SundstØl, Vidar

Though some readers may be put off by the explicit sex scenes and graphically detailed pagan rites, this briskly paced atmospheric mystery, inspired by Nordic landscapes and traditions, will appeal to admirers of Yrsa Sigurdardóttir and Jan van de Wetering.

Sundstøl's outstanding second entry in his acclaimed "Minnesota Trilogy" (after Land of the Dead) measures up to the first installment with its quick pace and succinct plot. Fans of Camilla Läckberg's crime novels and mysteries with a Minnesota setting will enjoy reading this chilling psychological thriller. Nunnally's translation is excellent and accessible to an American audience. The third installment in the trilogy, The Ravens, is forthcoming.

Winner of the Riverton Prize for best Norwegian crime novel of the year and nominated for the Glass Key for best Scandinavian crime novel of the year, Sundstøl's superb first entry in his acclaimed Minnesota trilogy, now published for the first time in the United States, interweaves a Nordic noir flavor with the history and heritage of Minnesota's Cooke County. Nunnally's translation is accessible to an American audience. Fans of Scandinavian crime novels and mysteries with a Minnesota setting will enjoy this chilling psychological thriller. [The other two novels in the trilogy, Only the Dead and The Ravens, are forthcoming from the University of Minnesota Press.—Ed.]