Literary critic Marilyn Stasio has selected Lars Kepler’s The Rabbit Hunter as one of the 10 Best Crime Novels of 2020 on the New York Times Book Review’s yearly list.
Lars Kepler continues their No. 1 streak on the Swedish bestseller lists, The Mirror Man once again grabbing the top spots in hardcover and ebooks.
The editors of The New York Times Book Review have chosen The Kingdom as one of their recommendations in the “Editor’s Choice” column of the December 6 issue. The Kingdom is Jo Nesbø’s latest stand-alone title.
Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man doesn’t budge from its place at the top, coming in at No. 1 on the official Dutch bestseller list for thrillers and crime fiction this week as well.
Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man is No. 1 in e-books on the list covering week 48 in Norway. Jørn Lier Horst features at No. 4 on the same list, with A Question of Guilt.
Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People has been chosen as an NPR Book Concierge title. The Book Concierge is an interactive reading guide published each fall by the National Public Radio – a non-profit public service organization in the US – containing a handpicked selection of the best books of 2020. The staff at NPR as well as critics are asked to nominate their favorite titles, which the editors and producers at NPR Books then go through to make the final selection.
The choice of Anxious People was accompanied by the following quote:
“A surprisingly sweet tale. It’s the perfect balance of heartwarming and heart-wrenching, and Fredrik Backman […] has a way of simply yet elegantly describing relationships. We can all be idiots, but we’re still all human beings worthy of connection and love.”
Antti Tuomainen’s Little Siberia is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Petrona Award for “Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.”
The judges’ statement on Little Siberia:
Antti Tuomainen’s Little Siberia stood out on the shortlist for all of the judges. From its arresting opening, in which a meteorite unexpectedly lands on a speeding car, to its very human depiction of a pastor grappling with private and theological crises, this is a pitch-perfect comic crime novel with considerable depth and heart.
The first Finnish crime novel to receive the Petrona Award, Little Siberia is a particularly fitting winner for 2020 – a year in which life was turned upside down. A celebration of resilience, fortitude and simply muddling through, it is a novel for our times.
David Hackston’s fine translation captures Little Siberia’s depictions of an icy northern Finland and its darkly comic tone, skilfully showcasing the writing of one of Scandinavia’s most versatile and original crime authors.
Jo Nesbø and Jørn Lier Horst are two of the authors shortlisted for the Norwegian book industry publication BOK365’s Book of the Year Award. Nesbø is nominated for his stand-alone The Kingdom, while Horst features on the list with A Question of Guilt, the fourth installment in the Cold Case Quartet.
Photo: Linus Sandgren
Niclas Larsson started his on-screen career early on as an actor, and already during his teens he began directing his own shorts and music videos, borrowing camera equipment from the productions he worked at. After graduating theatre school in 2009, he enrolled at USC Cinema School. At the age of 21, he finished his acclaimed short Vatten, which earned him the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for ‘Best Short’ at the prestigious Gothenburg Film Festival in 2013. Vatten also opened up the eyes of the advertising world to Larsson’s powerful visuals and effective storytelling, and he soon became one of the top commercial directors in the world, sharing a space with directors like Spike Jonze and Mike Mills at the renowned production house MJZ.
Larsson is also the director of two celebrated shorts made for Vogue, starring Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour: The Magic Diner Part I and II.
Larsson is on the road towards carving a strong career as a multidisciplinary storyteller, and is currently working on multiple projects of varying formats.
Photo: Fredrik Bankler
Björn Natthiko Lindeblad (b.1961) is a Swedish public speaker, meditation teacher and former Buddhist monk. In his mid-twenties Björn swapped his career as a business executive for life as a forest monk in the jungles of Thailand. There he was given the name Natthiko, meaning “one who grows in wisdom.” His book I May Be Wrong has won the hearts and minds of the Swedish people and tells the story of Björn’s life journey and the hard-won insights he’s gained into how one can live a more free and present life. The book, written in close collaboration with Björn’s friends and colleagues Caroline Bankler and Navid Modiri, became an instant No. 1 bestseller.
Caroline Bankler (b.1983 ) is a Swedish producer and project manager. Caroline was the producer of Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s acclaimed nationwide tour Keys to freedom.
Navid Modiri (b.1983) is a podcaster, speaker and author. He has worked as a TV- and radio host and is a popular speaker on the topics of creativity and diversity.
Netherlands, House of Books
Two-book deal closed by Tor Jonasson
Albania, Dudaj
Three-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
Denmark, Bogoo Books
Two-book deal closed by Linda Andersson
Lithuania, Baltos Lankos
Closed by Emma Granberg
Bulgaria, Enthusiast
Closed by Emma Granberg
Taiwan, Azoth
Three-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
It’s reminiscent of an Agatha Christie tale, where the group is slowly whittled down. Although the cover labels it a thriller, there’s a strong detective element too: Who’s targeting them? Why? And how is someone managing to manipulate their environment? The answers are revealed gradually—the most crucial ones saved for last, and they’re far from easy to predict.
– DAST Magazine
Lovrenski writes with mordant wit throughout /…/ Lovrenski is a gifted writer.
– The Telegraph
There is of course plenty of giggles, laughter, and the occasional scream, just as intended I suppose.
– Mariestads-Tidningen Plus
In short, [it’s a story] about a completely ordinary and strikingly beautiful life, which you would have to be made of Bornholm granite not to be touched and moved by.
– Kristeligt Dagblad
This is the beauty of this novel: without directly verbalizing it, it achieves to say so much of that which is part of our human experience, our fears, our suffering.
– Il Giornale
Psychologist Kari Voss is grieving for her dead husband when she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.
