Exceptional crime fiction from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden shortlisted for the 2022 Petrona Award.
Six exceptional crime novels from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have been shortlisted for the 2022 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The shortlist is announced today, Wednesday 16 November and is as follows:
FATAL ISLES by Maria
Adolfsson tr. Agnes Broomé (Sweden, Zaffre)
THE THERAPIST by Helene
Flood tr. Alison McCullough (Norway, MacLehose Press)
EVERYTHING IS MINE by Ruth
Lillegraven tr. Diane Oatley (Norway, AmazonCrossing)
KNOCK KNOCK by Anders
Roslund tr. Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Sweden, Harvill Secker)
COLD AS HELL by Lilja Sigurðardóttir tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, Orenda
Books)
THE RABBIT FACTOR by Antti Tuomainen tr. David Hackston (Finland, Orenda Books)
The winning title will be announced on Thursday 8 December 2022. The winning author and the translator of the winning title will both receive a cash prize.
The Petrona Award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year.
The Petrona team would like to thank our sponsor, David Hicks, for his continued generous support of the Petrona Award.
The judges’ comments on the shortlist:
There were 31 entries for the 2022 Petrona Award from five countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden). The novels were translated by 23 translators and submitted by 14 publishers/imprints. There were 16 female, 14 male and one male/male pair of authors.
This year’s Petrona Award shortlist sees Norway represented with two novels; Sweden with two and Finland and Iceland with one each. The judges selected the shortlist from a particularly strong pool of candidates with the shortlisted titles ranging from police procedural and domestic noir to the darkly comic.
As ever, we are extremely grateful to the six translators whose expertise and skill have allowed readers to access these outstanding examples of Scandinavian crime fiction, and to the publishers who continue to champion and support translated fiction. The significantly increasing number of female writers being translated is also to be commended.
The judges’ comments on each of the shortlisted titles:
Maria Adolfsson’s gripping debut, FATAL ISLES, set in Doggerland - a group of islands in the North Sea between Denmark and the United Kingdom – paints a vivid picture of a northern island community with traditions, rich and poor families, and a stormy climate. Doggerland comes alive on the pages so much that you would never guess it is totally fictional. DI Karen Eiken Hornby is tasked with investigating the murder of her boss’s ex-wife. Does the motive have any connection to a secretive commune that existed on the island in the past? FATAL ISLES is a high tension, character driven, atmospheric police procedural.
A man goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Police detective Gundersen is officially working the case whilst therapist Sara tries to understand where her husband is. Set in the leafy Oslo outskirts, THE THERAPIST is a tense read that keeps us intrigued with unsettling twists and turns. Sara is constantly analysing herself and the people around her as her whole life is turned upside down. At the same time, she fears for her own safety and tries to remain professional with her clients. Author Helene Flood is a trained psychologist who has used her experience to inform the characters and the narrative in this page-turning debut thriller.
EVERYTHING IS MINE is the story of two happily
married professionals, Clara an ambitious child rights activist at the Ministry
of Justice, and Henrik, a compassionate paediatrician. Dedication to their twin
sons and their respective causes begins to crack when they are faced with cases
of murder and abuse and an unravelling of a tangled web of emotional secrets
follows. A powerful narration and detailed observations show a stark contrast
between social standing and geographical differences in Norwegian life, and
leave the readers with questions of how, and if, individuals can deal with unfairness
and pain. EVERYTHING IS MINE combines important issues, thrilling action and a
smart intricate plot, with a strong focus on social injustice and complex
family relations.
Anders Roslund has published nine novels to date as part of the successful writing duos of Roslund & Hellström and Roslund & Thunberg, as Anton Svensson, and has been the recipient of numerous, prestigious international awards. Since the death of Börge Hellström, Roslund has continued their Ewert Grens series and KNOCK KNOCK is his first solo venture. Set over the course of three days, KNOCK KNOCK is another fine example of Roslund's talent for seamlessly blending together a solid police procedural with a high-octane thriller, leading to a gritty and fast-paced read set against his astute observations on the societal and political issues of contemporary Sweden.
Lilja Sigurðardóttir - COLD AS HELL tr. Quentin Bates (Iceland, Orenda Books)
COLD AS HELL, the first novel in
a new slick series, introduces Áróra who returns from UK to her homeland
Iceland following the disappearance of her estranged sister Ísafold. She
uncovers a corrupted world of dark secrets but needs help from her policeman
uncle to navigate an Icelandic society with which she is now unfamiliar. The
author creates a chilling and tense atmosphere where the midnight sun hides crimes, and all relations are tested. The richness and intensity of the writing
makes the investigative accountant Áróra, who will stop at nothing to
understand and trace her sibling, a thoroughly modern and captivating protagonist
in a league of her own.
Antti Tuomainen was shortlisted for the Petrona Award twice before winning it in 2020 with, LITTLE SIBERIA. THE RABBIT FACTOR, which was also shortlisted for this year’s CWA Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation, superbly demonstrates Tuomainen's singular gift for dark, absurd crime fiction undercut with poignancy. THE RABBIT FACTOR puts at its heart an ordinary man drawing on his previously undiscovered and extraordinary resolve, to carve out and keep his place in a hostile world, with often darkly funny results.
Jackie Farrant - creator of RAVEN CRIME READS and a bookseller/Area Commercial Support for a major book chain in the UK
Miriam Owen - founder of the NORDIC NOIR blog and creator of content for communities
Ewa Sherman - translator and writer, and blogger at NORDIC LIGHTHOUSE.
Award administrator
Karen Meek – owner of the EURO CRIME website and blog.
Further information can be found on the
Petrona Award website: http://www.petronaaward.co.uk.
