Monday, 7 February 2011

Scandinavian Crime Wave

I started with Stig Larson - but I seem to have developed a bit of an obsession with Scandinavian crime fiction.  Ive watched all three of the TV versions of Wallander - my favourite being  Rolf Lassgård   - and now I'm starting on the books.  

At the moment though I'm reading the Martin Beck series from Marxist husband-and-wife duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. Brilliant noir crime writing and  definitely a cut above Stig Larson and the latest Scandi-crime blockbuster following in his wake -  Jo Nesbø.

At the same time  on TV I'm really enjoying the Danish series 'The Killing' on BBC4.

As far as TV goes it's not just the Scandinavians either - the French series Spiral was excellent too.  In fact with the exception of British produced on-location in Rome TV series  Zen -  which felt like a particularly lightweight   coffee-advert -  it seems that crime with a foreign accent is just that much better than  our homegrown English Tourist Board sponsored efforts - Morse, Lewis or god-forbid Midsummer-fucking-Murders.

1 comment:

macullam said...

Im with you on this. have you seen the one set in sicily name escapes me but stunning scenery. Jo Nesbo is another good read.