The doctor Mirjam returns to her hometown on the island Gotland with her best friend Hervor, after she has spent several years in Stockholm and in northern Sweden. Hervor encourages Mirjam to use the power of thought to get revenge on three men who have hurt her. When all the men die within a few weeks of each other Mirjam wonders if it really is a coincidence.

“Svinhugg” is Marianne Cederwall’s first novel. You can hardly call it a criminal novel; it is rather a novel about a woman who wants justice. The title of the novel is perfect, since it comes from an expression meaning “an evil that strikes back on the person who acted.”

It took me a while to get into the novel and it was not my style. However, it is still ok as long as you do not expect a classic crime novel.

In the first novel “In the Calmest Waters” a dead man has floated ashore in the middle of the busy tourist season and the police is about to dismiss the case as an accident, but when the man’s relative is found murdered shortly thereafter it is evident that they are dealing with a murderer.

In the second novel “In the Inner Circle” the vice president of the Royal Swedish Sailing Society is murdered right as the sailing race Gotland Runt begins. When another of the society’s members is killed panic spreads. Will the police catch the killer before another member is killed?

The sad part about starting in the wrong end is that I knew how some of the personal relations would develop and the author’s language and the intrigues have developed with each novel, so it felt like taking a step back in terms of quality. But it is not Viveca Sten’s fault that I read them in the wrong order and the novels do get better and better.

Original titles in Swedish: “I de lugnaste vatten” and “I den innersta kretsen”

On the Paperback Fiction List (both Trade and Mass-Market) Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is number 1 and The Girl Who Played with Fire is number 2.

]]> http://www.thecrimehouse.com/new-york-times-best-sellers/feed/ 0 http://www.thecrimehouse.com/sjalakistan-by-ann-rosman-2/ http://www.thecrimehouse.com/sjalakistan-by-ann-rosman-2/#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:02:50 +0000 linda http://www.thecrimehouse.com/?p=1002

Mi reviewed “Själakistan” in July and I agree with her – what a fantastic novel!

Kalmar Castle is mentioned in the novel, which I really enjoy, since I, like the main character Karin Adler, love to imagine what the past was like and wonder what people have  touched the same things as you but a long long time ago. If you have been on a guided tour of Kalmar Castle you will also recognize some facts that are revealed in the book.

”Själakistan” has like Ann Rosman’s first novel ”Fyrmästarens dotter” links to the past and the author ties the treads together in a very clever way. I sincerely recommend both novels.

We welcome the Swedish author Åsa Schwarz to TheCrimeHouse and this interview !

Can you tell us shortly what kind of crime novels you write? (Her latest novel is Nefilim – read our review of it here!)
I would say it is a thriller where current realities is mixed with history and religion. A simple way to describe them is that they have similar ingredients like Stieg Larsson, Dan Brown and Stephen King.  

What kind of books did you read as a child?
My greatest memories are in this order: Barbapapa´s new House, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Ring. All together I must have read them hundreds of times. The first of them is really worn out.

What is the biggest reason to why you became a crime novelist?
I worked too much and decided that I needed a Hobby. So I signed up for a writing course. I still remember that the wednesday evenings that I spent there were the highlight of the week. Then the Hobby took over my life.


How much of you is there in the character Nova from the book Nefilim?
I think she has a fantastic taste in music, We are both people who needs independence. Apart from that we are not that alike.


Why have you chosen to use companies that exist and name them by their real names in your books?
I use real names in general to help the reader to get a sense that this is for real. The story is right here right now. When it comes to companies like Vattenfall (A big electricity company in Sweden) , it is because I am genuinely upset with and concern about how they behave and act. I want to supply information and facts that we otherwise never hear or see. My books are built on months of research.

I can see several books, authors, movies and characters that have inspired you Book Nefilim. What do you think about that and can you name some of your sources of inspiration for the book?
No, I think you are wrong there. I know that my books are very similar to some other books that are very popular now. I believe that is because I like to write about things that just happened to be bestsellers now. Lisbeth Salander did not inspire me to write the character Nova, even if many thinks that. I did not have thought in my mind of her when I wrote about Nova since I had not even read the books at the time. I was just very fortunate to write about things that are “inn” to read right now. I get my inspiration from Patrick Süskind, Stephen King, John Ajvide Lindqvist and some of the great authors like Strindberg and Alexander Dumas. When it comes to movies, I like action movies like Terminator and most movies made by Tarantino.

I am always curios on what it looks like when authors write. Is it messy? Do you have any special rituals? Do you you a stationary computer or a laptop? Do you use an office or do you sit at home by the couch etc.
I rent an office space at Horntulls where ten musicians, journalists, photographers and other freelancer sits. I go there daily, partly to concentrate and focus, partly to get nice working colleagues that I can eat lunch with. Everything is really undramatic. I poor myself a cup of coffee and start to write. If it is messy? Yes, my space is not the cleanest of them all. I always have a laptop in my bag since I need to be mobile and connected at all times. The Laptop goes from home to my office, to a location I have picked to use in my books, or just where I happens to be at the time.

Can you list your top 3 favourite Swedish crime novels as well as three foreign authors you think our readers should read.
The Darkest Room, Johan Theorin
Most of the books written by Håkan Nesser
Another Time, another Life, Leif GW Persson

Foreign books:
Panic, Jeff Abbott
The Parfume, Patrick Süskind
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas

When will you finish the next book about Nova?
It will be published in Swedish spring 2011

The character Nova exists as a person on Facebook. Did you realize the effects this PR-trick would have?
No, but it was fun with all the positive reactions and all friends Nova got on the site. To me it was very unexpected and some persons got upset that she did not really exist. Because I also work wit Internet security I think that reaction is both dangerous and alarming. Next time it is a pedophile or a con artist who is behind the wheels. I pu way too much time on Nova on Facebook but that´s because it is so much fun. Right now she lives an ordinary life until the next book will be finished. Many publishing companies and readers from other countries  have added her as a friend. Mostly people in the industry that knows Swedish but also marketers.


If you could make a movie out of Nefilim. Who would you like to direct, play Nova and who would make the Soundtrack?
If I could dream freely i would pick Tarantino, some unknown but talented actress and Trent Reznor. One of the most important parts of the books contains a song by Trent.


What crime series do you watch on TV and can you give us a tip of a really great crime movie?
Unfortunately I have not had any time to go to the movies or even watch TV the last two years after I became a mother. Before I was often stuck by Medium and NCIS. That is not a recommendation. It is rather a fact that it is easy to chill while watching them. 


How would you rank these ingredients in a book if you had to?
Good story, thrilling, Great characters, Clear ideology, Great language, something else
1. Good story
2. thrilling (if it is a crime novel)
3. Great characters
4. Great language
5. Thorough research so that the reader learn something while reading
6. Spectacular milieu descriptions
7. Clear Ideology

What are you reading right now?
A script that a friend have written and who is not published yet. I recently finished Något i din säng by Andreas Roman. It is a psychological horror novel that is about a woman who is very successful on the surface. Inside she is lonely, miserable and have invented an imaginary friend. But when she decides to stop her mind games the friend will not have it. I can recommends that you read it by the fire with the lights out.

Thank you Åsa for this interview!
For more info visit  www.asaschwarz.com

A woman is murdered in a park behind the police headquarters at Kungsholmen in Stockholm, Sweden. As always, Hake becomes responsible for the investigation and this time he not only battles with his boss but also a policewoman from another district. The investigation becomes even more difficult when it turns out that a female judge from the Superior Court is involved.

 “Kungsholmsmorden” (Swedish title, I do not know if/when the novel will be translated to English) by Lars Bill Lundholm is his third criminal novel set in Stockholm. In every novel the turn comes to a new part of the city. If you like Lundholm’s two first novels it is worth reading this one, but do not expect any surprises.

We at the CrimeHouse welcome the Danish crime author Michael Katz Krefeld to this interview. Krefelds second book, Pan´s Secret, about the doctor Maja Holm was just released in Sweden Read our review of Pan´s Secret here!

Michael, Can you give our readers some information about, age, where you live, where you are from etc.

I am 44 years old. Born in Gl Holte but raised in Hvidovre which is a suburb to Copenhagen. Hvidovere is also used as a backdrop for my stories. Right now I live in the heart of Copenhagen with my girlfriend Lis, who is a lawyer.

How did you become a writer?

I started directing short films but got more and more interested in writing screenplays. Following that, I was working on a number of Danish television series. Amongst other Emmy Award winner “Nikolaj & Julie”, “The Hotel” and “Nynne”. After about 7-8 years as a screenwriter. I started in parallel to write my first novel, “Før Stormen”. A project that took more than four years to complete.

I read an article you wrote about crime litterature where you where very passionate about the genre. When and how did your interest in crime fiction start? Do you have any crime writer idols?

I have always been interested in plot-driven narratives including crime stories and thrillers. Both on film and in literature. Hitchcook, Orson Wells, Scorsese, Brian De Palma is my cinematic role models. Among Screenplay writers, it is people like Towne (Chinatown) Richard Price, (Sea of Love), Joe Eszterhaz (Basic Instinct). Among (Crime)writers it is especially writers like  Cormac McCarthy, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard, and of course James Ellroy.

Your main character is a women and it always intrigue me how people can ”become” another sex and have the perspective of the other sex and make it believeble in writing. “I know I would find that a bit difficult) How do you do it?

Through my work on TV series I have written many female characters, so it was not strange for me to choose a female protagonist in my book. I think it offers some unique opportunities to select characters who are as far from your self and therefore challenge one’s thinking. As for female characters, I think that as a male writer I see details that a female writer will not notice due to the fascination of the differences between the sexes. A female writer who writes about men will undoubtedly experience the same.

You also write for Film and Television can you tell us a little about that?

I have directed  7-8 short films and written on a wide variety of television series. It has been very educational for me and given me a proper discipline. I think you can see on my style of writing that I have a very visual /scenic approach and that am much into writing dialog. On the other hand, I am glad to have left the film business for the benefit of writing books. And since I have just signed a contract for my next 3 books, I am in the fortunate position that I can concentrate completely around my bookwriting. A great privilege I have worked a long time to achieve.

What do you consider the biggest differences in writing for film verses books?

Of course there is the whole technique thing. Scripts are blueprints for others to follow. They are kept short and tight with no internal dialog. But the biggest difference for me is that with books I have complete control over the story. With movies and tv you either with others, or for others who must interpret what you write. With the books you are the sole master. That is a great joy.

There has been a lot of talk about the nordique crime novel. People seems to go crazy over any Swedish crime novel in some parts of the world. Is it the same with danish crime litterature? and how would you describe Nordique crime litterature? What exactly is it?

I think that Swedish authors currently have the greatest success. However, we, the Danish writers, are approaching. I sense an increased sale and interest in the country my own books have been published in. It is easier to sell Danish crime films abroad perhaps because of the Swedish success. I think the uniqueness of Nordic crime fiction literature is the social- and sometimes political commitment and theme. Its attempts at realism and perhaps coolness. Maybe Scandinavian cool is the new black?

Can you name 5 danish crime novels/thrillers, 3 danish crime movies and 3 international TV-crime series you think we should read/watch?

A couple of Danish crime fiction writers that are worth reading: Leif Davidsen, Jusi Adler Olsen, Mikkel Birkegaard, Elsebeth Egeholm. All are major international successes, and very different in there approach to writing crime fiction. As for movies, it is difficult to get crime movies financed in Denmark. But check out. “Rembrandt,” “Kongekabalen” and “Kandidaten”. Among International television series: Look for “Forbrydelsen” A Danish series that celebrats great international success. Have just bought the first season of “Homicide” which may be regarded as a classic. The dialogue is phenomenal and the psychological portraits just as good. ”The Wire” has a little bit of the same. And then I can not wait to buy the last season of LOST.

Can you describe a typical working day for you. I want to know where you work (no adress needed of course), if it´s messy or neat, do you use a laptop and sit in a sofa? or by a desk? how long you work, do you need tons of coffe etc.

A typical working day usually starts at 8:30 to 9:00 when I sit in my home office. Unless I go out to do research which may consist of either to visit locations or talk with experts. When I start a book, my office is usually very clean and nice but very soon there will be countless paper stacks and research notes up around me. Halfway through the process I am literally buried in my story. Work tools that I appreciate is my laptop, a Mac Air I can bring everywhere. Then my whiteboard that I can throw ideas up on franticly. And last my camera a Riccoh, which is the world greatest pocket camera.

At the beginning of the writing process, I write 6-8 hours a day but as my deadline approaches the day gets longer. This july I’ve been working 10-12 hours seven days a weeks. So regarding coffee? Coffee is the oil that lubricates the machinery. I am a coffee – junkie!

What do you do on your spare time (except reading or watching movies/TV)?

I have a small classic sailboat which me and my girlfriend loves to sail on the Öresund. In addition to that, Am riding my mountainbike a couple times a week in the forest around Copenhagen.(yes its more steepy than one could imagine) In both cases, I like the close contact with nature and the physical activity involved.

Can you tell us your three top favourite books and top movies. (It doesn´t have to be in the crime genre.)

Wow, only three? Then I’ll pick a couple of classics: “Lawrence of Arabia”. “Taxi Driver”, “Vertigo”. Books which recently have made an impression: “No Country For Old Men”, Cormac McCarthy, “The constant gardener” John LeCarré, “The end of mr. Y”, Scarlett Thomas

I was quite upset with Maja (The main character in your book) and some of her actions but I guess that means that I  care about the character. If not I wouldn´t bother with what she did. Is that something you want your readers to get? A connection to the characters?

I’ve heard before that Maja is sometimes difficult to love. In some ways I understand that – without it has been my deliberate intention of provoking the reader. I will defend her at all times, even when she is difficult. Mostly because I think that aspect of her nature is a part of me. I understand her spite and that she can not let things lie but necessarily must interfere. Katherine Bergman has the same side, perhaps even into a more extreme and violent degree. Especially in my next book where she will be the protagonist you will experience that. Maybe I just like troublesome characters who challenge me and that it takes an effort for me as a writer to understand.

What do you thing significe a bad crime writer and a good crime writer

A bad writer is one who does not take his characters seriously. Who do not know what is at stake. If it is not personal for your protagonist it will not work. I do not like crime novels where the protagonist solves a case without personal consequence. The good writers believe their main character and drama to be found in psychology, not in how many bodies there are on the table.

Will you continue writing about the doctor Maja Holm or change your main charachter?

The dramatic events Maja was exposed to in “Pans Hemmelighed” has been of such a harsh nature that I have decided to give her a break to recover. She will return in a later book. But in the next one Detective Katherine Bergman who appeared in “Pans Hemmelighed” will take over together with a new protagonist Nikolai Storm.

What do you read right now?

I got “All the pretty horses” by Cormac McCarthy, as a birthday present from my girlfriend. Loved “The Road” so am really looking forward to this one.

Thank you Michael!

Pan´s Secret

In this book Maja and her partner have moved back to the idyllic suburb in Denmark where Maja Grew up. It turns out it´s not so idyllic any more… Someone kidnaps children, kills them and leave a book mark from the children’s book Peter Pan. One day Maja gets a card where it says “Welcome home Wendy” It seems that the killer have a special interest in Maja that puzzels both Maja and the police.  

This is in many ways a classic cat and mouse game and it is a thrilling novel. My only reservation is that Maja acts irrational. It is a bit too unbelievable that she would put her self in danger so many times, especially when she is pregnant. However I still liked the book as a whole and the twist in the end is great.

I can recommend this book and I believe the first book (Before the storm) also is good. Unfortunately you don´t want to read the first book after reading this, meaning you HAVE to read them in the right order.

On Thursday we will post an interview with the author Michael Katz Krefeld, don´t miss that!

Persson has worked as a consultant for the police and state for many years. He is  a big TV-personality and has among other things been an expert on the TV-show Efterlyst (Crime Watch) for many years. He is loved by many but not all and some critics thinks he is to macho and arrogant. Undoubtedly he is tough and raw and he writes about a male world but I can´t help but like him and his books.

Persson did not write a crime novel until 20 years later when he once again wrote about Lars Johansson in another trilogy. The first book from 2002 Between summer´s longing and winter´s end takes place in the 1980s and involves the Cold War as well as the murder of the Swedish Prime minister (The Swedish Prime Minister was murdered in 1986 and we still don´t know who murdered him). The book will be available on Amazon.com from September.

The book is set in the luxurious Monaco. One night a very popular radio show gets a disturbing phone call while broadcasting live. The person ends with the words “I kill…” The next day a famous Formel 1 racer and chess player is found brutally murdered.

In Monaco crime ratings are extremely low and murder just never happens. The Police inspector Nicolas Hulot takes help from his friend the FBI-agent Frank Ottobre who is recovering from traumatic experiences. We´ve seen his sort before. The traumatized, depressed, almost supernatural women magnet. The murderer and his motives are also a bit cliche. This is a book more about two intelligent men who are set against each other then exiting new characters.

Even though the main characters are stereotypes there are some nice descriptions of less important characters. There is a nice portrait of a mentally disabled boy and his mother and an old man with a big record collection.  The descriptions of the locations are also wonderful. You can feel the breeze from the mediterranean sea, imagine all the yachts in the harbour and all the glittering people at the casino while reading this book.

This is a thrilling book with just perfect tempo. Just as things were set on repeat things started happening. The authors also gives one or two surprises. I can recommend this book to all who likes psycopath killers, gruesome murders and an exotic milieu. The book has sold over 3.5 million examples in Italy alone and will be filmed.