Happy Sunday, readers, and welcome to our first #NordicNoirNovember feature! If youβve been around Crime by the Book for a while, youβll know that Iβm always looking for a reason to talk about my favorite crime fiction subgenre: Nordic Noir, aka Scandinavian Crime Fiction. This year, weβre celebrating Nordic Noir November here on CBTB! Every Sunday this November, Iβll be spotlighting a different Nordic country and my personal favorite crime writers from that country here on my blog, and on my Instagram account. To kick off our Nordic Noir November celebration, weβre starting with my personal favorite Nordic country to visit: Norway. From my favorite city, Oslo, to the countryβs 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 βarmchair travelβ to this incredible part of the world. The authors highlighted in todayβs 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 Iβve ever read.
Read MoreBook Excerpt: THE NESTING by C.J. Cooke
You know that feeling when you learn about a book that sounds so extremely up your alley, it almost feels like the author wrote it tailor-made for you? Thatβs my sneaking suspicion about C.J. Cookeβs forthcoming release THE NESTING, which will hit US bookstores in September. This book isβwait for itβa Gothic suspense novel set in Norway. Yes, you read that right, and this might just be the perfect combination for my reading tastes (and, I suspect, for many of yours, too!). THE NESTING follows an architect who has just built his dream high-concept home in Norway, and a nanny who begins to suspect that something isnβt quite right in the houseβ¦ and that something sinister might be lurking in its shadows. I am beyond excited for this book: it has a Norwegian setting, a story of Gothic suspense, a character working on writing a Scandinavian crime novelβ¦ basically all of my favorite things wrapped up in one chilling package. THE NESTING is one of my personal most-anticipated reads of the fall season. Thanks to C.J. Cookeβs US publisher, Iβm absolutely thrilled to be able to give CBTB readers an early glimpse into THE NESTING. In this blog post, you will be able to learn more about the book, including plot details and fabulous early praise from CBTB-favorite authors like Simone St. James (!), and you will also be able to read an early excerpt from the bookβs first chapter.
Read MoreBook Review: INBORN by Thomas Enger
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the airport in Oslo, Norway, waiting on a (very) delayed flight back to New York. What could have been a frustrating way to pass an evening was saved by my bookish companion on the trip: Norwegian author Thomas Engerβs thought-provoking standalone crime novel INBORN. Part courtroom drama, part exploration of small-town life in Engerβs native Norway, INBORN is an effortless read--one enhanced by precise plotting and the authorβs knack for rich character development. Following a teenage boy who is accused of murder, INBORN moves readers between the courtroom, wherein the boy is being questioned by the prosecution, and the past, where readers slowly but surely unravel the secrets of what really happened on that fateful night. Given that this book did begin as a Young Adult novel, INBORN is lighter on violence and grit than is Engerβs Henning Juul series, but thatβs no detriment to the story Enger tells here. Enger has done a superb job adapting this Young Adult crime novel for an adult readership, and readers will find the bookβs clean, crisp prose and precise plotting appealingly easy to devour. I come to Thomas Engerβs writing when I want to read a book with characters who feel three-dimensional and endearing, and I found exactly that in his newest standalone. INBORN is a compelling blend of courtroom drama and heart-tugging examination of adolescence--Enger has delivered again.
Read MoreAuthor Q&A: Alex Dahl, THE BOY AT THE DOOR
Iβm thrilled to welcome Alex Dahl to Crime by the Book today to discuss her totally addictive, genuinely unsettling summer suspense novel THE BOY AT THE DOOR - on sale tomorrow (7/24) from Berkley! I devoured THE BOY AT THE DOOR earlier this spring and have been so excited for its release ever since. CBTB readers will find this one right up their alley: set against a Scandinavian backdrop, THE BOY AT THE DOOR reads more like your favorite psychological thriller than your standard Nordic Noirβbut itβs injected with the melancholy and atmosphere of the best Scandinavian crime, too. Read on for my Q&A with Alex Dahl, author of THE BOY AT THE DOOR!
Read MoreJo NesbΓΈ Announces Twelfth Harry Hole Novel: KNIFE
NesbΓΈ fans, rejoice! NesbΓΈ fans, rejoice! Today Jo NesbΓΈ announced that he will release his twelfth Harry Hole novel in July 2019. (The countdown begins now!) Harry Hole #12 will be titled KNIFE, and will be on sale in July 2019. Suffice it to say, I couldnβt be more excited about this new installment in my all-time favorite crime series. Read on for more information on KNIFE, and for links to CBTBβs NesbΓΈ coverage!
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