Nordic Noir is a subgenre of Crime Fiction. It’s also called Scandinavian crime fiction, as the novels are set in Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland).
These novels usually revolve around murder, corruption, societal issues, and, more generally, the darker side of human nature. They are set in bleak landscapes that reflect the harsh Nordic landscapes, instilling a sense of foreboding and tension. The protagonists (not always a detective) are flawed individuals who grapple with inner demons but have a ferocious sense of justice.
The novels rely on realism, which means the crime and police work are very detailed. While the procedural work is meticulously detailed, so is the violence. The scenes of violence are often very graphic. Nordic Noir isn’t for the faint heart.
However, the authors use their novels to criticise society, addressing issues such as inequality, racism, immigration, the welfare state, etc.
Nordic Noir gained international popularity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, thanks to Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø, and Henning Mankell, to name a few.
The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
I remember picking up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire at a WHSmith’s one summer whilst vacationing at my grandparents’ caravan down in Kent.
I’d heard about the novels before, and, if I remember correctly, the movie featuring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara had already flopped at the box office.
I can’t remember what drove me to pick the novel up. Perhaps it was the buy-one-get-one-half-price offer they had at the time? Perhaps it was destiny?
Never mind what made me pick them up.
I picked them up, and that’s what’s important.
After reading the first novel, which can be read as a standalone, I fell in love with everything about it: the bleakness, the believable, broody characters, and the prose (or at least the translation).
In the first novel, the reader is introduced to the protagonists: Mikael Blomkvist (who in my opinion, looked nothing like Daniel Craig), an investigative journalist facing a libel conviction and Lisbeth Salander, a talented hacker with a troubled past.
In the aftermath of the trial, Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece, Harriet, which happened forty years ago. Lisbeth Salander must conduct a background check on Blomkvist for her employers, which leads her to discover his involvement in the Vanger case. Intrigued, she begins to follow the case. Blomkvist reaches out to her, believing she could be a potential ally. Lisbeth and Mikael form an unlikely friendship which is based on mutual respect and shared determination.
In the second and third novels, Blomkvist and Salander return to help two journalists, Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson, bust open a sex trafficking ring that implicates certain prominent figures, including government officials.
In his novels, Stieg Larsson explored themes in a way that I had never seen before in books.
One of the central themes of Larsson’s novels is violence against women. Lisbeth Salander is a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. Through Salander, Larsson shows the widespread nature of violence against women in today’s society and its failures in addressing and preventing it. Larsson highlights the importance of empowering survivors seeking justice, hoping to change society’s perception.
Another strong theme throughout Larsson’s novels is corruption and the abuse of power within all types of institutions (government, law enforcement, media, business…). These portrayals warn readers of the dangers of unchecked power and underscore the importance of holding those in positions of power accountable for their actions.
When the books were written and published, surveillance and the erosion of privacy in the digital age were huge societal questions. Through Lisbeth’s character, Larsson explores the ethical issues that come hand-in-hand with technology.
Other Nordic noir novels that I have enjoyed (but not quite as much as Larsson’s original Millenium series) include:
The Department Q series by Jussi Alder Olsen
The series follows Detective Carl Mørck and his team in Department Q, a cold case division of the Copenhagen Police.
The Fjällbacka series by Camilla Läckberg
Set in the coastal town of Fjällbacka, Sweden, the novel follows a writer, Erica Falck, and her police detective husband, Patrik Hedström, as they investigate the small town’s heinous crimes.
The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund (a pseudonym for Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist)
The novel follows the intertwining lives of Police Detective Jeanette Kihlberg, who investigates a series of gruesome child abuse cases, and psychologist Sofia Zetterlund, who grapples with her inner demons whilst treating a mysterious patient who claims to have multiple personalities.
The Book Bump 
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