Favourites of 2025

A belated welcome to the blog in 2026. As you can see from my Goodreads montage below I did not have a great reading year in 2025, in terms of quantity. As I've alluded to, circumstances at home have not been conducive to reading, and so I turned to children's books in the main to keep me going. I'm hoping this year will see a return to form!

What I have been enjoying enormously are the British Library Crime Classics. Three of my top reads were their reissues of Cat and Mouse by Christianna Brand, The Ten Teacups by Carter Dickson and very recently Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth (I hope we see more of hers reprinted).

Another top read (listen) was A Death in Damonds by S J Bennett read by Samantha Bond. I'm only a couple of weeks away from getting the next book on the series via the library's Borrowbox app.

It's a long way off but I'm really looking forward to the new Marple story by Lucy Foley: Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel.

Also, please note, the Petrona 2026 will be opening for business shortly. 

Euro Crime's read-in-2025 

Eurocrime's favorite books »

New Releases - August and September 2025

I've got behind again so in an effort to [begin the] catch-up here is what I've got on my database for August to September. 

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 *** 

 

Anthology - Birds, Strangers and Psychos (ed. Maxim Jakubowski)
Anthology - CrimeFest: Leaving the Scene (ed. Adrian Muller)
Anthology - A Right Cozy Historical Crime (ed. Wendy H Jones)
Addison, Margaret - A Death in Kingsley Square #13 Rose Simpson
Archer, Jeffrey - End Game #8 Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick
Armitage, Richard - The Cut
Atkinson, Heather - Twisted (ebook only) #7 Blagger's Code
Austin, Stephanie - How to Get Murdered in Devon #9 Juno Browne
Banville, John - Venetian Vespers
Barnett, Tam - How to Read a Killer's Mind
Barrettt, Andrew - The Colour of Fury #4 DS Regan Carter
Baskerville, B - Dark Rock #1 Spencer Bly
Braithwaite, Oyinkan - Cursed Daughters ***
Bright, Verity - Murder at the Royal Palace #23 Lady Eleanor Swift, 1920s
Britton, Anna - Left in the Ashes #3 Detectives Martin & Stern
Clements, Rory - Evil in High Places
Craven, M W - The Final Vow #7 Washington Poe
Critchlow, Heather - Unknown #4 Cal Lovett Files
Dalgliesh, J M - Death at Neist Point #6 DI Duncan McAdam, Isle of Skye
Day, Becca - The Secret at Number 7
Day, Elizabeth - One of Us
Dean, John - Murder in the Pennines #12 Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harris
Delvey, Robyn - The Bait #2 Eve Wren
D’Silva, Renita - Two Perfect Couples ***
Dunn, Matt - The Armchair Detectives #1 The Armchair Detective Mysteries
Dunnett, Gregg - Deep Blue Lies
Edwards, Martin - Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife
Ellis, Emmy - Resent #43 Cardigan Estate
Ellis, Emmy - Rioted #44 Cardigan Estate
Ellis, Hannah - The Sunken Truth #5 Lily Larkin
Ellis, Joy - Black Notice #11 DI Rowan Jackman & DS Maria Evans, Lincolnshire
Ellis, Kate - Deadly Remains #29 Wesley Peterson (policeman) and Neil Watson (archaeologist), Tradmouth, Devon
Evans, Matthew J - One Dark Thought #4 Chichester Crime
Falco, Michael - Murder in an Italian Piazza #3 Bria Bartolucci, Positano, Italy
Fields, Helen - Watching You #3 Dr Connie Woolwine
Finch, Paul - The Island
Francis, Felix - Dark Horse
Frankland, Maria - The Wife I Was
Galbraith, Robert - The Hallmarked Man #8 Cormoran Strike
Gatland, Jack - Silver and the Sunday Cypher #1 Sebastian Silver
Gatward, David J - Bad Deeds #21 DCI Harry Grimm
Gayle, Katie - Murder in the Winter Woods #8 Julia Bird, Cotswolds
George, Elizabeth - A Slowly Dying Cause #22 Inspector Thomas Lynley & Sergeant Barbara Havers
Giles, Stewart - The Optician #35 DS Jason Smith
Gleason, Colleen - Lady Darling Inquires After a Killer #1 Lady Darling, Victorian Era
Greig, Andrew James - Murder of Crows #3 DI James Corstophine
Guðlaugsdóttir, Guðrún - A Lethal Legacy tr. Quentin Bates #5 Alma Jónsdóttir, Journalist
> Gunnis, Emily - A Child in the Storm Hawkswood, Sarah - Feast for the Ravens #13 Bradecote and Catchpoll, Worcestershire, C12
Herron, Mick - Clown Town #9 Slough House
Hodges, David - Deceiver on the Levels #15 DC Kate Hamblin
Hurst, Daniel - The Ex Who Came Back
Indridason, Arnaldur - The Quiet Mother tr. Philip Roughton #3 Detective Konrad
Jakeman, Jo - The Vanishing Act
Jenkins, Victoria - It's Me or Her
Johnson, Maureen and Jay Cooper - You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder
Jonasson, Ragnar - The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer tr. Victoria Cribb #2 Helgi
Kay, Adam - A Particularly Nasty Case
Lancaster, Julie - Remember Where You've Buried the Bodies
Leadbeater, David - The Diamond Hunters 37 Matt Drake
Lloyd, Catherine - Miss Morton and the Missing Heir #4 Miss Morton, Regency England
McCleave, Simon - The Abersoch Killings #21 DI Ruth Hunter
MacDonald, Dee - A Very Bookish Murder #3 Ally McKinley
McLean, Rachel and Joel Hames - The Port #7 Cumbria Crime
Mahadevan, Rupa - Nine Dolls ***
Marsons, Angela - Little Children #22 DI Kim Stone
Marston, Edward - Murder on the Great Northern Railway #24 Det. Insp Colbeck, Scotland Yard, mid 19th Century
Mason, Kelly - The Reckless Reporter #6 Lady Ellen Investigates, 1920s
Mead, Tom - The House at Devil's Neck #4 Joseph Spector
Michallon, Clémence - Our Last Resort
Middleton, Lia - What the Wife Knew
Mitchell, Caroline - The Family at No. 1
Morton, Mandy - Six Tails at Midnight #15 The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency
Mosse, Greg - The French Bookshop Murder #1 French Village Mystery
Nesbo, Jo - Wolf Hour tr. Robert Ferguson
Norek, Olivier - The Winter Warriors tr. Nick Caistor
Osman, Richard - The Impossible Fortune #5 The Thursday Murder Club
Parks, Adele - Our Beautiful Mess
Penrose, Andrea - Murder at Somerset House #9 Wrexford & Sloane
Perry, Tasmina - Return to Paradise (ebook only)
Phifer, Helen - Gone in the Night #16 Detective Morgan Brookes
Probyn, Jack - The Bogeyman #2 DI Stephanie Broadbent
Probyn, Jack - The Burning Man #3 DI Stephanie Broadbent
Ramunno, Oriana - Smoke in Berlin tr. Antony Shugaar #2 Hugo Fischer
Rhodes, Kate - Deadman's Pool #8 DI Ben Kitto
Rhodes, Tyler - The Campsite Cadaver #1 Max's Campsite Mystery
Rubin, Gareth - The Waterfall
Ryan, OMJ - The Therapy Room
Salter, Michelle - Murder in Trafalgar Square #1 Fairbanks and Flynn
Seddon, Holly - 59 Minutes
Simpson, Carla - Deadly Murder #14 Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe, Victorian London
Smirnoff, Karin - The Girl with Ice in her Veins (Millennium VIII) tr. Sarah Death
Smith, Alexander McCall - In the Time of Five Pumpkins #26 Mma Ramotswe, PI, Botswana
Smith, Wilbur and Mark Chadbourn - House of Two Pharaohs #10 Ancient Egypt
Torrance, Gaynor - Death of the Eleven-Toed Man #2 Wye Valley Widows
Upson, Nicola - The Christmas Clue
Wallace, Freya - Dark Tides #2 DI Knox, Devon
Walter, B P - The Winter Visitor
Yokomizo, Seishi - Murder at the Black Cat Cafe tr. Bryan Karetnyk #7 Kosuke Kindaichi, PI
Young, Glenda - Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel #4 Helen Dexter, Scarborough

The Petrona Award 2025 - Winner

 

Winner of the Petrona Award 2025 announced

The winner of the Petrona Award 2025 for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year is: 

THE CLUES IN THE FJORD by Satu Rämö translated from the Finnish by Kristian London and published by Zaffre.

Satu Rämö will receive a trophy, and both the author and translator will receive a cash prize.

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

The judges’ statement on THE CLUES IN THE FJORD:

THE CLUES IN THE FJORD is a sophisticated and atmospheric police procedural with a pleasingly unpredictable dark and twisty plot, set against the backdrop of the raw and untamed beauty of rural Iceland. 

Providing the local detective with a Finnish side-kick allows the author to contrast Icelandic and Finnish traits, adding authenticity to an original story. The intriguing back-stories of both characters leave the reader anticipating the next instalments.

In the ever increasing Icelandic crime fiction scene, Satu Rämö has carved out a unique position between traditional mysteries and the darker end of crime fiction.

Statements from the winning author, translator and publisher:

Satu Rämö:

I am deeply honoured to receive this award, and I want to thank the jury and the organizers of the Petrona Award. I also want to acknowledge the incredible writers nominated alongside me. To be included among such talented writers is a reward in itself. Your words have inspired me a lot!

This award reminds me of a conversation I had with a reader, a ninety-five-year-old woman, who shared how the book, the first part in the Hildur crime book series, THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, made her feel. She told me that she knows she is getting very old but after reading this book, she hoped she would live long enough to read the sequel, to know what happened to the two little girls who got lost on their way from school. When the sequel came out, I sent it to her and called her after a few weeks. She was still as happy and joyful as last time, waiting for the next book in the series to come out...

It is the readers who keep stories alive. Thank you for reading. I want to thank you also, my British publisher Zaffre and my translator Kristian London. Great teamwork! Thank you jury from the bottom of my heart, this award means so much to me.

Kristian London:

When I first took on translating Satu Rämö’s THE CLUES IN THE FJORD, the book’s incredible success in Finland suggested it had a high chance of connecting with audiences abroad as well. I’m gratified to see this is the case. It has been a privilege to act as an intermediary between Rämö’s imagination and those of her English-speaking readers as they enter Hildur’s world of human quirks and foibles, familial traumas and inheritances. For me, the work’s slow power springs from its true protagonist: that isolated land in the North Atlantic that serves as the setting, and the terrain and culture and people we’re introduced to through an outsider’s keen eyes. Many thanks to the Petrona Award jury for this honor.

Kasim Mohammed (editor at Zaffre):

Being Satu's English-language publisher is a real honour. She has such an eye for crafting stories about real people, and a real heart to her writing that is hard to find these days. Bringing authors' dreams to life is a privilege and moments like this are wonderful to experience. To know Satu's work is resonating with so many readers, worldwide, brings the team here at Bonnier so much pride. Thank you to the Petrona Award jury for this honour - we will treasure this as we continue to publish Satu!  

The judges

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

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

Sonja van der Westhuizen - book critic for print and online publications in the UK and South Africa, as well as a blogger at WEST WORDS REVIEWS.

Award administrator

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

Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website.

On social media, please use #PetronaAward25.

Petrona Award 2025 - Update

With many apologies but due to unforeseen circumstances the winner of the Petrona Award 2025 will now be announced on 23 October 2025, rather than 16 October 2025.

Black History Month (UK)

It's Black History Month here in the UK and these are some titles published in the UK in 2025 by writers of colour. I would love to extend this list so do please put any additional authors/titles in the comments.

Kia Abdullah - What Happens in the Dark

Tariq Ashkanani - The Midnight King

Nina Bhadreshwar - The Day of the Roaring

A A Chaudhuri - The School Gates

A A Dhand - The Chemist

Renita D’Silva - Two Perfect Couples

Vaseem Khan - The Girl In Cell A

Vaseem Khan - Quantum of Menace

Remi Kone - Innocent Guilt

Dorothy Koomson - Beach Hut 512 (audio/ebook only)

Dorothy Koomson - Give Him to Me 

Rupa Mahadevan - Nine Dolls

Dreda Say Mitchell - Gone (with Ryan Carter)

Dreda Say Mitchell - Love and Hate

Abir Mukherjee - The Burning Grounds

Kingsley Pearson - Flat 401

Mel Pennant - A Murder for Miss Hortense

Paula Sutton - The Body in the Kitchen Garden

Blog Tour - A Lethal Legacy by Guðrún Guðlaugsdóttir tr. Quentin Bates

Welcome to the latest stop on the blog tour for A Lethal Legacy by Guðrún Guðlaugsdóttir translated by Quentin Bates. A Lethal Legacy was published by Corylus Books on 20 September 2025 as both an ebook and in paperback.

A Lethal Legacy is the first book from Icelandic author Guðrún Guðlaugsdóttir to have been translated into English and I am very pleased today to be able to share the teaser extract below.

Blurb:

Nothing has changed at Bjargarlækur for as long as anyone can remember – so are moves to bring change to this remote farm in the Icelandic countryside a motive for murder? 

Three elderly siblings have lived more or less peacefully in this isolated place their whole lives, until Brynjólfur is found dead in his own bed. Called on to help out at the farm, freelance journalist Alma is far from certain that the old man died a natural death. Determined establish the facts of the matter, she finds herself caught up in a vicious family feud.

Sisters Klara and Thórdís are unable to agree on the future of the farm, just as others with an interest in the place circle hungrily around them. Echoes of missed opportunities, lost love and age-old crimes surface as a reckoning takes a bitter toll on those left behind – and Alma struggles to get to the truth.

Extract

The sinister side to this was that from whatever angle you were to look at this, Brynjólfur could hardly have taken his own life. It was far more likely that someone else had routed carbon monoxide into his room. Who could have done it, and why? And how?

She left the room. The house was quiet. At this moment she would have given anything to have had Sveinbjörg there. Instead, she would have to cope with all this on her own, maybe even accept that she could be in danger herself.

Her thoughts went to the incident on the stairs. Perhaps it wasn’t her imagination that she had been pushed to fall down the stairs? Who could have done that? It couldn’t have been Klara, who was still seated in the chair when she went back to her room. Could she have got to her feet, despite her condition, and followed her? Was she maybe not as ill as she made out?

Thórdís was a more likely perpetrator. The floors in the attic didn’t creak, only the stairs. Or could someone have been in Thórdís’s room, and made their way out unseen? But then wouldn’t she have heard the stairs creak? She recalled that the stairs hadn’t creaked as loudly when she went down after speaking to Klara. She'd assumed that this was due to the damp. Maybe someone had managed to sneak downstairs? Or was Bjargarlækur haunted after all?

Then there was the other aspect of this. Why would someone at the farm or in the district wish to do her harm? At that point she had no inkling that Brynjólfur could have been murdered. Had she blurted out something relevant? Or had she said anything that could turn out badly for someone? What had she been told? That Thórdís dyed her hair and was Rósa’s friend. That Rósa was determined to get the farm. That Thorbjörn could be brewing moonshine in the workshop. None of this could conceivably be a motive for murder.

Alma recalled Gunnhildur mentioning having heard the sound of an engine from the workshop when she woke during the night. Had Brynjólfur’s Volvo been pushed out and another vehicle driven into the workshop during the night? If so, what car? Rósa’s car, or Thorbjörn’s? Or Jón’s? Birgir’s car had been seen down by the road, so could that have been driven into the workshop? And hadn’t Brynjólfur’s car always been kept in the workshop? Gunnhildur was supposed to be the one holding the key, but Alma had found the key locked away in Brynjólfur’s room. Did someone else have a key to the Volvo, had started it up and channelled the exhaust up to Brynjólfur’s room? Was it a possibility that Brynjólfur hadn’t taken a sleeping pill, but had instead gone down to the workshop and started the car – and then gone upstairs to die? That was a very distant possibility. But then someone would have had to have hidden any traces the following morning. No, she decided. That last possibility was too far-fetched. He had taken his medication to help him sleep and Gunnhildur had watched him swallow his pill. Or what?

The footprints in the basement and the length of green hose came suddenly to mind. Did this have something to do with Thorbjörn’s moonshining, or had it been used for another purpose? Was that piece of hose anything to do with Thorbjörn?

That left the big question. Was there a murderer on the loose at Bjargarlækur?

---

Guðrún Guðlaugsdóttir trained in drama, and after having been on the stage she became a producer and later a reporter for Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV. She subsequently had a 25-year career as a journalist for daily newspaper Morgunblaðið, making a name for herself for the quality of her interviews with people from all walks of life.

Her literary output has been prodigious, having written biographies, books of interviews, collections of short stories and a book of verse, as well as the enduringly popular series of novels featuring the exploits of journalist Alma Jónsdóttir.

Guðrún lives in Kópavogur. She has no plans to retire, and is still writing when most people of her age are taking it easy.

Many thanks to Ewa, Quentin and Guðrún Guðlaugsdóttir for this extract and do please check out the rest of the stops =>

The Petrona Award 2025 - Shortlist

From the Press Release, embargoed until Thursday 18 September 2025, 8am: 

Outstanding crime fiction from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden shortlisted for the 2025 Petrona Award 

Seven impressive crime novels from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have been shortlisted for the 2025 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The shortlist is announced today, Thursday 18 September and is as follows:

Samuel Bjørk - Dead Island tr. Charlotte Barslund (Norway, Bantam)

Pascal Engman - The Widows tr. Neil Smith (Sweden, Legend Press)

Malin Persson Giolito - Deliver Me tr. Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, Simon & Schuster)

Óskar Guðmundsson - The Dancer tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, Corylus Books)

Aslak Nore - The Sea Cemetery tr. Deborah Dawkin (Norway, MacLehose Press)

Satu Rämö - The Clues in the Fjord tr. Kristian London (Finland, Zaffre)

Gunnar Staalesen - Pursued by Death tr. Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)

The winning title will be announced on 16 October 2025. 

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 generous support of the Petrona Award. 

The judges’ comments on the shortlist:

There were 31 entries for the 2025 Petrona Award from six countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland). This year’s shortlist sees Norway represented with three novels, Sweden with two and Finland and Iceland with one novel each. The judges selected the shortlist from a strong pool of candidates with the seven shortlisted authors including three previous Petrona Award winners: Pascal Engman, Malin Persson Giolito and Gunnar Staalesen.

As ever, we are extremely grateful to the 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:

Samuel Bjørk - DEAD ISLAND translated by Charlotte Barslund (Norway, Bantam)

DEAD ISLAND, the fifth instalment in the Mia Krüger and Holger Munch series, sees the duo away from their stomping grounds in Oslo, pondering their future. Both police investigators are dealing with separate professional and personal traumas yet cannot escape the violent events and aftermath of those, on the picturesque island of Hitra in northern Norway. While Mia re-examines a cold case of a missing boy, a teenage girl is brutally murdered. Convinced that the cases are connected, she digs deep into the individual stories of people living behind the sheen of a respectable community. The idyllic surface crumbles to show deceit, danger and darkness as the plot delves into psychological and cunning ways of using violence. A focus on personal dynamics and processing the nuanced information creates tension and a gripping story with empathy and depth, affecting everyone in the vicinity of the crimes. 

Pascal Engman - THE WIDOWS translated by Neil Smith (Sweden, Legend Press)

In THE WIDOWS, two bodies are discovered in a Stockholm park, one a policeman and the other an unidentified young woman. With the police believing the woman to be nothing more than unfortunate collateral damage, they focus on the murder of the police officer. But Detective Vanessa Frank takes a different approach and her investigation turns out to be more personal than she could have imagined. Frank must tread carefully as she moves into the world of terrorist networks operating deep within the shadows, where society's fears make her job more chaotic and dangerous than ever. A previous winner of the Petrona Award with FEMICIDE, Pascal Engman once again produces a high-octane thriller which impressed the judges with its complex plotting, nerve wracking tension and strong characterisation throughout.

Malin Persson Giolito - DELIVER ME translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Sweden, Simon & Schuster)

DELIVER ME is a harrowing crime thriller that explores the devastating impact of gang violence and class differences on two childhood friends in suburban Stockholm. The story centres on Billy and Dogge, two boys from different backgrounds whose friendship is tested by the allure of gang activity. Recruited as drug runners, their lives spiral out of control, leading to a tragic confrontation.

The novel is a gritty and uncompromising look at a topical social problems such as restrictive immigration policies, corrupt law enforcement, and economic inequality. Giolito’s account of the boys lives and circumstances is so convincing it might as well have been a true account. A lawyer herself, she poses questions about justice for children who commit crimes in a society that has failed to protect them. DELIVER ME is a powerful, yet unsettling, examination of the dark underbelly of suburban Stockholm and the real victims of gang violence and social inequality. 

Óskar Guðmundsson - THE DANCER translated by Quentin Bates (Iceland, Corylus Books)

Tony is a young man who has always been on the losing side in life. He was brought up by his troubled, alcoholic mother who had a past of her own as a talented ballerina, until a life-changing accident brought her dreams to a sudden end. As her own ambitions for fame and success were crushed, she used cruel and brutal methods to project them onto her young son - with devastating consequences. There's no doubt that a body found on Reykjavik's Oeskjuhlid hillside has been there for a long time and when the case is handed to veteran detective Valdimar, and his new partner Ylfa, it's not long before it's clear a vicious killer is on the loose - and very little about the case is what it appears to be at first glance. THE DANCER is an incredibly dark and uncompromising crime read, that plays with the reader’s perceptions from the outset, alternating between empathy and horror, balanced out by the enjoyable repartee between the police protagonists.

Aslak Nore - THE SEA CEMETERY translated by Deborah Dawkin (Norway, MacLehose Press)

THE SEA CEMETERY is a suspenseful literary thriller and complex family saga moving through Norway’s recent history, its links to Europe and the Middle East, and questioning individual choices made by the main characters. The universal human issues are hidden just below the surface of the dramatic story about trust, legacy and control, and consequences of untruths. Set in the dramatic harsh Norwegian natural beauty and inspired by a devastating maritime disaster during World War II, it follows the fate of two warring branches of the powerful Falck dynasty. The death of its writer matriarch, intestate, and the secrecy surrounding her manuscript confiscated by the secret police decades earlier, sets in motion an inheritance dispute between families in Oslo and Bergen. Private investigation into the affairs, connections and conflicts between those in power are painted with astute detail, making this ambitious novel both a historical and contemporary tale with strong message about Norwegian values and delivering a thrilling mix of espionage, tension and seduction. 

Satu Rämö - THE CLUES IN THE FJORD translated by Kristian London (Finland, Zaffre)

Hildur Rúnarsdottir is the only police detective working on the isolated west coast of Iceland. She is desperate to forget her traumatic past by burying herself in her cases alongside her new trainee, Jakob Johanson. Jakob's life has its own complications however, and it soon becomes clear that neither can run from their pasts for long. When a local man is found with his throat slit, underneath an avalanche that has buried much of the evidence, Hildur and Jakob must set their own problems aside and unravel the dark secrets to expose a killer. THE CLUES IN THE FJORD is a sophisticated and atmospheric police procedural with a pleasingly unpredictable dark and twisty plot, set against the backdrop of the raw and untamed beauty of rural Iceland.

Gunnar Staalesen - PURSUED BY DEATH translated by Don Bartlett (Norway, Orenda Books)

PURSUED BY DEATH, the latest in the long-running Varg Veum series, is a hard-boiled noir that tackles contemporary social issues in Norway. The plot begins when private investigator Varg Veum reads a newspaper article about the missing Jonas Kleiva, a man he recognises as the driver of a camper van he noticed at a bus stop. Kleiva disappeared after attending a demonstration in Solvik against the powerful salmon-farming corporation, Sunfjord Salmon. This case leads Veum to investigate not only the missing protestor but also a cold case from the past that was originally dismissed by the police.

The novel, told through a first-person narrative, showcases Veum's wry, deadpan observations. Staalesen consistently creates fully fleshed-out, vibrant, and lively characters, with Veum standing out as an unforgettable protagonist. The story is set against a compressed history of Norway's salmon-farming industry, while also providing a critical look at the environmental and social conflicts surrounding it. Staalesen, again, masterfully blends a traditional detective story with a commentary on modern issues, making the novel a relevant, topical, and thoroughly engaging read.

The judges

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

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

Sonja van der Westhuizen - book critic for print and online publications in the UK and South Africa, as well as a blogger at WEST WORDS REVIEWS. 

Award administrator

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

Further information can be found on the Petrona Award website.

On social media, please use #PetronaAward25.