The Swedish Inspector That Sprouted a Bestselling Mystery Series
Swedish writer Kjell Eriksson has won international acclaim for his books about Ann Lindell, a police inspector with a flair for solving difficult cases and a somewhat troubled personal life. Lindell’s professional prowess, combined with Eriksson’s suspenseful writing style and top-notch translators, have earned these mystery books plenty of awards and a loyal, worldwide fanbase. If you are wondering what the fuss is about, which Ann Lindell books should you try first? This article starts with the best of the series and works its way through the other fantastic Ann Lindell adventures. Pick one, or try the whole collection. Either way, you’re in for a world of excitement, grisly deeds, and, in the end, justice.
Two separate crimes haunt the city of Uppsala. First, a brilliant but unsocial university professor disappears without a trace. Then, two bodies appear. Neither of them is the professor, but Inspector Lindell soon becomes convinced that he is connected with the deaths in a far more sinister way. She will have to connect the dots quickly before the killer gets a chance to strike again. For the very best in mystery suspense, The Cruel Stars of the Night is the one to beat.
Even after she retires and moves to a quaint village, Ann Lindell cannot escape her true calling as a seeker of justice. A bomber has targeted a building inhabited by asylum seekers, and Lindell is determined to find the person responsible. But the culprit is not just a local with a grudge. After the village bombing, they move on to a much bigger prize: Stockholm. Untold lives are at stake as the former inspector Lindell races to catch the bomber. The Night of the Fire is now available for preorder in English.
Dakar is one of Uppsala's most popular restaurants. It is also harboring a killer. Every single one of the restaurant's employers and employees has dark secrets littering their past. As Inspector Lindell sorts through this abundance of unusual suspects, the murderer prepares to commit another crime. All the while, the reader gets to see the world through the killer's eyes... and learn that the first murder was just an appetizer.
A Swedish politician is spotted in India, years after he went missing. A woman's severed foot is found in a community with a disproportionate number of single men. These cases have nothing in common and nothing to suggest a connection. Despite that, the more Ann Lindell investigates, the more she becomes convinced that they are related after all—and that they may lead her to yet more crimes.
The Princess of Burundi is the one that started it all: the very first Ann Lindell adventure. In this nail-biting first outing, John Jonsson, a fish enthusiast with a murky past, is found dead in the snow, his body mangled and bloody. The Uppsala police are baffled, so Ann Lindell returns from maternity leave to find the person responsible for this heinous crime. As would become a hallmark of future Ann Lindell books, this one moves between different points of view, following both the killer and the people trying to stop him.
Lindell hasn't had much luck in love, but Anders Brant is, in her own words, "different." A journalist by trade, he is not especially handsome or strong, and Lindell knows almost nothing of his past, but she cannot help loving him. Then, while Anders is away on a trip, a homeless man is found bludgeoned to death. The only clue? A piece of paper with Anders's phone number. The fifth book in the Ann Lindell series, Black Lies, Red Blood combines personal drama with pulse-pounding excitement.
Josefin Cederén and her six-year-old daughter, Emily, were on a routine errand when they became the victims of a brutal hit-and-run accident. Meanwhile, Sven-Erik, Josefin's husband, has gone missing, and police investigation shows that he was keeping strange secrets from his friends and family. A piece of property he recently bought may hold the key to this double mystery, or it may hide even more gruesome secrets. Either way, Ann Lindell is determined to secure justice for the Cederén family.
How could winning a Nobel Prize inspire anything but pride and happiness? Ask Bertram von Ohler, an elderly professor whose recent win causes more acrimony than celebration among his neighbors. When rancor tips over into vicious criminal behavior, it is once again up to Inspector Ann Lindell to uncover the truth and prevent further tragedies, no matter the danger to herself.
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Eileen Gonzalez is a freelance writer from Connecticut. She has a Master’s degree in communications and years of experience writing about pop culture. She contributes to Book Riot and Foreword Reviews, and she occasionally tweets at @eileen2thestars.