The novels of Liza Marklund

In recent times, Scandinavian crime writers have begun to become more and more popular. Until 10 years ago, you never heard about any Swedish, Danish or Norwegian author, but now they are around everywhere. Also the TV makes adaptations of their work.

The last few months, our local station has been broadcasting several Swedish and Danish series, like Inspector Winter and right now Liza Marklund, featuring reporter Annika Bengtzon.

Liza Marklund was born in 1962 in the small village of Pålmark, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. She is an author, journalist, columnist, and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She is also co-owner of Piratförlaget, one of Sweden’s most successful publishing houses. Since her debut in 1995, Liza Marklund has written eleven novels and two nonfiction books. Liza co-wrote the international bestseller The Postcard Killers with James Patterson, making her the second Swedish author ever to reach No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Her crime novels featuring the gutsy reporter Annika Bengtzon have sold more than 13 million copies in 30 languages to date.

Only a couple of days ago, Last Will, the sixth installment in the Annika Bengtzon series, has been awarded the inaugural Petrona Award for 'Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year'!

I haven't yet read the novels (I do know some Swedish, but they are also published in English, which makes it more convenient to read) but plan on doing so in the near future. I do like the TV-series a lot and the plots are great. Annika is a reporter who wants to find out the truth, even when it brings her into danger and difficulties.