Karl Nordlund
Karl Nordlund
Photo: Karl Nordlund Photo: Karl Nordlund

Arne Dahl

Arne Dahl (b. 1963) is regarded as one of the finest literary crime writers of Scandinavia. An award-winning author, critic and editor, Dahl is the creator of the bestselling Intercrime series, Opcop quartet, and the immensely successful books about Berger & Blom. His books have sold more than 5 million copies, and been translated into over 32 languages. For his eminent authorship, Dahl has been awarded the premier crime writing awards of Germany, Denmark and Sweden. 2023 will mark a new beginning for his authorship with the launch of the NOVA-series about Eva Nyman and her group of eccentric detectives, of which Within the Circle is the first installment.

“Arne Dahl is possibly the most thoughtful and playful contemporary Nordic crime writer. He also happens to be one of the most thrilling.”
-Ian Rankin

“Arne Dahl is one of the true greats of Scandinavian crime fiction.”
-Mark Billingham

“Arne Dahl has created a school of his own within the Swedish crime writing tradition. He combines global intrigue with intelligence, suspense, and genuine literary quality.”
-Lars Kepler

Awards

Shortlisted for the Thrillzone Awards 2018 (Best Translated Thriller) Netherlands – Inland Hunted 2018
European Crime Fiction Star Award (the Ripper Award) Germany 2018
Shortlisted for the European Crime Fiction Star Award Germany 2018
Shortlisted for the ThrillZone Awards (Best Translated Thriller) Netherlands – Utmarker Watching You 2017
Shortlisted for the Swedish Radio’s Short Novel Prize Sweden 2017
Shortlisted for LovelyBooks’ Der Leserpreis (Best Crime & Thriller of 2016) Germany – Utmarker Watching You 2016
Shortlisted for the European Crime Fiction Star Award Germany 2014
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Novel of the Year) Sweden – Blindbock Blind Man’s Buff 2013
Shortlisted for the International TV Dagger Award UK 2013
Shortlisted for the Danish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Crime Novel of the Year) Denmark – Viskleken Chinese Whispers 2012
Shortlisted for the Glass Key (Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year) The Nordic Countries – Viskleken Chinese Whispers 2012
The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel) Sweden – Viskleken Chinese Whispers 2011
Radio Bremen’s Crime Award Germany 2010
Shortlisted for the European Crime Fiction Star Award Germany 2010
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Elva Eleven 2008
The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Special Honorary Award) Sweden 2007
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – De största vatten Many Waters 2006
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Efterskalv Afterquake 2006
The German Crime Fiction Award (Best International Crime Writer) Germany – Europa Blues The Europe Blues 2006
German Crime Writing Award Germany – Upp till toppen av berget To the Top of the Mountain 2005
The German Crime Fiction Award (Best International Crime Writer) Germany – Upp till toppen av berget To the Top of the Mountain 2005
The Danish Crime Writing Award (Palle Rosenkrantz Prisen) (Best Crime Novel of the Year) Denmark – Europa Blues The Europe Blues 2004
The Danish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (The Palle Rosenkrantz Award) Denmark – Europa Blues The Europe Blues 2003
Close award list

Bibliography

The NOVA series

Berger & Blom

Opcop

Intercrime

Stand-alone

Related news

‘Within the Circle’ No. 3 in Denmark

The first installment in Arne Dahl’s thrilling NOVA series, Within the Circle, is No. 3 on the crime list at Denmark’s largest book retailer this week.

‘Within the Circle’ No. 1 in Denmark

Within the Circle, the first installment in Arne Dahl’s NOVA series, is No.1 on the Danish bestseller list for e-books this week.

‘Within the Circle’ published in Sweden

When a division manager in the steel industry is found dead in a field outside of Uppsala in his burning BMW, it is quickly dismissed as an accident. But when another “accident” occurs, it becomes clear for criminal inspector Eva Nyman that this is part of something greater, something which presumably has something to do with the ongoing climate debate.

Because she receives a letter, written on an old typewriter – a letter that does not only describe the two events but predicts an upcoming, and much worse, attack.

The clues lead to Nyman’s past, to a trauma she thought she had safely put behind her.

Now, before the next attack is executed, she must activate her special forces team NOVA to find out who’s behind it all.

Who is hiding within the circle.

Within the Circle is the first installment in Arne Dahl’s highly anticipated NOVA series.

The weekly Swedish bestseller list

Niklas Natt och Dag’s just published 1795 grabs the No. 1 spots on both the hardcover list and the e-book list this week, also coming in at No. 3 in audio. Meanwhile, the children’s list sees Kristina Ohlsson’s The Ghost Detectives and the Case of the Ghastly Shadow, book one in her new Ghost Detectives series, debut at No. 3. Also debuting but on the audio list is Arne Dahl with Meltdown, which claims the No. 4 placement.

The weekly Swedish bestseller list

Liza Marklund and Jo Nesbø divide the weekly lists’ No. 1 placements between them, with Marklund’s The Polar Circle coming in at No. 1 in audio and e-book and No. 2 in hardcover. Nesbø’s The Kingdom is No. 1 spot on the paperback list.

New on the lists are Jonas Gardell and Arne  Dahl, whose latest titles both debut in the hardcover category this week. Gardell’s A Happier Year does so at No. 4, and Dahl’s Meltdown at No. 5.

‘Meltdown’ published in Sweden

A wintery spring has just given way to early summer. Sam Berger, Molly Blom and Deer, their contact at the police office, who is just learning how to walk again after the attack that brutally changed her life, sense an ambiguous connection between the bodies that are being found one by one in the thawing archipelago. Someone is going to murder again. Could Sam, Molly and Deer intervene, or is the truth far worse than what they could ever imagine?

Meltdown is the stand-alone fifth installment in the lauded Berger & Blom series. It’s a raging thriller coming together in a ghastly crescendo masterfully orchestrated as only Arne Dahl knows how.

The Danish bestseller lists

Denmark’s largest book retailer Bog og Idé’s weekly crime fiction bestseller list sees Arne Dahl’s Freedom claim the No. 5 position for the second week in a row. Meanwhile Stefan Ahnhem’s X Ways to Die claims the No. 6 spot and Anders Roslund’s Knock Knock appears at No. 7.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

The Swedish bestseller lists for week 20 see Ulf Lundell claim two No. 2 spots, in hardback and e-book respectively, with his Weekdays 3. Also making multiple appearances this week is Stina Jackson, whose The Last Snow is No. 4 in hardback as well as No. 5 in both the audio and e-book categories. In audio she is accompanied by Arne Dahl who comes in at No. 7 with Freedom, his latest installment in the Berger & Blom series.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Stina Jackson and Arne Dahl continue to both feature on the weekly Swedish bestseller lists. Jackson’s The Last Snow is No. 2 in hardcover and audio this week, and No. 3 in e-book. Her debut title, The Silver Road, also appears on the audio list, coming in at No. 4. Dahl’s Freedom follows close behind at No. 5, also claiming a spot on the e-book list at No. 6.

The April bestseller lists in Sweden

Stina Jackson’s The Last Snow features at the top of the monthly bestseller lists for April, coming in at No. 1 in audio and e-book, and No. 2 in hardcover. Anders de la Motte appears right beside her, his Rites of Spring appearing at No. 2 in audio and e-book and at No. 3 in hardcover.

Niklas Natt och Dag’s 1794 meanwhile claims the No. 5 spot in hardcover, and Arne Dahl’s Freedom is No. 3 in audio and No. 4 in e-book. Katrine Engberg’s long-running bestseller The Tenant is No. 8 in paperback.

Jens Lapidus makes his debut on the monthly bestseller list for children’s books, coming in at No. 5 with The Dillsta Gang and the Art Heist.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

The lists of week 18 see Stina Jackson claim multiple bestseller placements with her latest novel The Last Snow, coming in at No. 1 in e-book and No. 2 in hardback and audio respectively. Arne Dahl also makes several appearances, nabbing the No. 4 spot in e-book and No. 5 in audio with his recently published Freedom – the fourth installment in the Berger & Blom series.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Stina Jackson’s The Last Snow scores three No. 2 placements on the official Swedish weekly bestseller lists for week 17. The Last Snow comes in second in hardcover, audio, and e-book. It is joined in the last category by Jackson’s debut novel, The Silver Road, which features at No. 3 also this week. The No. 1 spots on the audio and e-book lists go to Arne Dahl’s Freedom, the just published fourth title in the Berger & Blom series. Freedom also comes in at No. 3 on the hardcover list. Making a three-list appearance is also Anders de la Motte, whose Rites of Spring is No. 3 in audio, No. 4 in e-book and No. 9 in hardcover.

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