Swedish Crime Novels

Continuing my crime novel streak, I want to share two great crime stories from Sweden. One is Spring Tide by Cilla & Rolf Börjlind and the other is Tjockare än vatten (Thicker Than Water, my translation) by Carin Gerhardsen. Both are of the kind, difficult to put down. That is why you read until 1 a.m in the morning, just to finish it.

Spring Tide was spoken of quite a lot in Sweden some years ago. It has a different set-up of characters from other novels, and this is the first in a series involving Olivia, a trainee at the police academy and Tom, a former police inspector, now home-less. Olivia is given a cold case to look at during the summer holidays. It concerns the murder of a woman in 1990 on an island on the west coast of Sweden. The case was never solved, and the identity of the woman was never found.

Olivia gets involved in the case, and starts her own investigation. At the same time people involved in the actions years ago are feeling nervous and unexpected things happen. It is a fascinating story, good characterisation and many side stories. In the beginning you don't know why they are there. They don't seem to have anything to do with the main case. But, as the story evolves it all comes together. It is exciting, scaring and you hear a lot of sounds around you, lying alone in the dark, reading! Huuh! The ending is unexpected to say the least.

The other crime story I read Thicker Than Water is part of a series about a team of policemen and women in Stockholm. Also here we find several side stories, which come together in the end. However, not as you expect. Tragedy follow the main characters, a sister and brother who become orphans at a young age, when their mother dies in a drowning accident. People seem to drown in their surroundings. Are they accidents or murders? Many years later a case with cats that are drowned hits Stockholm. The team realises that it might not be what it seems. This is one of these books where you think you know the culprit as you read along. In the end it is a total surprise! Love it.

Now being into crime novels, I feel like continuing. Alas, no more such books here and I have a mission to finish a few books from my TBR shelves. Not to talk about my studies, where I will have to read a lot of books outside my natural choice. It does not mean it is a bad idea. It makes you go outside your comfort zone.

What about you? Are you into crime novels? Or crime novels with a mixture of other novels?