
Photo: Annika Marklund
If Sjöwall/Wahlöö created the modern Swedish police procedural in the 60s, Liza Marklund (b. 1962) revolutionized it in the late 90s with The Bomber, the first installment in a series that would become the most successful ever from a female Scandinavian writer.
Liza Marklund’s series about crime reporter Annika Bengtzon – in which life at a bustling tabloid and the conflict between motherhood and career set the stage for immensely suspenseful crime stories – quickly established the author as a bestseller worldwide. Since then, Marklund’s novels have sold more than 23 million copies in more than 40 languages. She is the recipient of a vast number of literary awards and prizes.
In addition to being an author, Liza Marklund has worked as a journalist as well as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.
“It’s no accident that Liza Marklund is one of the most dynamic and popular crime writers of our time.”
–Patricia Cornwell
“It’s obvious why Liza Marklund is such a popular writer, and so beloved by her loyal fans. Her voice is crisp and clean, and she has a knack for building beautifully elaborate and suspenseful plots. Her storytelling captivates readers, keeping them guessing right to the end with twists and turns you never see coming. /…/ I am but one member of a steadily growing group of loyal fans.”
–Karin Slaughter
“Liza Marklund is in a league of her own thanks to her intelligent stories, her confident writing and her radical view on society. There is no doubt about it.”
–Henning Mankell
“An astonishing talent. /…/ Liza Marklund’s thrillers are stellar examples of those qualities inherent in the best fiction: She wholly immerses the reader in her world, and she writes with consummate intelligence, consistency and passion.”
–Jeffery Deaver
“Liza Marklund is the next great Nordic export for fans of crime fiction to discover. Her books deliver edge-of-your-seat suspense, sophisticated plotting, complex characterization, and unique locales. Enjoy!”
–Harlan Coben
“Liza Marklund’s thrillers are beautifully structured and tautly written. Dynamic plots with suspense throughout.”
–Kathy Reichs
“What impresses me most about Liza Marklund’s novels is that they are intelligent and gripping. As if that isn’t enough to raise them above just about everyone else’s work—Liza writes lively, often funny dialogue.”
–James Patterson
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Suspense) Sweden – Kallmyren The Mire | 2023 |
Shortlisted for the Mofibo Awards (Best Translated Fiction of the Year) Denmark – Kallmyren The Mire | 2023 |
Shortlisted for the Adlibris Awards (Best Crime Fiction) Sweden – Kallmyren The Mire | 2022 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Polcirkeln The Polar Circle | 2021 |
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Fiction) Sweden – Pärlfarmen Black Pearl Farm | 2019 |
Crimetime Specsavers’ Honorary Award Sweden | 2018 |
Radio Bremen’s Crime Award Germany – Järnblod The Final Word | 2016 |
The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Special Honorary Award) Sweden | 2015 |
The Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Nobels testamente Last Will | 2013 |
Eurocrime Read of the Year (Favourite read of 2012) UK – Nobels testamente Last Will | 2012 |
The Reading Relay Gold Medal Scotland – Sprängaren The Bomber | 2012 |
The Platinum Paperback Award (Outstanding Paperback Sales) Sweden – En plats i solen The Long Shadow | 2010 |
The Swedish Literary Award (Best Novel of the Year) Sweden – Livstid Lifetime | 2007 |
Scanorama Awards (Scandinavian of the Year in the Literature category) Scandinavia | 2002 |
St. Erik’s Medal Sweden | 2002 |
Book of the Year Award Sweden – Paradiset Vanished | 2001 |
QX’s Book of the Year Award Sweden – Paradiset Vanished | 2001 |
Paperback of the Year Sweden – Sprängaren The Bomber | 2000 |
Shortlisted for the Glass Key (Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year) The Nordic Countries – Sprängaren The Bomber | 1999 |
The Swedish Union’s Award (Author of the Year) Sweden – Studio sex Exposed | 1999 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Studio sex Exposed | 1999 |
The Poloni Prize (Best Swedish Crime Novel by a Female Writer) Sweden – Sprängaren The Bomber | 1998 |
The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Debut) Sweden – Sprängaren The Bomber | 1998 |
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year) Sweden – Sprängaren The Bomber | 1998 |
2018, Literary
2011, Non-fiction
2010, Crime
2004, Literary
1995, Literary
2023, Thriller
2022, Thriller
2021, Thriller
2015, Crime
2013, Crime
2011, Crime
2008, Crime
2007, Crime
2006, Crime
2003, Crime
2002, Crime
2000, Crime
1999, Crime
1998, Crime
In the midst of Midsummer celebrations in Stenträsk, a body surfaces out in the mire. It is assumed to be Wiking Stormberg’s missing wife. But the body in the mire is soon identified as a man, and he didn’t die by drowning. Someone plunged a stake through his heart, nailing his corpse to the bottom of the mire. For Wiking, the discovery means a dizzying journey back into his family history. Before long, he can no longer be sure of what is the truth and what is a lie – or even, who he himself is.
Storm Mountain is the final part in the trilogy about Stenträsk in Northern Sweden. The novel is an epic drama with police chief Wiking Stormberg and his family at the center, but also the land itself, the river, and Storm Mountain.
The first two installments about Stenträsk, The Polar Circle and The Mire, were instant successes and became that year’s most critically acclaimed and bestselling books.
Here, Liza Marklund uses the stories she grew up with as a child. She writes about longing and secrets, and history’s ruthless exploitation of people and nature.
Liza Marklund’s The Mire is No. 1 on the official paperback bestseller list. The Mire is the standalone sequel to The Polar Circle, Marklund’s critically acclaimed return to the crime genre.
The Norwegian booksellers’ association has announced a list of the most sold crime novels of 2023 so far, and Liza Marklund takes the No. 1 spot with The Polar Circle. Horst & Enger meanwhile is the most sold domestic authorship, featuring at the top with their Unhinged, followed by Smoke Screen and Death Deserved. Also on the list are Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript, Liza Marklund’s The Mire, Jørn Lier Horst’s The Traitor, Jo Nesbø’s Killing Moon, Lars Kepler’s The Spider, and Kristina Ohlsson’s Storm Watch.
The nominees for this year’s Swedish 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 Lars Kepler’s The Spider, Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King, Kristina Ohlsson’s Dimmed Lights, Anders de la Motte and Måns Nilsson’s Death Goes Antiquing, and Liza Marklund’s The Mire.
The Details by Ia Genberg is featured within the fiction category.
Meanwhile, Anders Hansen and Mats Wänblad’s The Happiness Cure for Teens and Elaf Ali’s Who Said Anything About Love? feature on the YA list, whilst Martin Widmark’s The Masquerade Mystery and Stories from Valleby: The mysterious letter are in the running for the children’s books award.
Readers will be able to vote for their favorite works until February 5, 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 Danish audio and e-book service Mofibo has announced this year’s nominees in the Mofibo Awards. Competing for the title of Best Crime & Suspense is Katrine Engberg with The Writing on the Wall. In the Translated Fiction category, Lars Kepler, Liza Marklund, Stefan Ahnhem and Hjorth & Rosenfeldt are vying for the top spot. Kepler with The Spider, Marklund with The Mire, Ahnhem with The Final Nail, and Hjorth & Rosenfeldt with As You Sow.
To cast your vote, click “Read more” below. Voting closes on January 29.
Liza Marklund continues to place first on the official Norwegian bestseller list for paperbacks, coming in at No. 1 also this week with The Polar Circle.
Liza Marklund performs a hat-trick on the first weekly bestseller list of 2023 in Norway. The Mire, the standalone second installment in Marklund’s The Polar Circle trilogy, goes straight to No. 1 on the official list for hardcover fiction as well as on the e-book list upon publication, while The Polar Circle comes in at No. 1 on the paperback list.
The official list of the bestselling books of 2022 has just been released. Published towards the end of October, Lars Kepler’s The Spider performed a remarkable feat and became the most sold novel in Sweden of last year. Also featuring on the top 10 is Ia Genberg’s August Prize winning The Details which comes in at No. 9 on the fiction list, Björn Natthiko Lindeblad’s I May Be Wrong at No. 8 on the non-fiction list and No. 4 on the paperback list. The paperback list also sees Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s A House to Die For on the No. 2 spot and Liza Marklund’s The Polar Circle at No. 5, while Martin Widmark’s The Masquerade Mystery takes the No. 8 spot on the children’s list.
The last bestseller lists of 2022 in Norway saw both Jo Nesbø and Lars Kepler feature at No. 1 on the hardcover lists; first Nesbø with Killing Moon – also the No. 1 most sold hardcover fiction title of the entire month – and then Lars Kepler with The Spider. Kepler’s title was additionally No. 1 on the e-book lists. Lastly, on the final set of lists, Kepler and Nesbø were joined by Liza Marklund, who came in at No. 1 on the paperback list with The Polar Circle.
Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s largest national newspaper, has announced a list of this year’s best crime novels which features and praises Erik Axl Sund’s Paper Souls, Anders de la Motte’s The Mountain King and Liza Marklund’s The Mire.
The nominees for 2022’s Adlibris Awards have been announced. Adlibris is the leading book retailer in the Nordics and the Adlibris Award was founded in 2019 to celebrate the site’s greatest titles. The 10 nominated titles in the 9 respective categories have been selected by a jury of Adlibris employees from all works published in 2022.
Ia Genberg’s The Details is shortlisted in the ’Fiction’ category.
Amongst the nominated titles in the ‘Crime Fiction’ category are Lars Kepler’s The Spider, Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s Death Goes Antiquing and Liza Marklund’s The Mire.
In the ‘Childrens’ category – Jonas Gardell’s The Story of the Little Sparrow is shortlisted for ‘Children’s 0-6’ and Martin Widmark’s The Masquerade Mystery is nominated for ‘Children’s 6-12’. Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues for Teens is nominated for the ‘Young Adult’ category.
The winners will be announced on January 25, 2023.
This week’s bestseller lists in Norway have Lars Keplers’ The Spider claiming the No. 1 spot on the official ebook list and Liza Marklund’s The Polar Circle sailing to the No. 2 spot for paperback.