Movies & TV - Scandinavian crime stories

I recently did a post on some of favorite crime writers, and was just getting into Jo Nesbo’s books, set mainly in Oslo. Now I’ve read them all. As far as I can tell, only “Headhunters” has been made into a movie. It’s a stand-alone, not one of the ten Harry Hole stories, but it’s exactly like the book, and it’s recommended (although subtitled). Moral choices are dubious with this cast of characters!

Another author (who I haven’t read) is Liza Marklund; her Swedish crime reporter Annika Bengzton is a fearless single mom. Swedish TV have done at least six of her stories, available on Netflix as “Annika Bengzton: Crime Reporter.” Each installment is 1-½ hours; two to a disc. Not as dark as Nesbo, but very good as thrillers!

Finally, on the subject of crime series, I have a non-Scandinavian recommendation, especially for anyone who enjoyed the Australian series “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” which had a lighter touch. It’s “Murdoch Mysteries,” set in Toronto in the 1890s. At first, I found the titular police detective to be a bit dull, though very smart. He’s tres handsome, but a bit of a science nerd. Over the course of a few episodes, the show develops the same cast chemistry and almost whimsical approach that made “Miss Fisher” so much fun.

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