‘Stray Bullets’ published in Denmark

It is a beautiful day in April when 15-year-old Oscar disappears. A typical neglected middle child, Oscar is initially thought to have run away from home. But the police cannot ignore the signs pointing to something more sinister. Has the teen been taken against his will? The police have only one piece of evidence to tell them where he is: an ambiguous quote from a novel.

In Stray Bullets, Katrine Engberg’s talented investigators Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner reunite once more with Esther de Laurenti to uncover the truth of a mysterious kidnapping case with unexpected depths.

Katrine Engberg’s Stray Bullets is the fourth novel about the Police Sergeants Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner.

‘We Shall Not Awaken’ published in Norway

Former interrogation leader Thorkild Aske must return to his roots on Iceland when his father Ulfur, an environmentalist with a checkered past, is stricken with cancer. But Ulfur is also in jail: he has been charged with the murder of his young lover. When Ulfur insists that he is innocent of the crime, Thorkild and his sister find themselves searching for the truth and the real killer. Their journey across Iceland and into the murky depths of the past – their own as well as that of Ulfur’s radical environmentalist group – threatens to lay bare dark secrets best forgotten. The price of the truth will be exacted in lives.

We Shall Not Awaken is the third Thorkild Aske novel, and a true exploration of the gothic and sardonic universe of Heine Bakkeid’s lauded protagonist.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Anders Roslund’s long-running bestseller Knock Knock is No. 5 both in audio and e-book on week 35’s official Swedish bestseller lists.

The weekly Norwegian bestseller lists

Jo Nesbø’s longterm bestseller Knife is No. 2 on week 35’s official bestseller list for e-books in Norway, coming in at No. 3 on the hardcover list as well. Stefan Ahnhem’s Motive X doesn’t budge from its spot on the paperback list, and comes in at No. 5 also this week.

Jo Nesbø No. 2 in Germany

Jo Nesbø’s Knife, the twelfth Harry Hole novel, has gone straight to No. 2 on Der Spiegel’s bestseller list for hardcover fiction after being published by Ullstein in Germany just a week ago.

‘Stupid Young Heart’ chosen as Finland’s Oscar candidate

Selma Vilhunen’s Stupid Young Heart will be Finland’s submission for ‘Best International Feature Film’ at the Academy awards. The celebrated film had its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and won the Crystal Bear for ‘Best Youth Film’ at the 2019 Berlinale.

Stupid Young Heart tells the story of a group of teenagers grappling with the unexpected grown-up problem of pregnancy while far right ideas start to spread in their multicultural neighborhood.

The Academy award nominations in the International Feature Film category will be announced on January 13th, 2020.

The Tim Bergling Foundation organizes Avicii tribute concert for mental health awareness

A tribute concert featuring the music of Avicii will take place on December 5th in Stockholm, Sweden. The concert will feature 19 of the original singers on Avicii’s biggest hits as well as opening sets from friends like David Guetta, Kygo, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Laidback Luke and Nicky Romero. The participating singers — Aloe Blacc, Adam Lambert, Alex Ebert, Rita Ora, Joe Janiak and more — will perform alongside a 30-piece band in a two-hour headlining set at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.

All net profits from the Avicii Tribute Concert for Mental Health Awareness, which is produced by the foundation bearing Avicii’s real name, Tim Bergling, will go to supporting organizations which address mental health needs and suicide prevention.

Read more in Variety by clicking “Read more” below.

Read more

‘The Informer’ receives praise in UK press

The feature film The Informer, based on the novel Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellström, is released nationwide in theatres in the UK today. Several of the biggest UK newspapers are already lauding the film, which is directed by Andrea Di Stefano, and stars Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike and Ana de Armas in the lead roles.

“Joel Kinnaman stars in a sharp, cunning crime thriller. /…/ The Informer is one of the year’s more pleasant genre surprises: a clenched fist of a crime thriller in the mode of The Departed or The Town, in which every element is just a notch smarter than you’d expect. […] it holds together absorbingly, thanks to a sturdy script which ups stakes and adds characters with cunning and intelligence. /…/ While gritty genre fare gravitates more and more to the small screen, it’s strangely satisfying to watch two hours spent doing business the old way.”

-Telegraph, UK

“It’s a genuinely tense, gritty, New York City-set drama with a compelling leading man in Joel Kinnaman, and solid support from Rosamund Pike, whose fragrant English Rose period is now just a distant memory. /…/ That’s an admirably multinational team behind a film that feels not just distinctly American but carries that particular whiff of New York City underbelly, of sweat and pretzels and acrid steam rising from subway gratings.”

-Daily Mail, UK

“Old-school twisty thriller holds its best tricks until the end. /…/ This hard-edged, old-school crime thriller is a resolutely grim and increasingly violent affair, and holds your attention with a hardworking cast, decent production values and a twisty story which holds its best tricks until the end.”

-Daily Mirror, UK

“Gripping tale of brawn and bloodshed behind bars. /…/ Rosamund Pike is an FBI agent who sends an ex-con undercover in a gritty crime drama that drips with menace. This is a tough, muscular, sweaty thriller […] its world reeking with cynicism and fear.”

-The Guardian, UK

“It’s pulled off with slick effectiveness and has enough bumps in the road to demand your attention to the end.”

The Times, UK

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Anders Roslund once again grabs three spots on the official weekly Swedish bestseller lists, where his Knock Knock is now No. 2 in hardcover and audio, and No. 3 in e-books. On the audio list is also Jo Nesbø with Knife, at No. 4, and Stina Jackson with The Silver Road, at No. 5. Nesbø’s twelfth Harry Hole novel also comes in at No. 5 in e-book.