#scandi noir

[rebeccafergusonfan]

Rebecca Ferguson as Katrine Bratt | The Snowman | 2017

[desdasiwrites]

Grief is love made homeless.

– Søren Sveistrup, The Chestnut Man

[sellingsecrets]

"It's really hard for me to talk about things. That's why I bought you a gun." –Lena "Mother of the Year" Jaakkola

[womeninfictionandirl]

Saga Norén by Willem Klerk

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on Sweet Dreams, book 10 in the Ewert Grens series by Anders Roslund @vintagebooks #books #bookreview #sweetdreams

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund. I’ve had this book for a while, and really enjoyed its predecessor, Knock Knock, so figured it’s long overdue a read. Here’s what it’s all about: Source: Publisher CopyRelease Date: 15 September 2022 Publisher: VIntage Continue reading Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund

[mymurderbooks]

Title: Winterkill

Author: Ragnar Jónasson

Rating: ★★★★☆

Series: Dark Iceland

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This is the first book I've read in Ragnar Jónasson's #DarkIceland series, but is the 6th in the series, and I think it's actually the last. It was reasonably engaging and ultimate okay.

The detective is Ari Thór in a small Icelandic ski town, Siglufjörður, which is a real small Icelandic town (home of The Herring Era Museum, and where one of my favourite Nordic Noir tv series, Ófærð, was filmed). Without any spoilers, the primary death is a possible suicide, there's a redrum moment where a nursing home resident writes "She was murdered" over and over again on his bedroom wall - and reading it has the vibe of an SVU episode, with an SVU-esque ending.

Which is not a bad thing at all. The reveal to the main mystery was just okay for me and it's more or less solved by a witness basically telling him the main clue, but this was tempered by a side mystery solving which made it a little more satisfying. The lead detective Ari Thór isn't annoying, and I don't care for his personal life but it isn't detailed such that it gets in the way of the story.

I was hoping there would be more of a mystery puzzle, this is more of an investigation type mystery than a Poirot. However it's engaging enough, and I think it's a good book to relax with - much like an SVU episode. The story takes place over Easter but I felt it was a good choice for this long Christmas weekend.

spoilers under the cut:

I'm reassured that all the non-perp adult characters viewed the 19 year old victims as children and schoolgirls, and they're positioned as such in the novel's POV. Credit to the author for not sexualising them or assigning equal blame with the perp.

The side murder was slightly more satisfying because:

a) it was based on mysterious scrawlings and I have a preference for that (also letters, conversation snippets, etc.),

b) Ari Thór had to recognise that there was a murder and figure out who was murdered, although that's reasonably straightforward

But there wasn't that much payoff honestly. It's a littl disappointing that the main death was a suicide after the promise of "but surely, there's no other prints and no one else could possibly have been there!" which buoyed me up for more of a locked room mystery.

The ending was a little too SVU-esque. As soon as the vic's mother phoned him up sounding all rattled, I knew it was because she killed the perp. But I guess it provides closure, or something.

Overall, it was okay for me. I would read more from the series.

[sellingsecrets]

In the season 1 finale when Sorjonen was like "Emotions are good. They drive me forward. I can't work without them." ...I wrote that shit down.

[boybasher]

[isalabells]

@all-my-worlds-a-stage tagged me to share the last ten songs I listened to💗 been pretty much the same on repeat since the weekend when I was waltzing home through the snow at -7°C at 1.30am. and y'all thought I was joking when I said I rediscovered Bea huh

[englishmagic]

I’m currently watching a show called The Seed (no YOU have an obsession with the high arctic) (shut up)

And one of the actors looks so much like Mike from Stranger Things. She’s also very very cute. MUCH cuter than Mike from Stranger Things, even though they look very much alike.

Anyway Finn Wolfhard if you’re out there, consider whether you might want to transition because it would look good on you

[emmaysusmuvis]

**** (the quality of the writing in the 3rd and 4th seasons doesn't diminish one bit. And the new Danish counterpart, called Henrik, is quite a bit more likeable)

[onewomancitadel]

Appropos of nothing but Ode to Joy makes me understand the physical need to headbang

[phagodyke]

just found out a scandi noir series I binged a couple years ago now has a new season 😳

[themaresnest-dumblr]

Okay, so which country's Eurovision entry is this one then?

“We feel pain, and fear it. We feel shame, and fear it. We feel loss, and fear it. We hate the Darkness, and fear it… The Dremora have deep thoughts, and must master fear to overcome it.”

–Excerpt from Spirit of the Daedra

[pleasereadmeok]

Can we all give Matthew Goode a 👏 for his endless quest to avoid typecasting?

These are the last 4 roles I've seen him in -

Exhibit A - Manipulative, religious fanatic, GINGER King Sigismund in 'Medieval'.

Exhibit B - Stunning, scene stealing, rollercoaster portrayal of the smart mouthed Paramount Studio boss, Robert Evans in 'The Offer'. Even people that knew Evans loved his performance - and that takes A LOT

Exhibit C - Thoughtful, Christian Oxford don - C.S. Lewis in 'Freud's Last Session'

Exhibit D - Scary AF vampy dad in 'Abigail'

Before all of the above - he was sword fighting with Ralph Fiennes in 'The Kingsman', defending Jim Broadbent in court in 'The Duke' and trying to keep it together for his family while the world literally ended around him in 'Silent Night'. Oh and making us all 🤣 with his hilarious antics on 'The Wine Show'.

What's next? A gifted but jaded detective in Scandi Noir 'Department Q' and either a hedgehog or an amnesiac rabbit 😂 in 'Spiked/Tally Ho'

I mean ... come on ... can you you see ANY typecasting there?

Yet his whole varied career is often summed up as 'that bloke from Downton Abbey' - 🤬 Guys - please check out the variety of roles. Something for everyone.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

📷 MG Filmography my edits

[echojulietfoxtrot]

In serious danger of becoming obsessed with Deadloch. It's a comedy-drama Australian take on British/Scandi murder noirs, starring the lesbian custodian of a small town's only braincells, and while it takes a while to start showing off just how smart it is, it's very good indeed.

It's from the Katering Show's Kates, so there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, and some very keen commentary on the genre, small towns, gentrification, and lesbians and our not-innacurate social clichés. But there's also a surprisingly well crafted mystery I'm genuinely invested in. Massively recommend.