Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo and then...?

[sp1814]

I've recently started reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Stieg Larsson's 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'. I downloaded the other two books in the series, and a few Jo Nesbo novels.

However, I know I'm going to race through those pretty quickly, and am interested in other Nordic crime writers of the same calibre.

Can anyone recommend any further good reads?

[HowardKennitby]

Obviously Henning Mankell is best known but also

http://www.killerreads.com/the-ice-princess/

[HowardKennitby]

Or this lot

http://en.wikipedia.o...crime_fiction_writers

[Minotaur3]

Have you tried Hennig Mankell, who wrote the Wallander books + several others? He can be very dark and ingenious.

[Gromit]

Sven Ürgunnarsolvèit

[shaneystar2]

Henning Mankell .Camilla Lackberg .Karin Fossum .
http://www.eurocrime....oks/books_Norway.html
http://www.eurocrime....oks/books_Sweden.html

[China Doll]

My personal receommendations are:

Mari Jungstedt - Inspector Knutas, (you can imagine what I call him! Good characters but I do find journalist and his love interest quite tedious at times)

Ann Holt - the Vik/Stubo series is very good (but Johanne Vik is a complete wet blanket and this never changes, however the other characters and the stories make up for this).

Jussi Adler-Olsen - Mercy is very good.

Camilla Läckberg’s Fjällbacka series (really lovely descriptions and good characters).

Jar City - Just read and enjoyed this.

My absolute favourite is Håkan Nesser's Van Veeteren series, they are (in my opinion) very well writtent and Van Veeteren is a great character.

http://www.scandinavi...ction.com/Authors.htm <<< Should get you going, really helpful site.

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of nordic noir! :c)

[China Doll]

(Also, I don't think Nesbo is anywhere near as good as the lot I listed and I think the millenium trilogy was vastly overrated... not a popular opinion but there you go ;0)

[chaptazbru]

Actually I agree with china - I think Jo Nesbo is vastly overrated. Not a patch on Steig Larsson imo.

[EcclesCake]

Thanks China for such a great list. I found the Millennium trilogy somewhat mind numbing and Nesbo is enjoyable but a tad formulaic. I will investigate your recommendations.

[B00]

you know I cant get into Girl With the Dragon tattoo. Read first few pages and got bored. It's really worth persevering?

[chaptazbru]

I think so.

[EcclesCake]

It takes at least a hundred pages to get into Girl with Dragon Tattoo.

[shaneystar2]

I thought it was overrated .I read the trilogy but it was a bit of a slog .Very complicated plot and too many characters .I was nearly speaking Hurdy Gurdy by the time I got to the end of 'em :)

[China Doll]

Girl with a Dragon Tattoo is ok but if you're not enjoying it then I probably wouldn't bother, you won't be missing much. The author actually wrote it with the mindset of the social standing of women and other members disadvantaged in society, it's a book about extreme misogony (sp!) rather than crime at heart, (or at least that's what I read).

Another author from this genre I don't get on with is Karen Fossum. I find her and Nesbo follow more of an american formula (which I find too sensationalist) so I think that's my biggest problem with them. That said, I've not read nearly enough of either (because of the above reason) to know if it is true of all their books.

I also forgot Yrsa Sigurdardottir whose books are set in Iceland (Jar City is Icelantic too I think) and the main character Thora is unbelievably loveable and very funny, really well written books with excellent characters and really tickle the funny bone too.

[ethandron]

And I thought it was just me who struggled with the millennium trilogy books, glad to read here that I'm not alone. Vastly overrated in my opinion but everyone who I'd spoken to told me they're wonderful. Someone saw me reading the third one while we were away recently and recommended jo nesbo, but if they're the same kind of book then I don't think I'll bother.

[B00]

oh, im not gonna bother then. Books have to pretty much grab me from the start or else I just give up on them.

[shaneystar2]

Not exactly Nordic and written by a British author Craig Russell the Jan Fabel series is brilliant .Set in Hamburg .
http://www.craigrussell.com/books.htm

[chrissa1]

This might help.

http://www.literature...om/stieg+larsson.html

[China Doll]

Nesbo isn't the same at all and I wouldn't recommend anyone not give them a go on the strength of my say so... Given the choice between Nesbo and one of the popular american crime writers I would chose Nesbo; but I wouldn't chose Nesbo over any of the other scandanavian lit I read.

[B00]

Chrissa, that sites brilliant!