Category: Scandi noir
+ crime fiction, folklore, gothic, Gothic mystery, grief, Historical fiction, humour fiction, Iceland, Iceland noir, Ireland, List, murder mystery, mystery, political thriller, politics, Scandi noir, superstition, thriller, witchcraft
My Top 10 Books of 2026 – Part Three
Here are ten of my favourite books of 2026 Part Three, excluding audiobooks, of which there are loads so far. As usual a disparate selection, with a fair bit of superstition thrown in, and my usual Gothic, plus Iceland, Ireland and politics. Where Are The Kings by Donal Ryan What a remarkable book this is. Ryan deals with suicide and mental health in such … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2026 – Part Three
The Last Tenant by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (Forbidden Iceland #6) translated by Victoria Cribb
When the remains of a young woman and a baby are uncovered on a derelict farm, Detective Elma is drawn into a disturbing investigation, as a young mother settling in Akranes realises danger may be closer than she ever expected… The multi-award-winning, international bestselling Forbidden Iceland series continues… `She uses complex plots to explore how monsters are made and demonstrate that “evil can lurk … Read More The Last Tenant by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (Forbidden Iceland #6) translated by Victoria Cribb
+ 1960s, 1970s, adoption, childhood, family, fiction, friends, grief, Iceland, Iceland noir, lies, review, Scandi noir, secrets, sisters
Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb
November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret pen pal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time. But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes … Read More Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb
+ crime fiction, Danish Noir, Denmark, fiction, murder, murder mystery, retreat, review, Scandi noir, thriller, writer
Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen
Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut―and she’s out of ideas. After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses. But inspiration doesn’t strike―murder does. When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself … Read More Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen
Into The Dark by Ørjan Karlssen translated by Ian Giles Arctic Mysteries #2
When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath. Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister. #IntoTheDark X/Twitter @Ørjan Karlsson @OrendaBooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #bookX #booktwitter Instagram @orjan_nk @orendabooks @randomthingstours #bookstagram #blogtour #Norway Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases. … Read More Into The Dark by Ørjan Karlssen translated by Ian Giles Arctic Mysteries #2
Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner
When two teenagers are found brutally murdered on the island of Lidingö, dressed in white tunics and wearing crowns of candles, former French police officer Maïa Rehn joins local Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery with a shockingly dark heart. The highly anticipated sequel to the international bestselling gothic mystery, Yule Island. As Autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the … Read More Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner
+ abuse, crime fiction, fiction, Iceland, Iceland noir, murder, murder mystery, review, Scandi noir, secrets, sisters
Black As Death (An Áróra Investigation Book #5) by Lilja Sigurðardóttir translated by Lorenza Garcia
The haunting final chapter to an award-winning series… And a final reckoning… With the fate of her missing sister, Ísafold, finally uncovered, Áróra feels a fragile relief as the search that consumed her life draws to a close. But when Ísafold’s boyfriend – the prime suspect in her disappearance – is found dead at the same site where Ísafold’s body was discovered, Áróra’s grip … Read More Black As Death (An Áróra Investigation Book #5) by Lilja Sigurðardóttir translated by Lorenza Garcia
Snowblind/Fadeout by Ragnar Jónasson Translated by Quentin Bates and Larissa Kyzer
Ragnar Jónasson’s iconic, multi-million-copy bestseller, Snowblind, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a glittering new edition, including a never-before published prequel, Fadeout… Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past … Read More Snowblind/Fadeout by Ragnar Jónasson Translated by Quentin Bates and Larissa Kyzer
+ 1960s, 1970s, adoption, childhood, family, fiction, friends, grief, Iceland, Iceland noir, lies, review, Scandi noir, secrets, sisters
Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb
November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret pen pal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time. But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes … Read More Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb
+ child abduction, child abuse, crime fiction, Danish Noir, Denmark, fiction, journalist, police drama, review, Scandi noir, secrets
Out of the Dark by Heidi Amsinck (A Jensen Thriller #4)
Out of the Dark: A brand new Jensen thriller from Heidi Amsinck – a must read for 2025 A missing child … a tainted witness … Jensen’s darkest case yet … Matilde Clausen, 9, vanishes from a crowded playground in the middle of Copenhagen, triggering a frantic search across the city. When a possible link emerges to the disappearance of Lea Høgh, 10, six … Read More Out of the Dark by Heidi Amsinck (A Jensen Thriller #4)
+ crime fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, List, murder mystery, Nordic noir, Scandi noir, supernatural, superstition, thriller, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part One
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part One, not counting audiobooks. Quite a disparate selection for a change. Audiobooks to follow. Late Venetian by GN Lawson If you are looking for a fast paced thriller, Late Venetian is not for you. But it’s already one of my favourite books of 2025 so far. I’m not sure why – maybe because the two main characters … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part One
+ Detective novel, fiction, murder, Nordic noir, police drama, police procedural, review, Scandi noir, thriller
Son by Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger
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 … Read More Son by Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger
