The BBC just announced that they have acquired two Swedish crime dramas, End of Summer, based on the bestselling work of Anders de la Motte, and the thriller series Jana – Marked for Life, directed by Henrik Björn and Felix Herngren, with Daniel Sawka and Maria Karlsson as head-writers.

End of Summer, based on former police officer Anders de la Motte’s novel of the same name, is a six-part psychological thriller starring Julia Ragnarsson (Midsommar, The Bridge) and Erik Enge (Tigers, The Sandhamn Murders). Viaplay produced End of Summer with Harmonica Films in a co-production with SF Studios and Film i Skåne. The series is directed by Jens Jonsson (Young Wallander) and Henrik Georgsson (The Bridge) with lead writers Stefan Thunberg (Wallander) and Björn Carlström (Hunters), who also produced the series with Per Janérus (Hunters).

Jana – Marked for Life follows the investigation of a murder of a high-ranking official at the Swedish Migration Agency. When the main suspect is also found dead, Jana immediately recognizes something on his scarred body. To understand her own traumatic past, Jana must reach the killer ahead of the police. The six episodes are created and directed by Henrik Björn and Felix Herngren. Daniel Sawka is head-writer together with Maria Karlsson. The series is an adaptation of Emelie Schepp’s bestselling novel of the same name, and in Sweden it will premiere on Prime Video on April 19.

“End of Summer is a complex and absorbing mystery drama in a beautiful setting. Jana – Marked for Life is an intriguing and suspenseful thriller. We are so pleased to be adding these two compelling series to our rich catalogue of Nordic Noir” says Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition.

Read the full article on BBC by clicking ‘Read more’ below.

Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King, is one among four other crime titles that has been shortlisted for the newly founded Norwegian crime award Glasskniven. The award is given to the best translated crime novel published in Norway in the last three years.

The Mountain King is the first installment in the bestselling Leo Asker series, and the jury praises it in the following way: “Anders de la Motte writes wistfully beautifully. He has a language that flows easily, with an underlying nerve that spreads beyond the action. The story is dark but still fresh, with things happening in the shadows that could scare the living daylight out of most people. The book is composed with a lot of action and intrigue, but the interest is maintained throughout the novel. This was simply a unique reading feast and a thrilling mystery, with condensed action, written in a literary language that few other crime writers can boast.”

The winner will be announced the 15th of May.

The voting is now open for this year’s Norwegian Storytel Awards, which pay particular respect to the audio book narrators working on the nominated titles.

Among those whose works have been nominated in the category Crime & Suspense are Anders de la Motte with The Mountain King, Anders Roslund with Sweet Dreams, Jørn Lier Horst with The Traitor, Jo Nesbø with Killing Moon, and Lars Kepler with The Spider.

Thomas Seltzer’s American Karmageddon is nominated in the category Narrated by Author.

The first installment in Anders de la Motte’s Leo Asker series, The Mountain King, is No. 3 on the official bestseller list for fiction in Spain, and No. 5 on the Catalonian fiction list. The novel was published in Spain and Catalonia earlier this month.

Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger claim the top spot on Norway’s 2023 bestseller list with Victim, their fifth Blix & Ramm novel. Horst then makes a second showing in the top ten with The Traitor, which features at No. 4. Also appearing twice in the top ten is Jo Nesbø, with Killing Moon at No. 3, and The Night House at No. 8. A non-Norwegian author in the top is Anders de la Motte, whose The Mountain King comes in at No. 6. The highest-placing female writer is Anne Holt, with Twelve Untamed Horses at No. 9.

Oliver Lovrenski’s Back in the Day and Anders de la Motte’s second installment in The Leo Asker Series, The Glass Man, are two of the titles featured on Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang’s “Best books of the year 2023” list for literature & fiction. The annual list is put together by renowned critics by picking out their own personal favorite reads of the past year. The critics’ words are as follows:

Back in The Day, for Best Fiction of 2023:
“I can’t recall seeing a debutant receive the kind of attention that Oliver Lovrenski has garnered in a very, very long time. And it’s completely deserved.”

“What a scorcher of a debut novel! The 19-year-old Lovrenski has burst onto the scene, into bookstores, and into the hearts of readers with tremendous force.”

The Glass Man, for Best Crime of 2023:
“A creepy opening kicks off the second book /…/ and the eeriness persists throughout the entire book. De la Motte is adept at creating eerie and fascinating perpetrators. ‘The Glass Man’ is even better than last year’s ‘The Mountain King,’ and it’s extremely difficult to put down.”

Oliver Lovrenski continues to dominate the Norwegian hardcover list, coming in at No. 1 with Back in the Day. Anders de la Motte meanwhile debuts on the e-book list with his just published The Glass Man, which comes in at No. 5. The Glass Man is the second installment in the Leo Asker series.

Detective Inspector Leonore Asker has just settled in as head of the Department of Lost Souls, a unit for odd cases, when her father contacts her after years of silence. A body with no eyes has been found on his farm; the police are chasing him, and he is desperate for Leo’s help. But is her father as innocent as he claims, or is he trying to reel Leo into his vicious grip once again?

Meanwhile, Martin Hill moves to a secluded estate to write a biography about the business leader Gunnar Irving, intrigued by the fact that the legendary property contains a private island with an abandoned astronomical observatory. Soon, Hill discovers that the area has more stories to offer – about mysterious lights and mutilated bodies. While Asker and Hill try to find answers, The Glass Man rises from the depths of darkness from which no one ever returns. Nobody but him.

The Glass Man is the second installment in the highly praised Asker Series.

Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King is No. 1 on the paperback bestseller list for the month of August, 2023. He is joined by Ulf Kvensler’s The Couples Trip, which comes in at No. 5.

Lars Kepler’s The Spider features at No. 5 on the official bestseller list for fiction in Sweden. Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King claims the No. 2 spot on the official list for paperback, followed by Ulf Kvensler’s The Couples Trip featuring at No. 5. 

Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King celebrates its third week at No. 1 on the official paperback bestseller list in Sweden.

Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King, the first installment in the Leo Asker series, is the 2nd most sold title among all thriller and crime fiction titles in Denmark this week.