The latest addition to the Detective Agency No. 2 series, Operation Cover-Up, sails to No. 1 on the official Norwegian bestseller list for children’s fiction in February.
Photo: Nikolaj Moeller
Gustav Möller, a Swedish writer/director based in Denmark, has quickly become a highly sought-after name in Europe and the US.
Möller graduated from the renowned Danish Film School in 2015, winning the Next Nordic Generation Award for his thesis film, In Darkness. In 2018, he made his feature film debut with the incredibly successful psychological thriller The Guilty, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award in the category ‘World Cinema Dramatic.’ The film went on to win an array of awards around the world, including ‘Best Film,’ ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ at the Danish Film Awards, and was also shortlisted for the Academy Awards. Jake Gyllenhaal, a self-proclaimed fan, is attached to produce and star in an English-language remake of the project, set to be released by Netflix in 2021.
Among Möller’s upcoming projects is Snow Blind, another collaboration with Gyllenhaal and Möller’s English language directing debut. Snow Blind is a thriller adaptation of the graphic novel by Ollie Masters and Tyler Jenkins. Gyllenhaal is attached to star and produce, and after a highly competitive six-way bidding war, Apple Studios acquired the rights to the project.
The second season of Øystein Karlsen’s hit TV series Exit premieres tonight on NRK in Norway, to great critical acclaim. Based on true events, Exit is set in Norway’s high-flying financial world and the hugely successful dark and twisted first season instantly became the most streamed series in NRK’s history and was lauded around the world. The series is created, written and directed by Øystein Karlsen.
Jens Lapidus’ just published The No-Go Zone makes its debut on the official bestseller lists this week, coming in at No. 1 in e-book and audio. Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death stays put at No. 1 on the paperback list.
The paperback bestseller list of February 2021 sees Anne Holt land the No. 1 spot with A Necessary Death. The title is the second installment in the Selma Falck series.
In February, Beartown premiered on HBO Max in the U.S. and Canada to great praise, including being picked by Time Magazine as one of the five best new shows.
The celebrated series is based on Fredrik Backman’s novel of the same name, directed by Peter Grönlund, and written by Anders Weidemann, Antonia Pyk and Linn Gottfridsson.
“Beartown on HBO Max is an outstanding, unsparing work that transcends Scandinavian noir.”
-Paste Magazine, US
“A patient portrait of a stiflingly small place with a long memory; an investigation into the perils of masculinity; an icy Scandinavian take on Friday Night Lights.”
-Time Magazine, US
“A brilliant, bracing hockey drama that resonates hard. /…/ For all its elements of disillusion and despair, it is thrilling, wrenching drama, at times unforgettable, like the best of hockey can be, even while human nature drags it down to the worst of us.”
-The Globe and Mail, Canada
“It’s the combination of the adaptation of the novel, Peter Grönlund’s well-done direction and some excellent performances, particularly from its main stars, that makes Beartown a winner.”
-Under the Radar Magazine, US
“Stunning examination of rape and toxic masculinity. /…/ The series proves instantly gripping, thanks to vivid storytelling that lays out the interpersonal dynamics of its many players.”
-The Daily Beast, US
“Beartown /…/ takes the honesty of Friday Night Lights to an even deeper and much darker level. [Beartown] floored me with its realism, as it digs into the people of a struggling community.”
-Boston Globe, US
Katrine Engberg has been shortlisted for the danish literature prize the Martha Award 2021. The Martha Award is the largest book retailer award in Denmark, voted by the public and handed out annually by Bog & Idé. Previous winners include Jussi Adler-Olsen, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. This year’s winner will be announced in October.
The trailer has been released for SAS: Red Notice, the new action film based on Andy McNab’s novel Red Notice, directed by Magnus Martens.
The film stars Sam Heughan (Outlander), Ruby Rose (Batwoman), Andy Serkis (Planet of the Apes), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton) and Hannah John-Kamen (Ready Player One).
SAS: Red Notice will premiere in the UK on March 12, and in the US on March 16.
Anne Holt takes the No. 1 spot on the official paperback bestseller list of week 7 in Sweden. The title in question is A Necessary Death, the second installment in the Selma Falck series.
Oscar-winner Joachim Back (The New Tenants) will direct the dark comedy Corner Office – the film adaptation of Jonas Karlsson’s surreal novel The Room, about an office outsider finding a hidden place of refuge. Mad Men star Jon Hamm, Danny Pudi, Sarah Gadon and Christopher Heyerdahl are headlining the movie.
The office satire sees Hamm play Orson, a compulsive bureaucrat who discovers a secret room his co-workers deny exists. Community star Pudi is the messy office colleague Rakesh, while Gadon plays Alyssa, a charming receptionist who catches Orson’s eye. Heyerdahl plays the well-meaning boss, Andrew. The movie is shooting in Vancouver through mid-March.
Read more in Hollywood Reporter by clicking “Read more” below.
Italy, Marsilio
Closed by Niclas Salomonsson
Italy, Bompiani
Three-book deal closed by Federico Ambrosini
Ukraine, Stone Publishing
Closed by Emma Granberg
Estonia, Eesti Raamat
Five-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
Poland, Muza
Closed by Tor Jonasson
Lithuania, Obuolys
Three-book deal closed by Emma Granberg
[Nesbø] is so entertaining; every sentence is charged and full of undertones and hints.
– Weekendavisen
On top of the requisite thrills and shocking surprises, Rosenfeldt peppers the narrative with sardonic humor /…/ The result is a dark delight.
– Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*
I look at the novel in my hands and feel it clearly: it is consummate.
– Sydsvenskan (2026)
Jonas Gardell’s greatness is more evident than ever. /…/ Next to Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves, the great majority of contemporary Swedish literature looks unassuming, even cautious.
– Expressen (2026)
The trilogy gets a distinct, melancholic, and emotionally satisfying ending.
– BTJ
Stekenjokk is the first book in a new series of atmospheric crime novels set along the legendary Wilderness Road in early 1980s Sweden — a country on the brink of major transformation.
