As one who is very proudly descended from Swedes, I am thrilled that the world (or at least the U.S. and Canada) is recognizing talent (other than ABBA tribute bands) coming out of Sweden - but there are other Nordic authors who are arguably as good, or better, than Larsson.
Authors worth reading (& collecting):
From Sweden:
Henning Mankell: Author of the Wallander series, and more recently The Man From Beijing, Mankell has won a number of awards, including a Gold Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association for Sidetracked (2001), and a Gumshoe Award for Best European Crime Novel: The Return of the Dancing Master (2002).
Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö: This Swedish duo wrote ten novels between 1965 and 1975, collectively titled The Story of a Crime, all of which starred detective Martin Beck. If you can find first (non book-club) editions of their earlier books, grab them. They tend to sell in the range of $500- $1,000 (unsigned and in good condition).
Håkan Nesser: Winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times. A recurring main character is in his novels is Van Veeteren, a detective in the early novels and later the owner of an antique books shop. First UK/Canadian editions of Borkmann's Point generally sell for $60 (unsigned).
Liza Marklund: A Swedish journalist and crime writer, Marklund's novels feature the fictional character Annika Bengtzon, a newspaper journalist. Her twelfth book, The Postcard Killers, was written in collaboration with James Patterson.
Camilla Lackbërg: Lackberg’s debut, Ice Princess, is a number-one best-seller in Sweden and the winner of France’s 2008 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for Best International Crime Novel. Signed U.S. editions of Ice Princess are selling for over $100. First UK editions (Harper Press, London, 2008) are going for $70 (unsigned), and in the range of $200 (signed).
From Norway:
Karin Fosum: Known as the "Norwegian queen of crime," she has written 15 books and won a number of awards, including Best European crime novel 2007 for When the Devil Holds the Candle, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for The Indian Bride. Signed first editions can be found from $40 to $90.
Jo Nesbø : an Edgar Award nominated Norwegian author, he's written 14 novels and garnered a number of Scandanavian literary awards. His introduction to the US market was Redbreast in 2006. This was his fourth novel - third in the Harry Hole crime fiction series. He is up for an Edgar Award for the next book in the series Nemesis.
From Iceland:
Arnaldur Indridason: the most popular writer in Iceland in recent years, Indridason has written 13 novels - ten of which are in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for the novel Silence of the Grave.
Signed first U.S. editions generally garner between $75 and $175.
And THAT, as they say, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Labels: authors, Crime fiction, Hakan Nesser, Henning Mankel, Icelandic, Indridason, Karin Fosum, Lackberg, Marklund, mystery, Nesbo, Nordic, Norwegian, Scandanvian, Sjowall, Stieg Larsson, Swedish, Wahloo
Arnaldur Indridason: the most popular writer in Iceland in recent years, Indridason has written 13 novels - ten of which are in the Reykjavik Thriller series. Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for the novel Silence of the Grave.