The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its shortlist for the 2021 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of six nominees include Anne Holt with A Necessary Death, Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger with Death Deserved, and Yrsa Sigurdardóttir with Gallows Rock.

The Judges have the following to say about each title:

“A pacy, absorbing thriller with a gutsy, complex main character.” – on Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death.

“The novel expertly fuses the writers’ individual styles, while showcasing their joint talent for writing credible and engaging characters, and creating a fast-paced, exciting plot.” – on Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s Death Deserved.

“[The protagonists’] relationship provides readers with some lighter moments and occasional black humour, along with a frisson of mutual attraction. The novel’s intricate plot focuses on skewed morals and revenge.” – on Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s Gallows Rock.

The winning title will be announced on Thursday 4 November, 2021.

A pandemic has swept the world. Hanne Wilhelmsen, long since retired from the police force, has already lived in self-imposed exile in her apartment for years. As Norway is shut down, she finally has the chance to reclaim her empty city.

At the same time, police officer Henrik Holme is struggling with a murder case that no one seems to care too much about. A woman has been found naked in the trunk of a car. The body is intact, apart from the face which has been beaten beyond recognition. No one has reported her missing. No one knows who she is. Holme must turn to his old mentor Hanne Wilhelmsen for help.

At the biggest publishing house in Norway, the young editor Ebba Braut is only four days into her new job when the pandemic hits with full force. From her cramped home office, she is assigned the task to hunt down a very valuable lost manuscript by one of the publisher’s best-selling authors. She too is forced to call on Hanne Wilhelmsen, who recently submitted her first crime novel without being especially interested in being edited.

The Eleventh Manuscript is a story about family secrets and deceit, about identity theft and fraud, about authors and the publishing industry, and about how “realistic fiction” can be life-threatening. Literally.

David Sundin makes another appearance at No. 1 on the official Swedish bestseller list for children’s books, placing first with The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read. The paperback list’s No. 1 meanwhile goes to Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death and the e-book No. 1 to Jens Lapidus’ The No-Go Zone.

Jens Lapidus’ The No-Go Zone doesn’t budge from its place atop the e-book and audio bestseller lists in Sweden. Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death is likewise a steady presence at No. 1 on the paperback list.

Jens Lapidus’ just published The No-Go Zone makes its debut on the official bestseller lists this week, coming in at No. 1 in e-book and audio. Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death stays put at No. 1 on the paperback list.

The paperback bestseller list of February 2021 sees Anne Holt land the No. 1 spot with A Necessary Death. The title is the second installment in the Selma Falck series.

Anne Holt takes the No. 1 spot on the official paperback bestseller list of week 7 in Sweden. The title in question is A Necessary Death, the second installment in the Selma Falck series.

Selma Falck is unprepared as her get-together with friends is suddenly transformed into a murder scene. A sniper fires a single shot, hitting her old friend Linda Bruseth in the head and injuring Selma. Linda’s relative anonymity as a little known parliament representative lead the press and the police to speculate that the real target of the assassination was Selma. She initially sees no reason to doubt them.

But closer investigation by the police soon undermines the theory, and it now stands clear that a member of parliament has been killed on the open street. When a Supreme Court judge is then found hanged, and a member of the government dies under mysterious circumstances, Selma senses a pattern in both the choice of victims and murder methods. In her search for answers, she stumbles across an apparent chaos of power abuse, conspiracies and personal tragedies. And not least, an ice cold vengeance that seems impossible to stop.

The Mandela Effect is the third installment in the Selma Falck series.

This week on the official bestseller lists in Sweden, Anders Roslund places at No. 8 in the paperback category with Knock Knock, the first installment in the Nameless Girls Diptych. The sequel, Sweet Dreams, comes in at No. 3 on the audio list, and No. 6 in e-books. Also on the e-books list is Anne Holt, whose A Necessary Death is No. 8. Finally, Simona Ahrnstedt’s Just a Bit More is No. 10 in paperback.

Anders Roslund continues to feature with two titles on the official bestseller lists from Sweden. This week, Sweet Dreams is No. 4 in audio, No. 6 in e-book and No. 8 in hardcover, while Knock Knock is No. 5 on the paperback list. Also on the paperback list is Simona Ahrnstedt, claiming the No. 9 spot with Just a Bit More. Anne Holt meanwhile grabs the No. 4 position on the e-book list with A Necessary Death.

The Swedish bestseller lists for week 13 see Katrine Engberg come in at No. 2 in paperback with her The Tenant, while Niklas Natt och Dag is No. 3 in hardcover with 1794. 1794 also comes in at No. 5 on the e-book list, where Anders Roslund’s Knock Knock is No. 3. The No. 5 spot on the audio list goes to Anne Holt and A Grave For Two.

Katrine Engberg’s The Tenant is yet again No. 1 on the official Swedish bestseller list for paperbacks, coming in at the top for the fourth week in a row. The hardcover list meanwhile sees Jonas Bonnier land a No. 3 placement with The Day of the Lord, and Niklas Natt och Dag appear at No. 4 with 1794. Natt och Dag’s debut title, The Wolf and the Watchman, comes in at No. 4 on the audio list. It is closely followed by Anne Holt’s A Grave For Two, which is No. 5 in audio as well as e-books. The No. 4 spot on the e-book list goes to Anders Roslund and Knock Knock.