Internationally acclaimed Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen, a mainstay in the Nordic Noir crime fiction genre, will present the latest installment in his long-running Varg Vaum series. Bitter Flowers (translated by Don Bartlett) follows PI Varg Vaum as he faces one of the most challenging, traumatic investigations of his career. Fresh out of rehab, Varg must piece together apparently unrelated threads of evidence when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears and the cold-case of a missing child is revived. Tune in to this virtual conversation on a classic Nordic Noir series, led by bestselling Norwegian author Thomas Enger.

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Embracing the cold, atmospheric nature of noir fiction, German author Melanie Raabe and Finnish author Max Seeck sit down to discuss the art of keeping readers in suspense. Raabe’s psychological thriller The Shadow (translated by Imogen Taylor) examines destiny as a woman is told she will murder a man she has never met. Seeck’s Ice Coven (translated by Kristian London) depicts a mysterious race against time, set off by a dead body, two disappearances and a coven of witches.

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Join us as we explore influential books and writers who define a genre and have captivated readers for decades. Each session brings a contemporary writer sharing a favourite book or author, offering their insight as an author and sharing their joy as a reader. In this session, Kurdo Baksi discusses the work of the late Stieg Larsson. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest make up Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, a series that redefined the impact of Nordic Noir. With Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s death in 2004, Baksi penned a memoir about the legacy, feminism and work of his long-time friend.

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American author Kellye Garrett (Like a Sister) and Icelandic author Lilja Sigurðardóttir (Cold As Hell, translated by Quentin Bates) salute sisterhood in their twisty and character-driven new crime novels. Garrett introduces new representation for Black heroines with Lena Scott, a witty woman on a mission to discover who murdered her TV-star sister. Winner of Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, Sigurðardóttir launches a new series featuring Áróra, a woman returning home to Iceland in search for her estranged and missing sister, who uncovers unimaginable dark places and revelries along the way.

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Who says crime novels need to be serious? Scottish author Chris Brookmyre and Finnish author Antti Tuomainen have each infused humour and warm characters in their latest thriller novels. Brookmyre’s The Cut pairs two unlikely sleuths on a journey across Europe, while Tuomainen’s The Rabbit Factor sees an insurance actuary inherit an adventure park with a mountain of troubles. Hear the authors discuss how they turn the thriller genre on its head and why they mix fun into the chaos of crime.

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International bestselling author Daniel Kalla will present his thrilling new book The Darkness in the Light, set in one of the northernmost communities in the world. In The Darkness in the Light, what begins as a missing-person’s inquiry leads a concerned psychiatrist into a terrifying journey, endangering many more lives in a remote Alaskan community. Tune in for a compelling talk exploring the unique, complementary histories, lore and atmosphere that the arctic setting offers the Nordic Noir genre.

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Basque author Katixa Agirre and Icelandic author Eva Björg Ægisdóttir will explore how the genre of crime fiction can address damaging stereotypes about women and motherhood, as demonstrated in their latest crime novels. Agirre seamlessly weaves the elements of a traditional thriller into a powerful reflection on the relationship between motherhood and creativity in her latest novel, Mothers Don’t (translated by Katie Whittemore, Kristin Addis). The novel is told through the lens of a pregnant writer who becomes obsessed with a woman who committed a heinous double infanticide. Layering past and present tragedies involving two troubled new mothers, Ægisdóttir has crafted a chilling second installment in her popular Forbidden Iceland series, titled Girls Who Lie (translated by Victoria Cribb).

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International bestselling journalist-turned-author Thomas Enger presents Unhinged, the third installment in the award-winning Blix and Ramm series, co-written with Jørn Lier Horst. When a police investigator is killed execution-style and Blix’s own daughter is targeted by the killer, he makes a dangerous decision, which could cost him everything. Settle in to hear from one of Norway’s finest crime writers – Nordic Noir at its best – about this exciting new book, and how Enger and Horst so expertly work together to pair key social messages with their darkly gritty stories and twisting plots.

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