Nordic Noir November: Spotlight on Norwegian Crime Fiction
Happy Sunday, readers, and welcome to our first #NordicNoirNovember feature! If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for a while, you’ll know that I’m always looking for a reason to talk about my favorite crime fiction subgenre: Nordic Noir, aka Scandinavian Crime Fiction. This year, we’re celebrating Nordic Noir November here on CBTB! Every Sunday this November, I’ll be spotlighting a different Nordic country and my personal favorite crime writers from that country here on my blog, and on my Instagram account. At the end of the month, I might just have a giveaway coming with a bundle of a bunch of the different Nordic Noir books I’ve highlighted this month, so stay tuned for that!
To kick off our Nordic Noir November celebration, we’re starting with my personal favorite Nordic country to visit: Norway. From my favorite city, Oslo, to the country’s beautiful fjords and mountains, to smaller (and no less beautiful!) cities and towns in between, Norway is a country filled with stunning locations to visit, and since most of us have to stay home for the time being, now is the perfect time to “armchair travel” to this incredible part of the world. The authors highlighted in today’s blog post will take you from the streets of Oslo to the stunning and remote landscape of northern Norway and beyond, in some of my personal favorite crime books I’ve ever read. Note that this list is by no means all-encompassing—there are many incredible crime writers hailing from Norway, and this list is just a collection of my personal favorites. For more Norwegian crime fiction coverage, check out my blog’s Nordic Noir By Country list, where you’ll find links to all my Norwegian crime fiction content on CBTB thus far.
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Spotlight on Norwegian Crime Fiction
My personal favorite Norwegian crime writers
Jo Nesbø
Detective Series and Standalones | Dark & Gritty Writing | Character-Driven Stories
Jo Nesbø has been my favorite author for years, and his detective series set in Oslo is a staple of any Nordic crime fiction library. Best known for his Harry Hole novels, which follow a troubled detective in the Oslo police force, Nesbø is also the author of numerous (excellent!) standalone novels. Nesbø’s crime books are gritty and character-driven; his stories, particularly his series installments, can be quite dark and violent. In Nesbø’s Harry Hole series, readers follow a police officer whose personal demons are nearly as terrifying as the villains he has to track down. Many of the Harry Hole novels are serial killer stories, and all of them have Nesbø’s trademark gritty writing and rich character development. Readers will fall in love with troubled series protagonist Harry, and will be absolutely hooked on his personal story, as well as the terrifying cases he solves. Nesbø’s standalone novels are very different from his series books, and they’re quite different from one another, too—but they all have utterly memorable characters at their core, and they all deliver fantastic crime stories for readers to devour. Nesbø is undoubtedly best known for his series, but if digging into a longstanding series isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll find in his standalone novels some absolutely fantastic and unique crime stories with a gritty, literary edge.
Note: If you want to read Nesbø’s harry hole series, I highly recommend beginning the series with book 3, THE REDBREAST. I realize this sounds kind of nuts, but the first two books in the series are very different, and not at all the best representation of what the series becomes. THE REDBREAST is still a bit on the slow side, but it’s the first series installment set primarily in Oslo, Norway (where the rest of the series takes place!) and it’s the perfect place to dip in. From there, read the series in order.
Where to begin with Nesbø’s work:
The Harry Hole Series: begin with THE REDBREAST and read the series in order from there. Alternatively, if you want to simply sample his writing, read his book THE SNOWMAN - a later installment in his series, but a great one to read if you just want to give his work a try.
Standalone novels: try THE SON, or his forthcoming release THE KINGDOM. All of his standalone novels are quite different from one another, but these are two of my personal favorites!
Jørn Lier Horst
Police Procedurals | Detail-Oriented Writing | Realistic Characters
Jørn Lier Horst is a superstar in Norway, where he writes a police procedural series, a thriller series co-authored with another Norwegian crime writer, and books for children as well. Jørn is best-known for his procedural series featuring protagonist William Wisting, and any reader who loves detail-oriented, slow-burn procedural novels will find the William Wisting books to be must-reads. (Bonus: the recent TV adaptation of the William Wisting books is fantastic, too!) Jørn brings a unique expertise in policework to his crime fiction: prior to becoming a writer, he was a Senior Investigating Officer for the police force in his town in Norway. This personal experience shines through in the detailed way in which Jørn writes about police procedure, and in his series’ down-to-earth, realistic characters. You won’t find any “damaged detectives” in this series—the characters who fill the pages of Jørn’s William Wisting books are by in large good and kind people who are simply doing the best they can in life. Along with his William Wisting series, Jørn has co-authored an absolutely fantastic series with his fellow Norwegian crime writer Thomas Enger, the first book of which is called DEATH DESERVED. Jørn and Thomas’ joint project is much more fast-paced and action-packed than the William Wisting books, blending Jørn’s knowledge of police procedure with Thomas’ knack for writing utterly engaging characters. If fast-paced thrillers are more your cup of tea, try DEATH DESERVED; if detail-oriented procedurals are up your alley, try the William Wisting books.
Where to begin with Jørn Lier Horst’s work:
The William Wisting Series: The first book is DREGS; my personal favorite book is ORDEAL (a later installment, but in my opinion, it can be read on its own).
The Blix & Ramm Series: start with Book 1, DEATH DESERVED. Book 2 will be published in English this winter!
Thomas Enger
Character-Driven | Gritty Writing | Emotional Stories
Thomas Enger is a former journalist-turned-crime writer, an author who has been one of my personal favorites since I met him at a crime fiction festival years ago. Thomas Enger entered the crime fiction scene with his excellent crime fiction series featuring journalist Henning Juul. He has since further established himself with his top-notch partnership with Jørn Lier Horst in the Blix & Ramm series, an action-packed thriller series that combines the best of both authors’ skills. Enger’s work is gritty and character-driven, featuring characters you will undoubtedly fall in love with. In the Henning Juul series, Enger tells the story of a journalist who has suffered a heartbreaking tragedy: his young son has been killed in a house fire. Protagonist Henning Juul is convinced that the death of his son was no accident, and, over the course of the series, he investigates the tragedy that has struck his own family. The Henning Juul books are heartfelt stories with plenty of grit and emotion. They are best read in order, as each series installment brings protagonist Henning closer to the truth about his young son’s death. In his partnership with Jørn Lier Horst, Thomas Enger brings this same knack for writing utterly compelling characters to the Blix & Ramm series. Enger’s skill for character development perfectly balances Horst’s superb knowledge of policework, delivering a well-rounded and gripping thriller in their first book to be translated into English, DEATH DESERVED.
Where to begin with Thomas Enger’s work:
The Henning Juul Series: start with Book 1, BURNED, and read in order from there.
The Blix & Ramm Series: start with Book 1, DEATH DESERVED. Book 2 will be published in English this winter!
Samuel Bjørk
Detective Series | Dark & Intricate Plots | Unlikely Investigative Duo
Samuel Bjørk is the pen-name for a Norwegian novelist, playwright, and singer/songwriter. Bjørk came on my radar a few years ago, when his absolutely fantastic first novel under his pen name released in the US. That book, I’M TRAVELING ALONE, remains one of my favorite Scandianvian crime fiction novels ever, and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to dip into the Nordic Noir genre this fall with a story that has a dark and disturbing case at its core. Bjørk has had one subsequent series installment published in the US (THE OWL ALWAYS HUNTS AT NIGHT), and readers who wish to continue reading his series can find the third series installment (THE BOY IN THE HEADLIGHTS), available to order online from the UK. In Bjørk’s series, readers follow Holger Munch, a veteran police officer, who is now heading up a team of homicide investigators. Mia Kruger, a brilliant but haunted police officer, joins Munch’s team, and the pair become an unlikely crime-solving duo who readers will love to follow. Mia Kruger has shades of Lisbeth Salander to her: she is a brilliant young woman with many demons in her past, and I absolutely loved getting to know her over the course of this series. Bjørk’s writing is complex and intricate, blending elements of police procedure with some very creepy crimes for his protagonists to solve. Unfortunately the second installment in this series wasn’t my personal favorite, but the third installment got back on track, and I hope to read more of Bjørk’s work in the future!
Where to begin with Samuel Bjørk’s work:
The Munch & Kruger Series: Start with Book 1, I’M TRAVELING ALONE.
Heine Bakkeid
Atmospheric Suspense | Northern Norway Setting | Creepy, Chilling Writing
This year has certainly brought with it many surprises, and one of the best surprises for me personally has been my recent discovery of Norwegian crime writer Heine Bakkeid, whose first crime novel I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW became an instant-favorite for me when I read it this summer. Bakkeid hails from northern Norway, and the stunning atmosphere and landscape of his home deeply influence his writing. I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is a deliciously chilling suspense novel that leans away from police procedure and into the psychological suspense space. In this chilling story, readers follow a disgraced former police officer who has left the police force, and is grappling with grief and addiction in the wake of a terrible personal tragedy. When an opportunity arises for our protagonist to act as a private investigator for a family whose son has gone missing, he reluctantly takes the case, travelling to remote northern Norway, where the young man was last seen. As he digs into the case, he confronts his own demons as well. I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is an utterly immersive story, and it’s one that differs quite a bit from many of the other crime novels mentioned on this list. While there is an investigation integral to this story, it’s as much about character development and personal secrets as it is about solving the book’s central mystery. This is not a police procedural; it’s much more a story about a man attempting to exorcise his personal demons, with a mystery on the side. I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is slow-burning, atmospheric, and immersive—an outstanding first crime novel from Heine Bakkeid, and I can’t wait to read the next installment in this series.
Where to begin with Heine Bakkeid’s work:
The Thorkild Aske Series: I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is the first book in Bakkeid’s series, and the only installment currently available in English - but the next installment is coming soon!
Alex Dahl
Psychological Suspense | Norwegian Setting | Standalone Novels
If you prefer lighter psychological suspense over detective novels, try Norwegian suspense writer Alex Dahl. Dahl has had two books published in the US so far: THE BOY AT THE DOOR and THE HEART KEEPER. Both standalone suspense stories, these books delve into the dark side of idyllic Norwegian society. In THE BOY AT THE DOOR, a woman with the picture-perfect life finds her world shattering around her after a chance encounter exposes long-buried secrets. In THE HEART KEEPER, a woman grieving the loss of her daughter becomes fixated on another little girl. Both books are engaging and sinister, blending their Norwegian setting with contemporary suspense elements to gripping effect. Unlike many of the other books mentioned on this list, these books are not very violent—they grapple with interpersonal secrets, societal pressures, and more, and for the most part they don’t get very graphic or violent. I love the compelling blend of Nordic influences and contemporary psychological suspense in Dahl’s writing, and I’ve equally loved seeing how her stories explore issues particularly facing women. If you’re not in the mood for a detective novel but still wish to soak up a bit of Norway through your next read, try Alex Dahl’s sharp and compelling psychological suspense.
Where to begin with Alex Dahl’s work:
Start anywhere! Dahl’s two books that have been published in the US so far - THE BOY AT THE DOOR and THE HEART KEEPER - are both standalone novels. THE BOY AT THE DOOR was her first book published here in the US, so you may wish to start there.
Plus: The Norwegian Crime Book on My TBR This Month
Karin Fossum’s THE WHISPERER
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed previous novels I have read by crime writer Karin Fossum, and her book THE WHISPERER has been on my TBR list for ages. This book is a blend of detective story with elements of psychological suspense, and it has come highly recommended to me by a Norwegian book reviewer who I’ve been lucky to befriend over the past few years. THE WHISPERER is part of Fossum’s longstanding series, and while I have read previous serious installments, I must admit I’m not totally up-to-date on it. From all that I’ve heard, it’s totally possible to read this installment on its own, and I’m very eager to dig in this month! Stay tuned for more information on Instagram as I dig into THE WHISPERER soon.
About THE WHISPERER:
How did a lonely, quiet woman come to kill a man—or did she?
Ragna Riegel is a soft-spoken woman of routines. She must have order in her life, and she does, until one day she finds a letter in her mailbox with her name on the envelope and a clear threat written in block capitals on the sheet inside. With the arrival of the letter, and eventually others like it, Ragna’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel into a nightmare—threatened by an unknown enemy, paranoid and unable to sleep, her isolation becomes all the more extreme. Ragna’s distress does culminate in a death, but she is the perpetrator rather than the victim.
The Whisperer shifts between Inspector Sejer’s interrogation of Ragna and the shocking events that led up to her arrest. Sejer thinks it is an open-and-shut case, but is it? Compelling and unnerving, The Whisperer probes plausible madness in everyday life and asks us to question assumptions even in its final moments.
Are you a fan of Nordic crime fiction? I’d love to chat crime books with you! Come celebrate #NordicNoirNovember with me over on Instagram, where I’ll be spotlighting great Nordic crime writers all month long. Happy reading! xx A
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