Here are 10 New Nordic Novels for 2025
2024 proved to be a vintage year for English language releases of Nordic literature and early indications show 2025 to be shaping up to be an equally tantalising year.
From first-time translations into English to much anticipated climaxes to established book series and the prospect of new writing partnerships, releases already announced for 2025 look like keeping readers’ bookshelves full.
Here are ten of Nordic Watchlist’s most anticipated new releases in Nordic books for 2025. There will be more added to the release list as publishers confirm their plans for the year, but already it is shaping up to be another good year for readers.
Into Thin Air | Ørjan Karlsson| Orenda Books | 16 January
An early release in 2025, Ørjan Karlsson’s Into Thin Air, the first novel in the Arctic Mysteries series, is set in Karlsson’s native Nordland county in the far North of Norway. Two similar disappearances hundreds of miles apart in this remote and rugged corner of Norway suggest a serial killer may be on the loose.
Money To Burn| Asta Olivia Nordenhof | Jonathan Cape | 6 February
Based on the true story of The Scandinavian Star ferry disaster, Asta Olivia Nordenhof’s debut novel mixes a work of fiction with a true crime investigation. Winning awards in her native Denmark, Money To Burn is the first instalment in a new series and it’s English debut promises much excitement.
SON | Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger | Orends Books | 13 March
When two acclaimed writers, come together in a new writing partnership – across two countries and two languages – it becomes an intriguing prospect. Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger’s first collaboration together, SON, marks the start of a new Nordic Noir series and the introduction of Kari Voss, a consultant to Oslo police. Already optioned for TV rights, this is the chance to get in on the first chapter.
The Heirs Of The Arctic | Aslak Nore | Maclehose Press| 24 April
A sequel to 2024’s The Sea Cemetery, Aslak Nore’s The Heirs Of The Arctic picks up the story 6 months on from the first book but family tensions still run high in the Flack family, one of Norway’s wealthiest dynasties. Power struggles, tangled family relationships and political turmoil set the background for another tension-filled instalment.
The Night Of The Scourge | Lars Mytting | Maclehose Press | 8 May
The third instalment in the Sister Bells trilogy, The Night Of The Scourge is set in a Norway occupied by Germany in the Second World War. Betrayal and resistance are at the fore as the Norwegian Resistance movement moves against the Nazi occupation and a family looks to survive the horrors of war and their own tumultuous times.
Home Before Dark| Eva Bjorg Ægisdóttir | Orenda Books | 17 July
Acclaimed for her Forbidden Iceland Series, | Eva Bjorg Ægisdóttir offers a standalone thriller for 2025, Home Before Dark. A missing sister, a decade-old unsolved murder and a young woman who struggles to separate her dreams from reality, Ægisdóttir’s ability to plot a complex twisting psychological thriller is given full reign here.
The Winter Job | Antti Tuomainen| Orenda Books | October
Finland’s Antti Tuomainen’s Rabit Trilogy has become a worldwide phenomenon and showcased his ability to capture dark humour on the page and his new standalone novel The Winter Job offers the same dry humour. A 1982 road trip from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland, turns out to be more complex than anyone thought. Add in egg-yellow Lada’s and the scene is set for a darkly comic road trip.
Deep as Death | Lilja Sigurdardottir | Orenda Books | October
The fifth and final instalment of Lilja Sigurdardottir’s Áróra investigates series, Deep as Death must rank as one of the most anticipated Nordic books of 2025. Left with some tantilising lose ends in 2024’s Dark As Night, Deep As Death looks to resolve this multi book story arc. Will Áróra finally discover the truth about her sister’s murder and can she cope with the gruesome details that unfold?
Blix and Ramm Book 6 | Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger| Orenda Books | November
Victim, Book five in the Blix and Ramm series ended with the feeling the two central protagonists are about to venture off in a new direction. The yet untitled book six in the series therefore offers plenty of scope for the detective duo.
Yet to be titled | Katrin Juliusdottir | Orenda Books| December
Iceland’s former Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Katrín Júlíusdóttir’s debut novel Dead Sweet was a huge hit in 2023, with a twisting plot and wonderfully observed characters. Her next in-series novel is set to be published at the end of 2025 and looks set to be one to wait for.
Which books are you most excited for? Share in comments and let us know.
