About The Book

Ever since Stieg Larsson shone a light on the brilliance of Swedish crime writing with his critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, readers around the world have devoured fiction by some of the greatest masters of the genre. In this landmark publication, Sweden’s most distinguished crime writers, including Stieg Larsson himself, have contributed stories to an anthology that promises to sate the desire to read about the dark side of Sweden.

With an introduction by Swedish crime authority John-Henri Holmberg that traces the evolution of the genre from the late nineteenth century to the present day, this volume includes a never-before-translated story from Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, the husband-and-wife team that brought Swedish crime to a worldwide audience for the first time in the 1960s and ’70s; a brilliantly orchestrated piece in which Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander meets Håkan Nesser’s Van Veeteren; and stories from writers who will define the next wave of Swedish crime fiction.

Containing seventeen stories never before published in English, A Darker Shade of Sweden delves into the deepest shadows of this captivating place and shows why Swedish crime has kept readers enthralled for decades.

Praise

“A wonderful collection of beautiful Nordic noir—with Stieg Larsson as the cherry on top.” —Camilla Lackberg

“Gripping. . . . These unsettlingly dark tales reaffirm the dominance of Swedish writers with original crime fiction.” —Sun (UK)

“Entertaining.” —Times (UK)

“A fine anthology . . . [and] editor Holmberg gives an excellent overview of Swedish crime fiction in his introduction.” —Bill Crider, Mystery Scene