The 19 best Nordic noir books of all time

As summer rapidly approaches, there's no better way to while away vacation days than with a gripping book that simply refuses to be set aside. Nordic noir novels perfectly fit the bill, offering a plethora of page-turners guaranteed to keep you engrossed all summer long. Not sure where to start? Fret not; ahead, Vogue Scandinavia has compiled a carefully curated list of the best Nordic noir books of all time, from certified classics to more under-the-radar newcomers.

But first, a little introduction to Nordic noir.

Nordic noir is a phenomenon that has undoubtedly put Scandinavia on the literary map. The crime fiction genre that originated in our region first became prominent in the late '90s and has since made household names of both its writers and characters. Set in bleak and moody surroundings, such as urban landscapes, remote villages, or harsh natural environments like deep forests and icy tundras, Nordic noir is characterised by dark and gritty themes and complex characters.

Nordic noir novels typically explore social issues, psychological depth, and moral ambiguity, focusing on realistic portrayals of crime and its impact on individuals and communities. There's a functional simplicity to the writing, and the monochromatic contrast between dark Nordic nights and pure snow creates the perfect backdrop against which to highlight character flaws, interpersonal issues and motives. And, of course, the odd splash of blood.

Related: Read Satu Rämö's latest ‘Hildur’ installment – written exclusively for Vogue Scandinavia

Year after year, new Nordic noir thrillers continue to dominate international crime writing charts, and, much like the criminals within their pages, they show no signs of slowing down. One such reason for the genre's unfading popularity could be the characters. While the protagonists are often coffee- or liquor-downing, sleep-neglecting crime fighters with complicated personal lives, their internal conflicts make them very empathetic characters, sucking us into their addictive and flawed universe. It's also why it's no surprise that so many Nordic noir novels are part of multi-book series that keep us coming back for more.

Nordic noir captivates with its intricate plotl ines, weaving unexpected twists and turns while maintaining a palpable sense of realism, rendering the crimes within its pages all too believable. This narrative tension grips readers, making the journey through its multi-layered stories utterly hooking. From subtle nuances to meticulous details, Nordic noir thrives on exploring the complexity of human nature and society. It'd be a crime to refrain from devouring the genre's books.

With a genre that spans decades of brilliant books, it's impossible to name the best Nordic noir writer. But as you will discover upon browsing this article, there are plenty of stellar authors who have made a lasting impression on the world, their works being read by millions across the globe. Such iconic Nordic noir writers include names like Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Camilla Läckberg, Jussi Adler-Olsen and Max Seeck.

One of the most iconic Nordic noir books, Swedish author Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, published posthumously in 2005, remains one of the best-selling Scandinavian crime novels of all time. The first of the Millennium series, the book centres around disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the edgy and savvy, tattoo-covered hacker Lisbeth Salander, who are hired to solve the disappearance of a member of one of Sweden's wealthiest families. Nonetheless, as the pair begin their work, they open a window into the family's dark past, which turns out more gruesome than they could've ever imagined.

It's November, and winter has greeted Oslo with the first snow. A young boy named Jonas wakes up in the middle of the night to find his mother disappeared into thin air. As Jonas looks out the window, he spots a snowman inexplicably appearing in his yard during the night. Soon, Jonas notices the snowman wearing something familiar – a pink scarf belonging to his mum. Local detective Harry Hole takes on the case, which seems to have a connection to other missing women who have vanished upon the first snowfall.

The Snowman by Norwegian author legend Jo Nesbo is one of the writer's most addictive crime novels, led by his beloved detective Harry Hole, who appears in numerous Nesbo books. A definite must-read, the novel has also been made into a popular film of the same name.

Related: Take a climb with the master of cliffhangers, Jo Nesbo

“Teacher wanted at the edge of the world”. So begins the ad that catches the eye of 30-year-old Una, who is keen to get out of Reykjavík and away from her self-destructive ways. A lone woman starting a new life in a remote town on the stormy coast of Iceland? What could possibly go wrong?

After arriving in the eeruue village of just 12 inhabitants, Una soon learns of a young girl’s mysterious death. With the addition of sinister hostility from the locals, the bleakest of landscapes and some supernatural undertones, this is one creepy thriller that’ll have you leaving all the lights on.

Kristina is a successful Oslo therapist whose client begs her to join her at a remote cabin, deep in the heart of a Norwegian forest. Throw in some mid-winter darkness, the chilling cold and an ill-thought out trek into the isolated wilderness and, well, it’s safe to say that what happens next is no teddy bears’ picnic.

Half-American, half-Norwegian Dahl has written this unsettling and suspenseful tale of obsession and duplicity, with a chilling conclusion that tips its hat to Stephen King’s Misery.

It’s been four years since a woman vanished without a trace from the island of Gräsö. So when former police inspector Ann Lindell hears that she’s been seen alive, Ann pulls herself out of retirement to roll up her detective sleeves once more.

In this masterfully paced thriller, the plot stands for itself. But it is Eriksson’s character portrayals and use of language that make this such a great read. The Deathwatch Beetle is not only an intriguing detective story, but a social commentary on class, family and gender that shows Sweden suffering its own erosion from the inside out - in a way reminiscent of the titular insect’s destructive aftermath.

If you like your Scandi Noir with a side of dark humour, Antti Tuomainen’s your guy. One of Finland's most acclaimed detective story writers, Tuomainen is known for his quick-paced storylines and liberal use of dark comedy - and The Rabbit Factor is no different. Starring insurance mathematician Henri as the unsuspecting protagonist who simultaneously loses his job and inherits an adventure park, the book shows Henri’s life go from predictable to chaotic overnight - with some dark crimes along for the ride.

Still not convinced? Amazon Studios recently bought the film rights to the book, with Steve Carell set to play Henri. We bet that, just like the book, the film will be … hare-raisingly good.

Finnish, Iceland-based author Satu Rämö had never tried her hand at crime writing before penning her first Nordic noir novel, Hildur. Yet, the book became a soaring success, with sequels Rosa & Björk and Jakob arriving shortly after. Rämö's fans will be pleased to know that this year will see the release of the fourth instalment, Rakel, of the blockbuster series.

Set in Iceland's rugged and remote Westfjords, Hildur follows the titular character, detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir, who begins to untangle the web of crimes that suddenly begins to unfold in her sleepy village. Together with her Finnish sidekick and police partner Jakob, the duo faces sinister crimes that showcase the worst living in a secluded community can bring out of people. Nevertheless, Hildur also has demons of her own to tackle, which come back haunting her as the series progresses.

Related: Best-selling Finnish author Satu Rämö on the creation of the 'Hildur' series and her Icelandic adopted home

A sun-drenched idyllic island in the Swedish archipelago makes an unlikely location for gruelling crimes. Still, Swedish author Viveca Sten has a gripping way of whipping up the most compelling cases. Sten's Sandhamn Murders book series has garnered a devoted readership worldwide, with Still Waters as the first novel of the series.

On a balmy July morning, a body tangled in a fishing net washes up on the Sandhamn shore. Detective Thomas Andreasson is the first to arrive at the scene, identifying the deceased as a Stockholm-based bachelor named Krister Berggren, who had been missing for months. At first, Andreasson deems it an accident, but as another dead body appears on the island, this time Krister's cousin, all signs point to a menacing killer on the loose.

Related: Read our exclusive short story by award-winning crime novelist Viveca Sten

Swedish author Camilla Läckberg has a bevvy of read-worthy books to her name, with her smash-hit Fjällbacka series currently comprising 11 novels. We recommend starting with the first instalment, The Ice Princess, which introduces Läckberg's lead characters, writer Erica Falck and detective Patrik Hedstrom.

As Erica returns to her hometown of Fjällbacka, she learns that her childhood friend Alex has died by suicide, or so it seems. Honouring her friend's memory, Erica begins to write a book about Alex. While Erica dives deep into the intricacies of Alex's life, local detective Patrik is developing his own doubts about the suicide. Soon, the two join forces and begin to uncover eerie details of the village's past.

Finnish author Max Seeck has a knack for crafting gripping crime narratives, demonstrated in his novel The Witch Hunter, which swiftly garnered international acclaim upon its release in 2019.

As the inaugural instalment of Seeck's Jessica Niemi series, The Witch Hunter follows a bestselling author whose wife is discovered dead, her body adorned in a black gown and her face frozen in a chilling smile. Investigator Jessica takes charge of the case, initially suspecting a copycat emulating the macabre murders depicted in the victim's husband's bestseller, The Witch Hunter. However, Jessica soon discerns that a different malevolent force is at play. With the body count rising, Jessica races against the clock to solve the case.

The Butterfly House emerged from its Danish cocoon in 2017, but fans of Engberg’s Copenhagen-based detective duo Korner & Werner will be able to read her latest work in English this year. A follow up to her international bestseller The Tenant, the book follows the investigative partners as they try to solve a series of gruesome murders linked to patients at a facility for troubled teenagers.

Engberg has crafted an engrossing, original read with subplots and twists that keep you guessing, and as the investigation uncovers the greed and power plays that make up the seedy underbelly of caregiving institutions, you can’t help but also be reminded of your own fragile mortality.

One of the most prominent crime fiction writers hailing from Denmark, Sara Blaeder's The Forgotten Girls is part of her ultra-popular detective Louise Rick series. In The Forgotten Girls, a puzzling case lands on Louise's desk as a dead body is found in a forest in Denmark, yet no one has been reported missing. However, once the girl's picture is shown on television, an old lady recognises her as one of the kids of a mental institution she worked at; the child had been abandoned by her family and thus named as "a forgotten girl."

As Louise begins to investigate the case further, more layers and dark details are revealed, even linking back to Louise's own past that she has tried to escape.

Lars Kepler, the pseudonym of critically acclaimed Swedish husband-and-wife writer duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril is behind the best-selling Joona Linna crime novel series, with The Sandman being the fourth instalment.

It's another spine-chilling story, as Joona tries to crack the case of Mikael Kohler-Frost and his sister, who both went missing 13 years ago and were thought to be the victims of a notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter, who was caught and is serving a life sentence in a psychiatric ward. But when Mikael is found meandering in the outskirts of Stockholm, telling the police that his sister has been captured by someone named 'the Sandman', everything changes. Joona and his police partner Saga will have to try to get Jurek to talk, which is no easy feat.

Swedish writer Henning Mankell's detective Kurt Wallander is among the most renowned characters in Nordic noir, and his Wallander series opener, Faceless Killers, offers an excellent entry point into the genre. The classic novel plunges into a violent crime that shatters the tranquillity of a remote Swedish countryside on a chilly winter night. When an elderly farmer is discovered dead, his wife utters a single word in a foreign language before succumbing as well. This cryptic word becomes Kurt's sole lead in unravelling the mystery.

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The final book in Åsa Larsson’s hugely popular series about prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson begins with a body found in a freezer at the home of a deceased alcoholic. So far, so Scandi Noir. As Rebecka starts digging, however, she uncovers truths about her own family that make her examine her own existence.

Set in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town where Larsson grew up, the story intricately weaves characters and events together to satisfying effect, all while Rebecka seeks answers about her family history. As the title suggests, the answers include “the sins of our fathers”, and how the ripples of these can be felt for generations to come. A beautiful and introspective end to one of the genre’s best series.

Award-winning Danish crime fiction writer Jussi Adler-Olsen is praised for his immersive and rich works; the author's 2007 book The Keeper of Lost Causes is a prime example of his spellbinding writing. The novel follows detective Carl Mørck, who, although having been in a bit of a rut with his career, gets promoted to run his own department dubbed 'Department Q', boasting all of Copenhagen's coldest cases. But there's one file in particular that keeps bothering Carl: a liberal politician who disappeared five years earlier and is presumed dead. Suddenly, something tells Carl that maybe she isn't dead after all…

2021 was thankfully the year that we were given 1795, the last book in Niklas Natt och Dag’s hugely successful “Bellman Noir Trilogy”. That’s right, the series is so good it has coined its own sub-genre of Scandi Noir, in honour of the captivating writing bearing similarities to the gruesome social commentary of Carl Michael Bellman (often referred to as Sweden’s very own Shakespeare).

Set in the title year, the third book in the detective series shows late 18th century Stockholm at its most sordid, murderous and filthy - in other words, Natt och Dag includes all the good bits that the history books leave out. As the writer of exquisite language and at times repulsively heinous events, it’s no surprise that the owner of what is surely the most Scandi Noir surname ever - Natt och Dag means Night and Day in Swedish - excels at bringing the darkest of tales to light.

Perhaps you've seen the hit Netflix series based on Danish writer Søren Sveistrup's psychological thriller, The Chestnut Man? Well, the book is just as gripping as the show, making it a must-read for those who enjoy suspenseful twists.

Fear grips Copenhagen as a madman stalks the streets, leaving eerie chestnut man dolls crafted from matchsticks and two chestnuts beside each victim. The discovery of a fingerprint on one of the dolls shocks the police, leading them to decode the mystery of a government minister's daughter who was kidnapped and murdered a year prior. What truly happened to the young girl? Two detectives are tasked with uncovering the truth, but the killer shows no signs of relenting.

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The moody and dramatic Icelandic surroundings provide an environment ripe for crime, which local author Yrsa Sigudardottir harnesses in her blockbuster books. Among her most famous works is The Legacy, which showcases her signature blend of crime fiction infused with horror elements.

In the novel, readers are drawn into a harrowing case: a woman is found brutally murdered in her own home, with the sole witness being her young daughter. A rookie investigator is handed the case, and he quickly feels he is in over his head with the appalling crime. Assigned to the case is a rookie investigator who soon finds himself overwhelmed by the shocking crime. To crack the case, the detective teams up with a psychologist to uncover the truth of what the daughter witnessed before the killer strikes again.