Margery Allingham's Mysterious Knits by Kate Davies

I came across Margery Allingham's Mysterious Knits by Kate Davies in one of my knitting magazines. Alongside essays, it contains some lovely knitting patterns which can be bought individually on Ravelry and Ravelry users get a free copy of the ebook when they buy the hardback. Crime fiction fans will recognise some of the contributors.

You can buy the print copy at KDD & Co for £25. 

I haven't got a copy yet but this would appear to make a lovely present for a crime fiction reading knitter (like myself)...

Margery Allingham's Mysterious Knits

What happens when you bring literary plot and pattern design together? 

Margery Allingham was one of the undoubted queens of British detective fiction’s Golden Age, and this bringing together of novel-inspired handknits with critical, contextual essays offers an in-the-round celebration of her work. Kate Davies’ collection speaks to the detective author’s inventive spirit: a single, unbroken strand of yarn transforms itself into a three-dimensional slipper; hats and pullovers are knitted from side to side, while a triangular shawl up-ends itself to eventually become a cardigan. The techniques are all contemporary, but there’s a nod to classic twentieth-century knitting style as well: narrow garter-stitch stripes meet modern short row shaping, while slipped stitches and Art Deco chevrons are incorporated into light knits that will work in many wardrobes. Alongside this most mysterious collection, literary contributors explore themes that illuminate Margery Allingham’s creative world: from the relationship between patterns and plotting, to the fashion, film and popular culture of the 1930s and 1940s; from the wide ranging role played by knitting and knitters in detective fiction, to the distinctive Essex landscape that inspired Margery Allingham throughout her life.  Full of revelations, plot twists, and (of course) the occasional red herring, this highly original exploration of one of detective fiction’s most ingenious authors is sure to surprise and delight. 

Contributors: Tom Barr, Caroline Crampton, Kate Davies, Veronica Horwell, Julia Jones, Sarah Mackay, Imogen Robertson. 

Amazon Bargain - Deliver Me

For some reason the Hardback of Deliver Me by Malin Persson Giolito translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles is only £2.48 on Amazon UK (the kindle is £2.99). I imagine there are only limited copies. 

NB. Giolito and Willson-Broyles won the Petrona Award for Quicksand in 2018.

And if you like covers with playgrounds/swings on, here are a few examples.

Blog Tour: Black Storms by Teresa Solana tr. Peter Bush

Welcome to the final stop on the blog tour for Black Storms by Teresa Solana translated by Peter Bush and published by Corylus Books.

I am very pleased to be able to share an extract from Black Storms (below) (and Euro Crime has reviewed Teresa Solana's previous novels here.)

A country that doesn't acknowledge its past is destined to repeat its mistakes.

Why murder a sick old man nearing retirement? An investigation into the death of a professor at the University of Barcelona seems particularly baffling for Deputy Inspector Norma Forester of the Catalan police, as word from the top confirms she's the one to lead this case.

The granddaughter of an English member of the International Brigades, Norma has a colourful family life, with a forensic doctor husband, a hippy mother, a squatter daughter and an aunt, a nun in an enclosed order, who operates as a hacker from her austere convent cell.

This blended family sometimes helps and often hinders Norma's investigations.

It seems the spectres of the past have not yet been laid to rest, and there are people who can neither forgive nor forget the cruelties of the Spanish Civil War and all that followed.

Extract

The man who was about to commit murder left home at six-thirty, after telling his girlfriend Mary he’d business to see to and checking his car keys were in his pocket. He’d not driven his third-hand Seat Ibiza for days. Its shabby appearance was protection against petty thieves even in a street like theirs where he usually parked it. Nonetheless, when he saw the thick layer of dust and the obscenities a finger had scrawled on the bonnet, sides and windows, he decided a filthy car would attract attention and it might be worth his while to shell out on a wash. The queue he found at the garage started to wear his patience thin. However, he cooled down after taking a glance at his watch: the professor had given him an appointment for eight forty-five and there was no point being early. He had more than enough time. No need to worry.

He drove his gleaming Seat up the Gran Via towards the Plaça d’Espanya, and then turned down Entença on his way to Roma. As soon as he reached the Plaça dels Països Catalans, he left the car in a parking lot and went into Sants station, all set on melting into the crowd. He was sure nobody would notice him in that chaotic, crowded spot—that’s why he’d chosen it—and hurried into the lavatories gripping his black backpack. It contained all he needed to carry out his plan of action: a disguise, latex gloves so he didn’t leave fingerprints, and a length of plastic-covered clothesline. It was an old, light backpack, nothing too flashy to attract thieves on the lookout for easy pickings from commuters and tourists.

He found an empty stall in the gents, checked the catch was working and rather nervously shut himself inside. He took a wrap from his pocket, prepared a line of coke and racked his brain wondering how he’d eke out his meagre supplies until Mary brought a fresh consignment. The cocaine revitalised him, and with the drug still buzzing in his brain, he took off his shirt and jacket and donned the disguise he’d crammed into his backpack. All he needed from now on was inside a corduroy bag he slung over his shoulder that radically transformed his appearance when it was combined with the jeans, the shirt with the Mao collar that was a couple of sizes too big, and a Palestinian scarf he’d bought at the same hippy stall where he’d found the shirt. Just in case, a khaki cap and fake Ray-Bans hid his eyes, hair and part of his face. When he emerged from the lavatories and glanced at the queue at the ticket counter, he could only smile. Nobody would ever recognize him in that jazzy disguise.

He went to the left-luggage office and deposited the backpack in a locker before catching the Line 3 metro. Twenty minutes later the man who was about to commit murder was walking along La Rambla on his way to the history department. While he progressed steadily, trying to dodge the bustling pedestrians and bedazzled tourists in his way, he felt altogether pleased with himself and his brainwave pseudonym and doctoral-student status. Had the professor smelled a rat, he might have caught him out and told someone, even informed the police, but his ploy had worked a treat. The professor had swallowed the lot and agreed to see him in his office in the evening, after classes, when the corridors of the department would have shed their daytime throng of students and professors, and he could avoid dozens of potential witnesses eyeing his every move. If everything went to plan, terminating the professor’s life would be simple enough. So far, the man about to commit murder had calculated right. But only so far.

Teresa Solana is a multi-award-winning Catalan crime writer and literary translator, renowned for her inventive, distinctive style. Her first crime series has been translated into several languages, and her short story collection The First Prehistoric Serial Killer was longlisted for the CWA Short Story Dagger Award in 2019. Black Storms is full of Teresa Solana’s signature humour, but also reflects social issues and acknowledges the weight of history that is part of Catalonia’s psyche.

Peter Bush is one of the most distinguished literary translators into English, and has translated from French, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as from Catalan. Not only active as a translator, he has also been a key figure in developing literary translation as an academic discipline.

Many thanks to Ewa Sherman, Teresa Solana, Peter Bush and Corylus Books for this extract and the opportunity to be involved.

Now check out the previous stops on the Tour!

The Petrona Award 2024 - Winner

Winner of 2024 Petrona Award announced 

The winner of the 2024 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year is: 

DEAD MEN DANCING by Jógvan Isaksen translated from the Faroese by Marita Thomsen and published by Norvik Press. 

Jógvan Isaksen will receive a trophy, and both the author and translator will receive a cash prize. 

The judges’ statement on DEAD MEN DANCING: 

Similar to the story of the ancient god Prometheus, a man has been shackled to rocks on the Faroe Islands, and left to drown on the beach. The discovery of his body throws the local community into an unsettling chaos, and as the journalist Hannis Martinsson investigates, he comes across evidence of similar deaths. He realises they are linked to the events in Klaksvík in the 1950s, and a local revolt which tore the community apart. As Martinsson digs into the troubled past, he learns about his country’s history, and also gives the reader a chance to discover what makes the Faroes intriguing and spellbinding. Being a largely unknown territory to most, Dead Men Dancing includes a useful introduction to the modern reality of these islands by the CEO of the Faroese Broadcasting Corporation, mirrored by the social commentary that lies at the heart of the book itself, and the portrayal of the relationship with Denmark throughout the years. 

This is only Isaksen’s second novel to be translated into English following Walpurgis Tide. This contemporary Faroese crime fiction writer places his characters in the wild, beautiful, and unforgiving environment and allows them to search for truth. The judges found the location to be absolutely integral to the unfolding of the plot, and how the raw natural beauty of the Faroes served as a reflection of the thoughts and actions of the characters.

Dogged and uncompromising, Martinsson is a superb creation, similar in his ‘detective’ thinking and approach to Gunnar Staalesen's lonely wolf PI Varg Veum, which the judging panel found very appealing. Martinsson's gloomy demeanour and natural cynicism was beautifully balanced throughout with the more empathetic side of his nature, and in the age-old tradition of crime fiction his personal and professional relationships are fraught with tension. 

The translation by Marita Thomsen is both accomplished and a little unusual, drawing as she does on the vernacular and intonation of the Scottish dialect. Again, the judges found this to be refreshingly different, and enjoyed the unique cadence and rhythm this gave to the book overall, an essential quality of any book in translation. 

The judges agreed that in Dead Men Dancing the balance between location, plot and characterisation worked well, incorporating some of the familiar tropes of crime fiction, but also providing a refreshingly different reading experience. This was achieved by the depiction of the Faroes themselves and their history, working in symmetry with the narrative, and also by the characterisation of Martinsson, reminiscent of the traditional spare style in Nordic crime fiction. The assured and distinctive translation was also a significant factor in the judges' overall decision. 

Statements from the winning author, translator and publisher:

Jógvan Isaksen (author): 

I feel it is a great honour to win this award, especially when I see that the competition includes several of my favourite Scandinavian authors. I am also proud to represent my country, the Faroe Islands, a self-governing part of the Danish Kingdom with its own language and traditions. Furthermore there are special bonds between the UK and The Faroes since the friendly occupation during World War II. I personally became a member of Collins Crime Club when I was only thirteen, and fought my way through crime novels I could hardly read. But at last I got there and have for many years been an admirer of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Eric Ambler, Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin and many, many more. 

Marita Thomsen (translator): 

It was thrilling to translate the Faroese novel Dead Men Dancing and a great honour to receive the Petrona Award. I am privileged to find myself in the company of the master crafters of stories and languages shortlisted this year, congratulations to all! My thanks first and foremost to Jógvan Isaksen for keeping us in suspense, as he navigates the rugged outlines of the psychology and wild shores of the Faroe Islands. This book offers a fascinating window into regional tensions in the archipelago and historical tensions in the Kingdom of Denmark. Thank you to the passionate Norvik team for expert guidance and editorial advice. And to Richard and Jane for your patience and boundless enthusiasm for everything, even the difference between rowing boats and oared boats. 

Janet Garton (Norvik Press Commissioning Editor):

We are delighted that Dead Men Dancing has won this year’s Petrona Award. Jógvan Isaksen is a master of suspense, and his maverick amateur sleuth Hannis Martinsson takes the reader on hair-raising trips by land and sea before – of course – solving the mystery before the frustrated police. The Martinsson series was the basis of the successful TV series TROM, and this is the second of the series to be published by Norvik Press, after Walpurgis Tide in 2016. Hopefully there will be more to come! 

The Petrona team would like to thank David Hicks for his continuing sponsorship of the Petrona Award.

The judges

Jackie Farrant - creator of RAVEN CRIME READS and a bookseller/Area Commercial Support for a major book chain in the UK.

Ewa Sherman - translator and writer, and blogger at NORDIC LIGHTHOUSE.

Award administrator

Karen Meek – owner of the EURO CRIME blog and website.

For more information on the Petrona Award please visit www.petronaaward.co.uk/

New Releases - September 2024

I'm still behind but I feel I've picked up most of September's titles. As ever, do let me know the ones I've missed! 

Here's a snapshot of what I think was published for the first time in September 2024 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 111 titles this month (see above).

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

Further to my post about writers of colour and the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a *** .

Ace, Cathy - The Corpse with the Pearly Smile #14 Welsh-Canadian Professor Cait Morgan, Criminologist
Archer, Jeffrey - An Eye for an Eye #7 Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick
Arlidge, M J & Steph Broadribb - The Reunion
Ash, Maureen - Death in Dover (ebook only) #12 Templar Bascot de Marins
Ashley, Jennifer - A Measure of Menace #3 Below Stairs Novella
Atkinson, Heather - Deadly Games (ebook only) #6 Blagger's Code
Austin, Stephanie - A Death on Dartmoor Edge #8 Juno Browne
Bassett, Tony - It Never Rains #6 Detectives Roy and Roscoe
Benn, James R - The Phantom Patrol #19 Billy Boyle, WW2
Blackhurst, J L - Smoke and Murders #2 Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs
Bonner, Sarah - How to Slay at Work
Brack, Graham - The Moers Murders #8 Master Mercurius
Bradley, Alan - What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust #11 Eleven year old Flavia de Luce, 1950s England
Brett, Simon - A Messy Murder #4 Ellen Curtis, Declutterer
Bright, Verity - Murder on the Nile #19 Lady Eleanor Swift, 1920s
Britton, Anna - Close to the Edge #2 Detectives Martin & Stern
Brolly, Matt - The Solstice #7 Detective Louise Blackwell
Brooke, Amanda - Nightfall
Bruce, Alison - Because She Looked Away #1 DI Ronnie Blake, Cambridge
Buchanan, Kerry - The Darkening Hills #4 Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch, Belfast
Burrowes, Grace - A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor #6 The Lord Julian Mysteries
Carson, John - Whispers of Guilt #4 DCI James Craig
Carter, A J - The Plastic Surgeon
Castle, Alice - A Seaside Murder #2 Sarah Vane
Chester, Fliss - Death in the Mayfair Hotel #6 Cressida Fawcett, 1920s
Coles, Catherine - Murder at Docere House #9 Tommy & Evelyn Christie
Comley, M A - Frozen in Time #14 DI Sally Parker
Critchlow, Heather - Unsound #3 Cal Lovett Files
Dakin, Emma - Storms in the Cotswolds #6 British Book Tour Mysteries
Davison, Anita - Murder at Midwinter Manor #3 Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet, 1915, London
Dawson, Mark - All the Devils Are Here #4 Atticus Priest
Edwards, Martin - Hemlock Bay #5 Rachel Savernake & Jacob Flint, 1930s
Finch, Emily L - An Exhibition of Malice #3 Samantha and Wyatt Mysteries, 1860s
Fitzek, Sebastian - Playlist tr. Jamie Bulloch #3 Alexander Zorbach
Fitzgerald, Bea - Then Things Went Dark
Ford, P F - Death By Sports Car #14 Slater and Norman
Francis, Felix - Syndicate
Frankland, Maria - The Holiday Cottage
Galloway, K T - Chill Pill #10 O'Malley & Swift
Gatland, Jack - A Pocket Full of Posies #20 DI Declan Walsh
Gatward, David J - The Somerset Slayings #1 DI Gordy Haig
Gayle, Katie - Murder on a Country Walk #6 Julia Bird, Cotswolds
Gerhardsen, Carin - The Saint tr. Paul Norlen #4 Hammarby Series
Gibney, Patricia - Her Last Walk Home #14 Detective Lottie Parker
Gitsham, Paul - The Aftermath
Golden, Helen - A Death of Fresh Air #9 A Right Royal Cozy Investigation Mystery
Goldin, A E - Murder in Constantinople #1 Ben Canaan, 1854
Goodman, David - A Reluctant Spy
Grand, Mary - A Christmas Murder
Greene, Morgan - A Place Called Hope
Hall, Traci - Murder at a Scottish Christmas #6 Paislee Shaw, Nairn, Scotland
Hollingdrake, Malcolm - Past Promises #14 Harrogate Crime Series
Huber, Anna Lee - The Cold Light of Day #7 Verity Kent, England, 1919
Hurst, Daniel - My Neighbour's Affair
Jakeman, Jo - One Bad Apple
James, Ed - His Path of Darkness #6 DI Rob Marshall
James, Evelyn - The Mystery of the Cursed Castle #12 Colonel Bainbridge and his niece, Victoria Bovington
James, Peter - One of us is Dead #21 Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, Brighton
Jennings, Maureen - March Roars #4 Paradise Cafe, Toronto, 1936
Johnstone, Doug - Living is a Problem #6 Skelfs family
Jordan, G R - The Absent Sculptor #36 Highlands and Islands
Kerr, Michael - Born to Kill #10 DCI Matt Barnes
Kirk, JD - A Killer of Influence #20 DCI Logan
Lane, Anna Sayburn - The Riviera Mystery #4 Marjorie, 1920s
Laws, Richard - Shaken Up #2 Grant Bainbridge Racing Thriller
Lawton, Sarah - A Drowning Tide
Leigh, Adriane - My Perfect Family
MacBride, Stuart - The Tasting Menu (ebook only) #Novella
McCleave, Simon - The Wirral Killings #20 DI Ruth Hunter
Mackie, Bella - What a Way To Go
Major, Tim - Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives
Markin, Wes - Forgotten Lives #2 Detective Chief Inspector Frank Black, Whitby
Maslen, Andy - Peacemaker (ebook only) #15 Gabriel Wolfe
Mason, Simon - Missing Person: Alice #1 Finder
Mason, Simon - The Case of the Lonely Accountant #2 Finder
May, Peter - The Black Loch #4 Fin Macleod, Police Officer, Edinburgh
Mercer, Leah - The Summer Reunion
Minchin, Louise - Isolation Island
Montclair, Allison - Murder at the White Palace #6 Sparks and Bainbridge, London, Post WW2
Morrison, Lynn - Murder in the House #8 Dora and Rex, 1920s
Murphy, M K - Blood Debt #2 DS Rick Turner
Negus, Trevor - A Dark Place #13 DI Danny Flint
Nesbo, Jo - Blood Ties tr. Robert Ferguson #2 Opgard brothers
Nickson, Chris - Them Without Pain #7 Simon Westow, Thief-taker, Regency Leeds
Oldham, Nick - Death at Dead Man's Stake #1 Jessica Raker
Osman, Richard - We Solve Murders #1 We Solve Murders
Penrose, Andrea - Murder at King's Crossing #8 Wrexford & Sloane
Rahme, Laura - The Signare of Gorée
Reeves, S A - A Bitter Pill #1 The Bookshop Mysteries
Rhodes, GS - Like a Prayer (ebook only) #11 DI Benjamin Kidd
Rhodes, Kate - The Stalker
Riley, Vanessa - Murder in Berkeley Square #3 Lady Worthing, Regency ***
Rowson, Pauline - The Chidham Creek Murders #18 DI Andy Horton and his sidekick Barney Cantelli, Portsmouth
Rubin, Gareth - Holmes and Moriarty
Russell, Leigh - Poppy's Christmas Cracker #4 Poppy Mystery
Sanders, Nicola - Don't Believe Her
Shapiro, Irina - Murder of Innocents #14 Redmond and Haze
Smith, Alex - Every Last Devil #16 DCI Robert Kett, Norfolk
Smith, Alexander McCall - The Great Hippopotamus Hotel #25 Mma Ramotswe, PI, Botswana
Smith, Hayley - The Childminder
Smith, Miranda - Loving Mothers
Starr, Melvin R - Way of Wicked #17 Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon, 14thC England
Sutton, Ann - Book Clubs Can Be Murder #3 Saffron Weald Mysteries
Swanson, Louise - Lights Out
Tope, Rebecca - A Lake District Christmas Murder #14 Persimmon Brown, Florist, Lake District
Vetsch, Erica - A Thieving at Carlton House #1 Of Cloaks & Daggers
Walker, Laura Jensen - Death of a Flying Nightingale
Williams, Lana - The Ravenkeeper's Daughter #1 Field & Greystone
Williams, Stephen - Dead Town #3 Raine and Hume
Woodbury, Sarah - Bardd #5 Welsh Guard Mysteries
Yarwood, Mark - Of Rage and Ruin #4 DCI Peter Moone

New Releases - August 2024

I'm still so behind but I feel I've picked up more of August's titles than I did for July. As ever, do let me know the ones I've missed! 

Here's a snapshot of what I think was published for the first time in August 2024 (and is usually a UK date but occasionally will be a US or Australian date). 92 titles this month (see above).

Please note that, unless specifically mentioned, when a book has differing print and ebook release date, I use the print release date. Translators' names are included where known.

Further to my post about writers of colour and the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, I have identified the writers of colour (that I know of) with a *** (NB. None again this month).

Abbott, Rachel - The Last Time I Saw Him #4 Stephanie King
Alexander, Magda - A Murder in Paris #10 Kitty Worthington
Anderson, Lin - Ice Cold in Cannes (ebook only) #3 Patrick de Courvoisier, Cannes, France
Anderson, Lin - Whispers of the Dead #19 Rhona MacLeod, forensic scientist, Glasgow
Atkinson, Kate - Death at the Sign of the Rook #6 Jackson Brodie, Retired PI
Baker, J A - Hush Little Baby
Barnsley, Rhiannon - The Clique
Barton, Fiona - Talking to Strangers #2 Elise King
Bennett, Gwyn - Burning Lies #9 Dr Harrison Lane
Bowen, Rhys - The Rose Arbor
Burke-Patel, Bonnie - I Died at Fallow Hall
Burnside, Heather - Vengeance
Bussell, Suzy - Haunted High Tea and Homicide #1 The Jane Austen Tearoom Mysteries, Sidmouth
Butler, D S - Leave No Trace #9 DS Karen Hart, Lincolnshire
Cassidy, Amanda - The Perfect Place
Cavanagh, Steve - Witness 8 #8 Eddie Flynn, USA
Chase, Clare - The Antique Store Detective #1 Bella Winter
Child, Lee - Safe Enough - Short Stories
Cleeves, Ann - The Dark Wives #11 Inspector Vera Stanhope, East Yorkshire
Cole, M G - Siren's Call #8 DCI Garrick
Comley, M A - To Judge Them #14 DI Sam Cobbs
Connelly, Lucy - An Irish Bookshop Murder #1 Mercy McCarthy, Ireland
Coombs, Alex - A Knife in the Back #3 Old Forge Cafe Mystery
Cooper, Claire - The Couple on the Train
Cunningham, Jo - Death by Numbers #1 Una, Actuary, Eastbourne
Dalgliesh, J M - Homewrecker
Dent, Susie - Guilty by Definition
Dickson, Diane M - Body in the Way #8 DI Jordan Carr, Liverpool
Dixon, Helena - Murder in the Countryside #17 Miss Underhay
Donovan, Kerry J - On The Charge #13 Ryan Kaine
Downes, Anna - Red River Road
Elliot, Laura - Not Their Daughter
Elliott, Anna & Veley, Charles - The Adventure of the Time Machine #36 Sherlock and Lucy Mysteries
Ellis, Emmy - The Lion's Den #2 Detective Anna James
Ellis, Emmy - The Copy Cat #3 Detective Anna James
Ellis, Hannah - Death on the Rocks #1 Lily Larkin
Ellis, Kate - Coffin Island #28 Wesley Peterson (policeman) and Neil Watson (archaeologist), Tradmouth, Devon
Fennell, David - A Violent Heart #4 DI Grace Archer & DS Harry Quinn, London
Field, David - The Clamorous Dead #4 Bailiff Mountsorrel Tudor Mysteries
Fleet, Katherine - The Liars
Fletcher, Susan - The Night in Question
Ford, P F - Death by Caravan #12 Slater and Norman
Ford, P F - Death by Jogging #13 Slater and Norman
Giles, Stewart - The Hitchhiker #29 DS Jason Smith
Glass, Ava - The Trap #3 Alias Emma series
Goodwin, Sarah - The Island
Griffin, Martin - The Last Visitor
Hallett, Janice - The Examiner
Halsall, Rona - The Fiance
Harper, Izzie - Murder at the Summer Swim #6 The Wootton Windmill Mysteries
Harris, Robert - Precipice
Hendy, Hannah - A Gravely Troubling Discovery #5 The Dinner Lady Detectives
Higgs, Steve - Shadow of a Lie #1 DS Tony Heaton
Higgs, Steve - Old Fashioned #3 Albert Smith
Hunter, E V - A Deadly Affair #5 Hopgood Hall Murder Mysteries
Jonasson, Ragnar - Death at the Sanitorium tr. Victoria Cribb
Lagercrantz, David Fatal - Gambit tr. Ian Giles #2 Professor Hans Rekke & Micaela Vargas
Leadbeater, David - Blood Requiem
Lecky, Pam - A Pocketful of Diamonds #4 Lucy Lawrence, Victorian Era
Lloyd, Catherine - Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance #3 Miss Morton, Regency England
Lloyd, Chris - Banquet of Beggars #3 Detective Eddie Giral, Paris, 1940
Luther, Max - Worth Killing For #3 Alex Drayce
McEvoy, Lesley - The Invisible Dead #4 Dr Jo McCready
McLean, Rachel - Power and Treachery (ebook only) #3 McBride & Tanner
Manning, Max -A Body on the Flats #1 DI Edison Kane & DC Bailey Granger, Essex
Markin, Wes - Forgotten Bones #1 Detective Chief Inspector Frank Black, Whitby
Maslen, Andy - The Silent Wife #3 Detective Kat Ballantyne
Mead, Tom - Cabaret Macabre #3 Joseph Spector
Morris, M S - Stained with Blood #7 DCI Tom Raven
Mortimer, Bob - The Hotel Avocado #2 Gary Thorn
Mosse, Greg - Murder at the Fair #4 Maisie Cooper
Mumford, Louise - The Festival
Murphy, Martina - The Bone Fire #4 DS Lucy Golden
Neville, Stuart - Blood Like Mine
Norman, Charity - Home Truths
North, Liza - The Weekend Guests
Perry, S W - Berlin Duet
Ramsay, Caro - Out of the Dark #3 DCI Christine Caplan, Highlands
Reid, TG - Burn it All Down #7 DCI Bone
Rhodes, Tyler - Ninjas and Nightmares #9 Max's Campervan Case Files
Russell, Leigh - Deadly Will #22 DI Geraldine Steel
Salter, Michelle - A Corpse in Christmas Close #5 Iris Woodmore, 1920s
Saxon, Diane - My Mother's Lies
Schellman, Katharine - A Scandal in Mayfair #5 Lily Adler, London, 1815
Staalesen, Gunnar - Pursued by Death tr. Don Bartlett #22 Varg Veum, PI in Bergen, Norway
Sutton, Ann - The Case of the Deadly Dinner (ebook only) #1 Maggie Malone
Swann, Leonie - Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime tr. Amy Bojang #2 Agnes Sharp
Ward, Cameron - Spiral
Williams, T A - Murder in Portofino #8 Armstrong and Oscar
Wilson, Claire - Five by Five
Wright, G D - After the Storm #1 DS Sue Willmott
Yarwood-Lovett, Sarah - A Swarm of Butterflies #6 Nell Ward

The Petrona Award 2024 - Shortlist

 

Outstanding crime fiction from the Kingdom of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden shortlisted for the 2024 Petrona Award

Six impressive crime novels from the Kingdom of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have been shortlisted for the 2024 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The shortlist is announced today, Thursday 10 October and is as follows:

Anne Mette Hancock - The Collector tr. Tara F Chace (Denmark, Swift Press)

Jørn Lier Horst - Snow Fall tr. Anne Bruce (Norway, Michael Joseph)

Arnaldur Indriðason - The Girl by the Bridge tr. Philip Roughton (Iceland, Harvill Secker)

Jógvan Isaksen - Dead Men Dancing tr. Marita Thomsen (Faroe Islands (Kingdom of Denmark), Norvik Press)

Åsa Larsson - The Sins of our Fathers tr. Frank Perry (Sweden, MacLehose Press)

Yrsa Sigurðardottir - The Prey tr. Victoria Cribb (Iceland, Hodder & Stoughton)

The winning title will be announced on 14 November 2024. 

The Petrona Award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year.

The Petrona team would like to thank our sponsor, David Hicks, for his continued generous support of the Petrona Award. 

The judges’ comments on the shortlist:

There were 31 entries for the 2024 Petrona Award from six countries (Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). This year’s shortlist sees both the Kingdom of Denmark and Iceland represented with two novels each and Sweden and Norway with one novel each. The judges selected the shortlist from a strong pool of candidates with the shortlisted authors including Petrona Award winners, Jørn Lier Horst and Yrsa Sigurðardottir.

As ever, we are extremely grateful to the six translators whose expertise and skill have allowed readers to access these outstanding examples of Scandinavian crime fiction, and to the publishers who continue to champion and support translated fiction. 

The judges’ comments on each of the shortlisted titles:

Anne Mette Hancock - THE COLLECTOR translated by Tara F Chace (Denmark, Swift Press)

When ten-year-old Lukas disappears from his Copenhagen school, police investigators discover that the boy had a peculiar obsession with pareidolia: a phenomenon that makes him see faces in random things. A photo on his phone, posted just hours before his disappearance, shows an old barn door that resembles a face. Journalist Heloise Kaldan thinks she recognizes the barn - but from where? When Lukas’s blood-flecked jacket is found, DNA evidence points to Thomas Strand, a former soldier suffering from severe PTSD, but then Strand turns up dead in his apartment. 

This is a complex thriller of buried secrets, that beautifully wrong-foots the reader from beginning to end.

Jørn Lier Horst - SNOW FALL, translated by Anne Bruce (Norway, Michael Joseph)

The discovery of an Australian backpacker’s body in Spain prompts a group of amateur true crime detectives into action. They are scattered online around the world, attempting to solve the mystery of her death. Astri, a young Norwegian woman whose intense pursuit takes her closer than anyone else to solving the case, prepares to reveal her findings and then goes offline. When William Wisting reluctantly gets involved in the investigation, he is faced with the unusual, unorthodox investigators of varied skills and intentions, and puzzling connections. 

A slow methodological approach gathers pace and pulls readers into a complex web of low-key international ties. As always Lier Horst delves deep into the psychology and motives of the characters, creating a slow-burning police procedural of empathy and human interest, firmly rooted in Norwegian society.   

Arnaldur Indriðason - THE GIRL BY THE BRIDGE translated by Philip Roughton (Iceland, Harvill Secker)

When a young woman known for drug smuggling goes missing, her elderly grandparents have no choice but to call friend of the family, retired detective Konrád. Still looking for his own father's murderer, Konrád agrees to investigate the case, but digging into the past reveals more than he set out to discover, and a strange connection to a little girl who drowned in the Reykjavík city pond decades ago recaptures everyone's attention.

One of Iceland’s most established authors, Indriðason skilfully interweaves different timelines along with assured characterisation, in this second book to feature Konrád.

Jógvan Isaksen - DEAD MEN DANCING translated by Marita Thomsen (Faroe Islands (Kingdom of Denmark), Norvik Press)

Similar to the story of the ancient god Prometheus, a man has been shackled to rocks and left to drown on the beach. But this time it happens on the Faroe Islands. The discovery of his body throws the local community into an unsettling chaos. As the journalist Hannis Martinsson investigates, he comes across evidence of similar deaths. He realises they are linked to the events in Klaksvik in the 1950s, and a local revolt which tore the community apart. As Martinsson digs into the past, he learns about his country’s history, and the reader has a chance to discover what makes the Faroes intriguing and spellbinding. 

This is only Isaksen’s second novel to be translated into English. The contemporary Faroese crime fiction writer places his characters in the wild, beautiful, and unforgiving environment and allows them to search for truth. Dogged and uncompromising, Martinsson is a superb creation. 

Åsa Larsson - THE SINS OF OUR FATHERS translated by Frank Perry (Sweden, MacLehose Press)

Rebecka Martinsson, disillusioned with her challenging job as a prosecutor, initially has no intention of looking into a fifty-year-old case involving the missing father of Swedish Olympic boxing champion, Börje Ström. Agreeing, however, to the dying wish of her forensic pathologist friend she begins to follow links when a body is found in a freezer at the house of a deceased alcoholic. The grim realities of life in the area years ago, and the current influx of criminals attracted by developments in Kiruna make for a tough investigation and difficult soul-searching, coupled with Rebecka’s own history in a foster family.

Larsson remains a wise, observant, social commentator and creator of a gripping, suspenseful and utterly moving series, with her eye to the past and the future, and emotive style. Delicate and  relevant humour adds hope to the fragile lives of the main characters.

Yrsa Sigurðardottir - THE PREY translated by Victoria Cribb (Iceland, Hodder & Stoughton)

Kolbeinn has been called to his old home as the new owners have uncovered some photos, and a muddied child's shoe bearing the name 'Salvor'. A name Kolbeinn doesn't recognise. Soon after, his mother's carers say that she has been asking for her daughter, Salvor.

Jóhanna is working with the search and rescue team in Höfn to find two couples from Reykjavik. Their phones' last location, the road leading up into the highlands. In a harsh winter, the journey is treacherous, and they soon find the first body.

Hjörvar works at the Stokksnes Radar Station in the highlands. He's alone when the phone connected to the gate rings: the first time it's ever done so. Above the interference he can hear a child's voice asking for her mother. 

How are these events connected?

Sigurðardottir balances these three storylines, each with her trademark creeping sense of unease, in this dark and disturbing standalone.

The judges

Jackie Farrant - creator of RAVEN CRIME READS and a bookseller/Area Commercial Support for a major book chain in the UK.

Ewa Sherman - translator and writer, and blogger at NORDIC LIGHTHOUSE.

Award administrator

Karen Meek – owner of the EURO CRIME blog and website.

Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website: http://www.petronaaward.co.uk.

On social media, please use #PetronaAward24.