TV News: Echoes from the Dead on BBC4

BBC Four continues to treat us Scandi-drama fans. After the gripping 1864 (I have 2 episodes left still), next Saturday (13th) at 9pm we have the film of Johan Theorin's Echoes from the Dead.

Echoes from the Dead (2008 in English) is the first book in a loose quartet with the final part, The Voices Beyond, being released in English on 2 July.

In Maxine's review of Echoes from the Dead, tr. Marlaine Delargy, she wrote: "On finishing the book, I can only advise that if you read one crime-fiction novel [published] this year, make it this one."

Favourite Discoveries of 2014 (4)

Today's instalment of favourite discoveries of 2014 comes from Lynn Harvey who chooses a Swedish writer.

Lynn Harvey's Favourite Discovery of 2014

My favourite discovery of 2014 was a retro-read of the three "Öland" books of Swedish writer Johan Theorin who writes a wonderful mixture of modern crime and psychological chill. The towering presence in these books is Öland itself, a long, flat island connected to the Swedish mainland by a bridge. Once peopled by fishermen, sailors and quarrymen it has become a desirable summer holiday destination for successful Swedes. In Theorin's hands, the island still resonates with its history, landscape, folklore and ghosts, alongside its incomers – not to forget – enough modern day crime to satisfy the Euro Crime reader

The first in the series, ECHOES FROM THE DEAD, deals with the legacy of a child's sudden disappearance some twenty years before. In true Theorin style the story combines present day life with a look back into the community's history and its characters before driving through to its moving and suspenseful end. The second, THE DARKEST ROOM, is a truly atmospheric winter read. A young family moves into a run-down manor house at Eel Point. As Öland begins to face the Baltic winter blizzards, one of the family is found drowned. Theorin weaves supernatural and natural strands together so well that it seems that both worlds will collide in its tense conclusion. Finally, with THE QUARRY, we are more firmly rooted in present day Öland, predominantly peopled by holiday homers, returners, and a few elderly islanders. But there are still traces of past tragedies and secrets which filter in with the fog, fairies, trolls and the contemporary crimes of murder and greed. All of the Öland novels are beautifully translated into English by Marlaine Delargy and I think they are jewels in the realm of Scandi-Noir.

The final part in Johan Theorin's Öland quartet, The Voices Beyond, will be published in July.

New Reviews: Byrne, Hooper, Jones, Kerr, Soderberg, Theorin, Tuomainen, Tursten, Wilton

Win Where the Devil Can't Go by Anya Lipska (UK only)






Nine new reviews have been added to Euro Crime today:

Laura Root reviews the CWA John Creasey Dagger Award shortlisted Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne;

Michelle Peckham reviews Australian author Chloe Hooper's The Engagement;

Lynn Harvey reviews Chris Morgan Jones's The Jackal's Share, the sequel to An Agent of Deceit, writing "If you like contemporary spy thrillers, and even if you think you don't, The Jackal's Share is one to try and Chris Morgan Jones an author to follow";




Norman Price reviews the latest Bernie Gunther novel from Philip Kerr, A Man Without Breath and says it's a strong contender for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger;

JF reviews Alexander Soderberg's The Andalucian Friend tr. Neil Smith, the first in the Sophie Brinkmann trilogy, calling it "a remarkable debut novel";

A warm welcome to Sarah Ward who joins the Euro Crime team with her review of Johan Theorin's The Asylum tr. Marlaine Delargy;

I review Antti Tuomainen's The Healer tr. Lola Rogers;

Mark Bailey reviews the fifth in Helene Tursten's Inspector Huss series, The Golden Calf, tr. Laura A Wideburg (the correct reading order can be found here)

and Terry reviews Robert Wilton's Treason's Tide which won the HWA/GOLDSBORO CROWN For Best Debut Historical Fiction 2012 (as The Emperor's Gold).




Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

Gloomy Shed - Copycat Cover

When I was checking the details yesterday for Ewart Hutton's Good People, a familiar cover popped up on this German edition. Good People is set in Wales, The Quarry on the island of Oland, Sweden.

The Darkest Room on Radio 4 Extra

I had a tip-off about this from a friend at reading group. The CWA International Dagger Award winning, The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin is being serialised on Radio 4 Extra. The first of five thirty-minute parts begins on Saturday at 23.30.

If you can't stay up then I imagine it will be on iPlayer very shortly afterwards!


Radio 4 Extra page.

Euro Crime review of The Darkest Room.

Johan Theorin's bibliography with reviews of all three books available in English.

New Reviews: Child, Cross, Edwards, Ellis, French, Kristian, Seymour, Theorin

Here are this week's reviews, which include visits to Iraq, Ireland, Sweden, USA and the age of the Vikings(!) as well as the UK:

Lynn Harvey joins the review team with her review of Lee Child's fifteenth Reacher novel, Worth Dying For, which has just come out in paperback;

Sarah Hilary reviews Neil Cross's prequel to his tv series Luther, Luther: The Calling;

I reviewed Martin Edwards's The Serpent Pool on the blog last week (do read the comments as well!);

Lizzie Hayes reviews another fifteenth in the series - Kate Ellis's The Jackal Man the latest in the Wesley Peterson series just out in paperback;

Geoff Jones reviews Tana French's third book in a connected series of books, Faithful Place;

Amanda Gillies reviews the last in the Raven Trilogy by Giles Kristian , Raven: Odin's Wolves (but hopes for more!);

Terry Halligan reviews the recently released new thriller from Gerald Seymour A Deniable Death

and Maxine Clarke reviews double CWA Dagger winner Johan Theorin's third book in the Oland Quartet: The Quarry, tr. Marlaine Delargy.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

International Dagger 2010 - winner

Johan Theorin's The Darkest Room, translated by Marlaine Delargy, which came third on the Euro Crime blog polls, was announced tonight as the winner of the 2010 CWA International Dagger.



The judges said: ‘Four plot strands whorl around the vortex of an unexplained death. It is impossible to reduce this mysterious novel to ghost story, a police procedural or a gothic tale.’

The Euro Crime review is here.

The Darkest Room - cover opinions

Continuing my series of cover opinions about the 2010 International Dagger shortlist, this time it's the turn of The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin.

The Darkest Room is currently available in one US edition and two UK editions.

So what are you thoughts on the US (LHS) and UK (RHSx2) covers? Which would entice you to pick the book up if you were not familiar with Johan Theorin?





My thoughts:

I don't particularly like the US cover as it doesn't resemble the setting of the book though it does (perhaps) convey the cold weather. I do like the fact that the translator's name, Marlaine Delargy, is on the front cover.

I like the UK trade paperback edition cover with its light-house (though the story revolves around twin light-houses) and at least gives the idea that the story is set by the sea.

But I absolutely loathe the UK paperback edition cover as it is in the current style of 'generic crime novel' cover ie distressed furniture (bath, chair, staircase) in a disgusting room. It makes it look like an urban setting which is far from the truth and worse it has an incorrect statement about the plot.

If you haven't read this book, I recommend not reading the blurb on the back cover which gives away more than I at least would like to know. Maxine's review of The Darkest Room, of course, does not give too much away.

I also don't like the title as it doesn't seem to fit the story that well.

Finally, the third part of the quartet, A Place of Blood, will be published in March.

New Reviews: Anderson, Jackson, Seymour, Solana, Theorin, Tickler

There's a little time left to enter the three competitions running this month; the prizes are: The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke, Relics of the Dead by Ariana Franklin and Blood Law by Steven Hague (some restrictions apply).

Here are this week's reviews:

Paul Blackburn reviews the newly published Final Cut by Lin Anderson the latest in the Rhona MacLeod series and is eager to read the earlier books;

Amanda Gillies reviews the historical Pilgrim by James Jackson writing that "this book is just fantastic";

Terry Halligan reviews the second Paul Tallis thriller, The Mephisto Threat by E V Seymour (set in Turkey and...Birmingham) and enjoyed it immensely;

Michelle Peckham reviews Teresa Solana's A Not So Perfect Crime concluding that it's "a fascinating, amusing and very entertaining crime novel";

Maxine Clarke reviews The Darkest Room by International Dagger nominee, Johan Theorin and calls it "a wonderful book"

and Pat Austin has mixed feelings about Peter Tickler's Blood on the Cowley Road the first in an Oxford set police procedural series.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found here.

New Reviews: Hill, McCoy, Monroe, Theorin, Tursten, White

Here are this week's new reviews:

Latest Reviews:

After seeing Suzette A Hill at CrimeFest in June, I knew I had to try her series which features 'talking animals'. The first one in the series is A Load of Old Bones and didn't disappoint though most of the story is in fact told by a human;

Terry Halligan reviews the latest in the 'Mad' Carew series from Ken McCoy: Loser calling it an "enjoyable, hard to put down book";

Pat Austin, really, really didn't like Blood Lines by Grace Monroe but managed to finish it out of public duty to the rest of us;

In contrast, the pressure's being applied, first by Maxine, and now by Norman Price to find the time asap to read Johan Theorin's Echoes from the Dead - Norman writes that it was "the most gripping crime fiction novel I have read so far this year";

Maxine Clarke's now up to date (for the moment) with the English translations of Helene Tursten's Inspector Huss series with the latest, The Glass Devil, in which Huss spends a lot of time in England

and Amanda Gillies enjoys the second book from Neil White: Lost Souls and finds it as good as his debut, Fallen Idols.

New Reviews: Mike Ripley's Crime File, Campbell, Goodwin, Parot, Schenkel, Theorin

Slightly later than normal but I think they're worth the wait :-).

Here are this week's new reviews and details of the current competition:

Latest Reviews:

In Mike Ripley's latest crime file he reviews, Typhoon by Charles Cumming, The Paper Moon by Andrea Camilleri and Home Before Dark by Charles Maclean;

Maxine Clarke reviews Colin Campbell's Through the Ruins of Midnight. The author is a former policeman and Maxine calls the story "exciting, tense and authentic";

Norman Price reviews this month's competition prize (see details below on how to enter): The Bellini Card by Jason Goodwin saying that it's "top quality well written crime fiction";

Laura Root reviews the intriguingly named The Man with the Lead Stomach by Jean-Francois Parot, which is the second in the series and she recommends it to "those readers who enjoy a gripping but intelligent yarn";

Amanda Gillies gives her opinion of The Murder Farm by Andrea Maria Schenkel, writing that "at the same time as being repulsed, you are drawn to finish it"

and Maxine has found another stunning Scandinavian crime writer in the shape of Johan Theorin, whose debut, Echoes from the Dead is the one crime novel you must read this year.


Current Competitions:

Win a copy of The Bellini Card by Jason Goodwin*

* no restrictions on entrants (ends 31 July)