestselling series in Iceland since the first book appeared in the 1990s and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heiða Reed aired. The books have been published under a pseudonym that still hasn’t been cracked. The question of Stella Blómkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

Quentin Bates has personal and professional roots in Iceland that go very deep. He is an author of series of nine crime novels and novellas featuring the Reykjavik detective Gunnhildur (Gunna) Gísladóttir. In addition to his own fiction, he has translated many works of Iceland’s coolest writers into English, including books by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Guðlaugur Arason, Einar Kárason, Óskar Guðmundsson, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Jónína Leosdottir and Ragnar Jónasson. Quentin was instrumental in launching Iceland Noir in 2013, the crime fiction festival in Reykjavik.

Paperback and eBook publication date: 3rd May 2024ISBN: 978-1-7392989-4-4 Price 9.99 (3.59 Kindle edition)https://corylusbooks.com/ Twitter: @CorylusB @graskeggur https://www.facebook.com/CorylusBookshttps://www.facebook.com/graskeggur https://www.facebook.com/stella.blomkvist

Many thanks to Corylus Books for an advance copy of this book and to Ewa Sherman for inclusion in the blog tour. Please check out the other reviews of this book as shown on the above tour poster.

[fictionophile]

"Into Thin Air" by Ørjan Karlsson - Book Review #BlogTour #IntoThinAir @OrendaBooks #ArcticMysteries @orjankarlsson #BookReview #NordicNoir

“Into Thin Air” marks the beginning of a new Nordic Noir police procedural series. The police team of four work in the Joint Unit for Intelligence, Prevention and Investigation out of Bodø in Northern Norway. They are: Jakob Weber – a police detective in his forties who has recently lost his wife to cancer. It has only been six months since her death and his grief is still raw. He lives alone…

[marypicken]

Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen  by Jenny Lund Madsen  translated by  Megan E. Turney @JennyLundMadsen @OrendaBooks @meganeturney @RandomTTours

Thirty Days of Darkness is a terrific read, full of wit and yet beautifully dark and atmospheric. I thoroughly enjoyed this sparkling debut.

Source: Review copyPublication: Paperback – May 9th from Orenda BooksPP: 300ISBN-13: 978-1914585616 A snobbish Danish literary author is challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days, travelling to a small village in Iceland for inspiration, and then the first body appears… Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical…

[bwitzenhausen]

NetGalley #BookReview Death at the Sanatorium, A Mystery by Ragnar Jónasson #NordicNoir #GoldenAgeDetectives

Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson Release date: September 10th, 2024   🌟🌟🌟🌟 (3.5 rounded up) I received a complimentary ARC copy of Outside by Ragnar Jonasson from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.   …It seemed to have had it all from the creepy atmosphere to the quirky cast of characters and plenty of tension… Death at…

[rosemariecawkwell]

Review: Pursued By Death, by Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett

Description When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline ‘YOUNG MAN MISSING’, he realises he’s seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends. It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen. Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of…

[lyeekha]

i know Gone Girl isnt nordicnoir but the bit too long for the tweet was that it was also pulling from the black mirror episode Crocodile