
Photo: Anna-Lena Lundqvist
Kristina Ohlsson (b. 1979) is one of Sweden’s most successful and lauded authors of crime fiction and children’s books. Before becoming a full-time writer, Kristina worked for the OSCE (the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), the Swedish Security Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since her switch to a literary career, she has been a frequent name on national and international bestseller lists, award shortlists, and a critics’ favorite. In 2020, she embarked on a new crime series set on the atmospheric west coast of Sweden: the August Strindberg series.
“No one creates intrigues like she does. It is simply brilliant.”
–Maj Sjöwall
“The writing is tense, dense and very atmospheric. The stories sharp and impossible to let go. Kristina Ohlsson is a true queen of scandinavian crime.”
–Mons Kallentoft
“Kristina Ohlssons has managed to do what many before her have tried: to take the Swedish crime novel to a new and unexpected level.”
–Arne Dahl
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Suspense) Sweden – Stormvakt Storm Watch | 2020 |
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Suspense) Sweden – Henrys hemlighet To Him Who Knocks | 2019 |
Book of the Year 2018 (Grades 5-7) Norway – Det magiska hjärtat The Magical Heart | 2018 |
The Crimetime Specsavers Award (Children’s Crime Fiction of the Year) Sweden – Varulvens hemlighet The Werewolf’s Secret | 2017 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Radio’s Children’s Novel Award Sweden – Det magiska hjärtat The Magical Heart | 2017 |
Shortlisted for the Crimetime Specsavers Award (Crime Writer of the Year - Readers’ Award) Sweden | 2017 |
Shortlisted for the Crimetime Specsavers Award (Children’s Crime Fiction of the Year) Sweden – Stenänglar The Stone Angels | 2016 |
Shortlisted for the Crimetime Specsavers Award (Children’s Crime Fiction of the Year) Sweden – Silverpojken The Silver Boy | 2016 |
Shortlisted for the Crimetime Specsavers Award (Children’s Crime Fiction of the Year) Sweden – Glasbarnen The Glass Children | 2016 |
Shortlisted for the Crimetime Specsavers Award (Children’s Crime Fiction of the Year) Sweden – Zombiefeber Zombie Fever | 2016 |
The Latvian National Library Children’s Literature Centre’s Award Latvia – Glasbarnen The Glass Children | 2015 |
The Bookjury! Award Sweden – Silverpojken The Silver Boy | 2014 |
The Swedish Bookshop Association’s Your Book, Our Choice Award Sweden – Silverpojken The Silver Boy | 2014 |
Swedish Radio’s Children’s Novel Award Sweden – Glasbarnen The Glass Children | 2013 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Änglavakter The Disappeared | 2011 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Tusenskönor Silenced | 2010 |
The Stabilo Prize (Best Crime Writer of Southern Sweden) Sweden | 2010 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel) Sweden – Stormvakt Storm Watch |
2020, Children’s horror
2019, Children’s suspense
2017, Children’s suspense
2016, Children’s
2016, Horror
2015, Children’s suspense
2021, Children’s suspense
2021, Children’s suspense
2019, Crime
2015, Crime
2014, Crime
2018, Children’s horror
2017, Children’s horror
2016, Children’s horror
2017, Crime
2013, Crime
2012, Crime
2011, Crime
2010, Crime
2009, Crime
Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker comes in at No. 5 in e-book and No. 7 in hardcover on this week’s official bestseller lists in Norway, meanwhile Storm Watch grabs the No. 3 spot on the paperback list.
The nominees for the Swedish 2021 Storytel Awards have been announced. The Storytel Awards have been bestowed since 2007 in Sweden to highlight the best audio books of the year. The awards are granted within six categories: Suspense, Fiction, Non-fiction, Feelgood, YA, and Children’s books.
Among the nominees for suspense are Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s As You Sow, Jens Lapidus’ The No-Go Zone, Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s A House to Die For, Liza Marklund’s The Polar Circle, and Anders Roslund’s Trust Me.
The nominees within the fiction category includes Fredrik Backman’s The Winners and Jonas Gardell’s A Happier Year, and Simona Ahrnstedt’s The Queen of the Night is featured on the Feelgood list.
Meanwhile, Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues and Måns Mosesson’s Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii features on the Non-fiction list, and David Sundin’s audiobook The Audiobook That Did Not Want To End – Part 2, from the same universe as The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, is in the running for the Children’s books’ award.
Readers will be able to vote for their favorite works until February 9, after which a jury will pick a winner among the three candidates with the most votes in each category.
To cast your vote, click “Read more” below.
The official bestseller lists for 2021 in Sweden have been announced and the hardcover fiction list sees Niklas Natt och Dag’s 1795 at No. 2. This bestselling final part of Natt och Dag’s Bellman noir trilogy also appears at No. 5 on the e-book list, together with Liza Marklund’s acclaimed first installment in her highly anticipated new trilogy, The Polar Circle at No. 4.
Måns Mosesson’s intimate portrayal of Tim Bergling, Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii, grabs the No. 5 spot on the hardcover non-fiction list.
David Sundin’s children’s book debut and instant bestseller, The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, comes in at No. 3 on the children’s list.
The paperback list sees Storm Watch, the first installment in the immensely popular August Strindberg series by Kristina Ohlsson, come in at No. 2 and Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s beloved and moving non-fiction work, I May Be Wrong, at No. 5.
I May Be Wrong also claims the No. 2 spot on the audio list.
Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues comes in at No. 1 on the official Swedish bestseller list for the month of November in the non-fiction category, followed by Måns Mosesson’s Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii at No. 2. Brain Blues also grabs the No. 1 spot on the audio list, accompanied by Fredrik Backman’s The Winners at No. 3 and Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii at No. 5. Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker claims the No. 1 spot on the e-book list.
The just published Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii by Måns Mosesson enters the official Swedish bestseller list at No. 1 in both the hardcover non-fiction and audio category this week. Johan Theorin’s Weathered Bones, also just published, claims the No. 2 spot in hardcover fiction and comes in at No. 3 in e-book. Lars Kepler’s The Mirror Man grabs the No. 1 spot on the paperback list, while Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker stays firmly put at No. 1 in the e-book category for the third consecutive week. Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues comes in at No. 2 in both hardcover non-fiction and audio and climbs to No. 4 on the e-book list this week.
Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues continues to top the official Swedish bestseller list for hardcover non-fiction, coming in at No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker sits steadily at No. 1 on the e-book list and No. 2 on the hardcover list also this week, while Niklas Natt och Dag’s 1795 comes in at No. 3 in hardcover.
Kristina Ohlsson’s just published Icebreaker, the second installment in her August Strindberg-series, enters the official Swedish bestseller list for ebooks at No. 1 and the equivalent for hardcover fiction at No. 2 this week. Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues stays firmly put at at No. 1 on the non-fiction list, while also claiming the No. 1 spot in audio.
The ground is covered in white and August Strindberg is happier than he’s been in a long time. His new shop, Strindberg’s Second Hand, is doing great. And even better, August is in love.
Then, on a freezing cold January night, August’s new home town Hovenäset’s peace is broken by a violent fire. The inferno destroys two boathouses – one of which belongs to August and the other to Axel Ehnbom, an elderly local. Detective Sergeant Maria Martinsson starts her investigation only to find that her arson inquiry has turned into a murder one. Someone in Hovenäset is hiding dark secrets. And danger is fast approaching from another direction as well. Soon both Maria and August find themselves in the line of fire.
Icebreaker is the second installment in Kristina Ohlsson’s No. 1 bestselling new series about August Strindberg.
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.
Welcome to The Ghost Detectives, Misty Valley’s own ER for ghostly matters. At your service are Elsa and Carl, who know most things about ghosts. This time around, Frans Fransson desperately needs their help. His apartment is haunted and he can’t sleep at night due to all the racket the ghost is making! Someone keeps smashing the china in the kitchen, turning the lights on and off and dragging books out of the book case. And sometimes a shadow appears in the middle of the floor, even though there’s no one there! How is it all connected? As always, the key is to understand what the ghost is trying to communicate. So who is this ghastly shadow and what does it want?
The Ghost Detectives and the Case of the Ghastly Shadow is the first stand-alone installment in Kristina Ohlsson’s spine-tingling, humorous and clever new series for the younger readers. Moa Wallin is the illustrator behind the vibrant and atmospheric images.
Kristina Ohlsson and Jo Nesbø each claim a top placement on the official paperback bestseller list for the month of August in Sweden. Kristina Ohlsson is No. 1 with her Storm Watch, while Jo Nesbø takes the No. 2 spot with The Kingdom.
Jørn Lier Horst’s long-running bestseller A Question of Guilt is No. 1 on week 33’s paperback list. Horst is joined by Kristina Ohlsson, whose just published Storm Watch debuts at No. 4 on the e-book list.