Scandinavian mysteries and crime

Do you love crime, mystery and thrillers set in the cold climes of Scandinavia?   Here are some authors that should keep you going.

Adler-Olsen, Jussi.

Alvtegen, Karin.

Anders, Roslund & Hellstrom,Borge

Baantjer, A. C.

Bates, Quentin.  Quentin grew up in England but his books set in Iceland.

Blaedel, Sara.

Davidsen, Leif.

Edwardson, Ake.

Ekman, Kerstin.

Eriksson, Kjell.

Fossum, Karin.

Hjorth and Rosenfeldt

Holt, Anne.

Indriðason,Arnaldur.

Joensuu, Matti.

Jungstedt, Mari.

Kaaberbol, Lene.

Kallentoft, Mons.

Kepler, Lars 
Kjaerstad, Jan.

Läckberg,Camilla.

Lahlum,Hans Olav - There is only 1 book on our catalogue at the moment. But there will be more to come from this new author.

Lapidus,Jens.

Larsson, Asa.

Larsson, Stieg.

Lindqvist, John Ajvide - Technically these are horror but are fantastic if you like something cold and creepy.

Mankell, Henning.

Marklund, Liza

Nesbø,Jo

Nesser, Håkan

Ohlsson,Kristina - This is a new author with only a couple of books but she will be one to watch in the next few years.

Persson,Leif G. W.

Ridpath,Michael

Sewell, Kitty

Sigurðardóttir,Yrsa

Sjöwall, Maj. & Wahlöö,Per

Staalesen, Gunnar

Theorin, Johan

Tursten, Helene

photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/miguelvirkkunen/5885934192/">Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

PD Martin at Ashburton Library

If you missed the author talk by PD Martin at Ashburton Library, here's an update!

Philipa asks the audience which cover they prefer.

PD (also known as Philipa) started her path to writing through singing and writing songs.  Then she wrote her first book and sent it off to a publisher.  While it didn't get published she kept writing and writing, each book getting better and better.  Finally, she hit gold with Body count.  The main character, Sophie Anderson, starred in five more books!

Philipa's book shelf is full of 'not very nice' books - on murder, dead bodies, serial killers. She has received some fantastic advice from a friend on where to dump bodies in Los Angeles for her book The Killing Hands.   Even so, she had almost finished writing it and even she didn't know who the murderer was!

Body count was based on a real nightmare that PD kept having.  She has interviewed real life vampires for an article she wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Philippa loves the ebook world - she says it's great for authors and readers alike.  

Review: DOG ON IT by Spencer Quinn.

This is the first in what will hopefully be a new mystery series by the American author, Spencer Quinn. Featured as narrator is Chet the Jet, a dog who failed police dog school. He now works with Bernie, the down on his luck owner of the Little Detective Agency.

Chet & Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, a possible kidnapping despite the lack of a ransom note. The chase takes them both into danger on a collision course with some very unsavory characters.

The dog as narrator concept is one that could easily result in an over cute tone but Spencer Quinn unerringly strikes all the right notes. Chet is all dog, intensely loyal, living in the moment & filled with a joie de vivre with all the doggy pleasures of life – riding shotgun in the car – a good nap – an especially tasty treat.

He also has all the limitations of being a dog, a rather short attention span, more than a few comprehension issues with the complicated matters that preoccupy humans, and a marked propensity for mischief.

This is a fun, fast paced, entertaining & very well written detective story showcasing a most endearing duo – Chet & Bernie.

reviewed by JB