English translations of Nordic Noir books have continued to be big best sellers in 2023, as readers’ appetite outside of Scandinavia shows no sign of abating. New writers, as well as new books in long-running series, all hit the market in 2023, giving readers plenty to add to their to-be-read piles. Icelandic authors have been particularly strong this year, but there have been strong releases from across all the Nordic nations. It’s also been a strong year for female voices, with six entries in our top ten books of the year. What, though, have been our Best Nordic Books in 2023?

10: The Girl In The Eagle’s Talons | Karin Smirnoff | MacLehose Press | Sweden

Book Seven in the Millennium (better known as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) series was one of the most anticipated books of 2023. Karin Smirnoff became the third writer to take on writing duties after Steig Larsson and David Lagercrantz.

As the first female writer to pen the series, Smirnoff adds more depth to the iconic lead character, Lisbeth Salander, and shifts action from Stockholm to Sweden.

It’s a complex tale that introduces multiple story arcs, not all of which are satisfactorily resolved, but The Girl In The Eagle’s Talons is a welcome addition to the franchise and sets up a tantalising taste of what the resolution of the planned ten-book series will offer.

9: The Night House | Jo Nesbø | Harvill Secker | Norway

Jo Nesbø fans had a double treat in 2023 with two releases from the popular Norwegian author. Best known for his Harry Hole series (the other Nesbø UK release this year), The Night House though sees Nesbø venture into the realm of horror with a stand-alone work.

Two 14-year-old boys are playing a prank at a phone box when one is dragged into the phone. It’s an unusual start for a horror novel, which is usually accustomed to building tension before stunning the reader, but in The Night House, Nesbø revels in bending the well-trodden horror tropes nearly as much as the twisting plot thread.

While readers expecting the fast-paced action of the Harry Hole series may find this plot slower and heavier going, the richness of detail and exploration of language, memory, and evil is worth the effort; while not a slasher horror, it is equally as unsettling.

8: You Will Never Be Found | Tove Alsterdal| Faber & Faber| Sweden

Tove Alsterdal’s last novel, We Know You Remember, was named Swedish Crime Novel of the Year and this next book in the series, You Will Never Be Found is equally well written.

Alsterdal’s books aren’t easy reading, plot twists are complex, even for those familiar with navigating the winding narratives of Nordic Noir and the bleakness relentless, but it is a rewarding read for those who persevere through the darkness.

Missing people, bodies in basements and a boss who then goes missing themselves, for police officer Eira Sjèodin work is complicated enough before being drawn into something much more sinister and personal.

7: The Girl By The Bridge| Arnaldur Indridason| Minotaur Books| Iceland

With over 19 million books sold worldwide, Arnaldur Indridason is Iceland’s most successful author, and so any release is going to be a milestone event. In The Girl By The Bridge, the second of his new Detective Konrád series, Indridason cements his place as the King of Icelandic Noir.

As a drug smuggler goes missing, retired detective Konrád agrees to investigate, despite still trying to solve a case close to his own heart. Memories from the past also come back to haunt the present and, as a body is discovered, it is up to Konrád to try and solve what has become a complex jigsaw.

In Indridason’s skilled hands, the plot moves at breakneck speed, with subplots and tension building towards a skilfully executed climax.

6: The Sins Of Our Fathers | Asa Larsson | MacLehose  Press | Sweden

It is always a sign of a good writer that they can pen the sixth instalment of a series and yet it is still accessible as a stand-alone work. The Sins Of Our Fathers may be the sixth (and final) instalment of the Artic Murders series (and the previous five are well worth a read) but it remains a fresh and compelling read.

A body discovered in a freezer proves to be that of a man who has been reported missing for decades. For prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson, her professional and personal worlds collide when she discovers she has a link to the case.

Now the books have spawned a TV series a new audience is discovering Asa Larsson’s works and The Sins Of Our Fathers will leave them wanting to discover more in the series.

5: Reykjavik | Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Ragnar Jónasson | Michael Joseph | Iceland

The inclusion of the Prime Minister of Iceland as half of the writing partnership for Reykjavik was always going to grab press attention. Thankfully Katrín Jakobsdóttir proves more than up to the task and together with Ragnar Jónasson has penned a thrilling novel.

It is a dual author, dual location, and dual period novel. In 1956 a young girl vanishes. Thirty years later, a reporter is reviewing what has been one of the country’s biggest unsolved mysteries. This may be the first time Jonasson and Jakobsdóttir have collaborated, but it is evident that they work well together and could become a new dynasty on the Nordic Noir scene.

4: Stigma | Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst | Orenda Books | Norway

It has been a bumper year for book series, with additions to many of the most loved canons in Nordic Noir.

Norwegian writing duo Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst extended the popular Blix and Ramm series this year with Stigma, which seems Ramm in prison for murder. However, being behind bars does not prevent the former police officer being pulled into solving another case as Emma Ramm, Blix’s crime-solving companion unravels a complex narrative of cross-border crime and murder.

In the greatest Nordic noir traditions, many of the overlapping narrative strands are only pulled together and resolved in the last pages. Fans of Blix and Ramm will also appreciate the fact that not all the plot arcs are entirely completed, hinting to future books in the series.

Stigma firmly cements Enger and Horst’s creative team as one of Norway’s finest literary exports.

3: Killing Moon | Jo Nesbø | Harvill Secker | Norway

Released as Blodmåne( Bloodmoon) in his native Norway in 2022, for the UK release this year the title for Nesbø’s 13^th Harry Hole series became Killing Moon.

While readers may have thought book 12, Knife, may have seen Harry at his darkest, Nesbø continues to put his lead character through the wringer.

It’s a case of gamekeeper turned poacher as Hole pits his skills against his former colleagues in the Oslo police. Oslo police trying to solve a murder while Hole is engaged to clear the name of their prime suspect. As regular readers of Nesbø will expect though, things are not as clear as they first appear, and Hole faces his demons in a desperate race against time.

As the series has developed, these books have become darker, and Killing Moon is no exception. Not for the faint of heart, Killing Moon is a brutal but thrilling addition to the canon, and the cliffhanger at the end teases a yet-to-be-announced book 14.

2: You Can’t See Me |Eva Björg Ægisdóttir | Orenda Books | Iceland

A genealogy chart appears at the beginning of You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdottir, but this is more than just a family tree; it is an entire dark, twisted forest of repressed family secrets.

A woman is seen fleeing a luxury Icelandic hotel in the depths of winter. Despite the vastness of the landscape, the opening is claustrophobic and, after a body is discovered three chapters later, the tone becomes much darker. The identity of the victim though is not revealed until the final pages of the book.

This intricately plotted novel by Ægisdottir leaves readers wondering not only who committed the crime, but also, intriguingly, what the crime was and who the victim is.

While technically a prequel to the wildly popular Forbidden Iceland series, You Can’t See Me also works as a compelling standalone novel that examines the darker side of familial interaction. A book written by a master storyteller that will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.

1: The Prey | Yrsa Sigurdsdottir | Hodder and Staughton| Iceland

The book in the top spot for 2023 is one that utterly terrifies the reader. The Prey is one of those books where the reader is both compelled to turn the page to find out what happens next and terrified to do so. Instilling conflict in the reader is a sign of a writer at the top of their game, and Yrsa Sigurdardottir manages to weave that complexity into a brilliantly reading, yet horrifying, thriller.

Two brothers uncover snippets of a sister they had no idea existed, her brief life and mysterious death obliterated as a tragic chapter in their family history. A group of friends travels into the freezing tundra to a lonely home that hides a sinister secret. A search and rescue worker is being tormented by strange figures lurking in the dark, while a man working at a NATO listening post is receiving phone calls from a disconnected phone in the dark.

Sigurdardottir’s storyline is precisely tuned and paced (in a compelling translation by Victoria Cribb). Morsels of detail are teased, like in any good horror thriller, but much is left to the reader’s imagination. The writing is superb, with actual jump moments that frighten the reader – The Prey is not a novel to read late at night! The danger becomes more tangible as the three narratives converge, the ice-cold chills increase, and there’s a sense of impending disaster on each page.

So there we go – Glen’s Best Nordic Books of 2023 – do you agree? Any glaring omissions? Let us know in the comments section.