Stieg Larsson & Scandinavian Mystery/Thriller Readalikes

Posted on March 19, 2010
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Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been one of the most popular novels of recent years, and the furor has only continued with the release of the second novel in the series: The Girl Who Played with Fire. His last book (both in the Millennium Trilogy, and forever - Larsson is being published posthumously), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, is due out in the US May 25th.

So what’s a reader to do until then? Luckily, there are a wealth of Scandinavian mysteries and thrillers for you to delve into while you wait for your next (and last) Lizbeth Salander fix.

First - don’t forget that the Swedish language film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor/Men Who Hate Women) is in limited release in the US, and will open April 9 at the Glenwood Arts, locally. Roger Ebert says that “It is destined to be remade by Hollywood. That remake may turn out to be a good film, but if I were you I’d be sure to watch this version.”

As far as books go, two authors that I think compare favorably to Larsson are Peter Høeg and Henning Mankell. Høeg’s Smilla’s Sense of Snow and Borderliners are two novels I enjoyed as a teen transitioning from Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, hankering for more edgy plots. Mankell’s Kurt Wallander mysteries are thrillers with a world-view - my favorite, The White Lioness, combines South African politics with the murder of a Swedish housewife and leads the reader on a chase ’round the world to discover what the connection could possibly be. I’m looking forward to his newest, The Man from Beijing.

If you’re looking for other authors, Becky from the Berwyn (IL) Public Library recommends Asa Larsson and Yrsa Sigurdardottir. The LA Times says that Karin Fossum, Hakan Nesser, Helene Tursten, and Arnaldur Indridason are Nordic writers who are also heating up the scene.

If you have favorites, be sure to share them with other readers in the comments section!

my read shelf:

After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam by Lesley Hazelton

Posted on March 18, 2010
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Lesley Hazelton, a veteran Middle East journalist, authored this book which was the recipient of a starred and box review in Publishers Weekly, plus a starred review in Booklist.

The prologue gives the account of the 2004 bombings by a Sunni extremist group, on the most holy day celebrated by the Shia’s, the 10^th day of Muharram in the city of Karbula. This became known as the Ashura Massacre. From there Hazelton starts to explain how the events of today correlate with the history of the past.

After the Prophet spans about a half century from the days of the Prophet Mohammad to the death of his grandson Hussein and his family, at the Massacre of Karbula in 680. This was the event being mourned in 2004 when a multitude of bombs were set off, once again, setting off tensions in the Middle East.

Like most Westerners I knew very little about the beginning of Islam and even less about the difference between a Shia and Sunni. Hazelton has taken a complex history and has turned it into a riveting, easy to read narrative about the Middle East. This is a must read for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of Islam and the Middle East.

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

Posted on March 18, 2010
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Written in 1993, Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying takes us back to the 1940s South and young, innocent Jefferson sitting in a Louisiana jail waiting to be executed. His Tante Lou and Godmother Miss Emma are determined that he should die like a man. Their nephew Grant, the one-room school teacher, is sent to teach the despondent prisoner the lessons of life. Gripping, gritty and heartbreaking this novel goes to the depths of the soul yet takes us up to the universal meaning of life. I read this after finishing The Help and was caught by the similarities of each in dealing with treatment of blacks in pre-civil rights South. The passages of both are haunting and all too real. Gaines book has a slow paced feel that evokes the life of the men and women in the quarters of an old plantation. They are people caught in a powerless time who emerge as examples of strength and dignity. The Help was more plot focused while A Lesson Before Dying uses rich symbolism in setting and character development to reach the reader. Each book is a powerful conveyance of the African-American experience.

The Help [unabridged book on CD] by Kathryn Stockett

Posted on March 17, 2010
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I have read the book (previously reviewed/blogged 1/26/10) and listened to the cd audio version of The Help and recommend both versions. The audio version gives the reader an enhanced reading/ listening experience. “In pitch-perfect voices” the story is told by four well cast actors rather than the usual one actor per cd audio book. Each chapter is told in the voice of Miss Skeeter, Minnie, or Abilene. Abilene is the sweet natured diplomat, while Minnie is the outspoken comedian of the three. Through these voices the listener is reminded of a time when African American maids were the primary caregivers for white babies, but could not use the same bathroom as the white members of the family. Or hand a cup of coffee directly to their white mistress for fear their hands would touch. Or that a young black male could be beaten and blinded for using the wrong bathroom. Or when whites and blacks used separate libraries.I found myself having a “driveway moment” a phrase coined by the local NPR station, as I listened to the audio version. Despite knowing the ending, I would sit in my car listening, particularly towards the end. This might be a good selection for the family road trip this summer. Not much swearing, violence, or sex— but still very entertaining and enlightening. Additionally, we are reminded of some very important historical moments of the 1960’s. This recorded book was a winner of the Audiofile Earphones Award.

Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black

Posted on March 17, 2010
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Cara Black’s mysteries, set in Paris in the late 1990s, are appealing to mystery lovers and Francophiles alike, what with all the name-dropping of Parisian streets, monuments, subway lines, and cafes. Unfortunately for me, the name-dropping wears thin after a while, and all of Aimee’s clothes-changing into and out of vintage Parisian couture, bought for a song at some flea or thrift shop, loses its fascination. I can only get half-way through one before I am bored to death, and the plot seems more and more contrived. The premise of Aimee Leduc and her side-kick Rene, a computer-hacking whiz, who investigate computer crimes through the Leduc Detective Agency in Paris, is an intriguing idea, and the first books of the series carried it off well.
But I think the author has worn out the idea, and the idea of Aimee zipping up the rue du Louvre on her vintage pink Vespa, whipping out essential items from her backpack, purse, or some other vintage reticule, is getting a little silly. The dialogue can be a tad leaden, the explanations and history get to be pendantic, and the editing is lacking. I may go back and read the older ones. Or maybe these are just like dark chocolate bonbons–one is enough.

The Blood Ballad by Rett MacPherson

Posted on March 17, 2010
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I recently read The Blood Ballad, the 11th book in the Torie O’Shea mystery series by Rett MacPherson. While this series is made up of cozy mysteries that are very easy, mild reads (the exact opposite of my favorite Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly), I’ve chosen to read them because they combine three of my special interests: mysteries and genealogy and Missouri. Torie O’Shea lives in a fictitious small town just south of St. Louis. She is the resident genealogist, historian, tour guide of historic buildings, snoop, plus a harried wife and mother. She is usually able to solve crimes using her genealogy skills and intuition to understand family relationships, secrets, and grudges. The author’s photo on the book jacket looks just like I picture the main character. While I would not say Rett MacPherson writes mysteries that keep me on the edge of my seat or unable to put the books down, I do think they would appeal to readers with some of the same interests as mine and who like the cozies.

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart

Posted on March 16, 2010
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In a ten-month time span in 1997 and 1998, Neil Peart lost his 19-year-old daughter to a single-car accident and his wife to cancer. He was devastated.

Peart is best-known as the drummer for the Canadian rock band Rush. He’s also their lyricist. Yet Ghost Rider, his chronicle of healing from his terrible losses, reveals talents barely hinted at in his music career.

Peart is a wonderful prose writer and a capable stylist. In unpretentious, vivid prose, he recounts the journey that helped his wounded spirit heal: He rode his motorcycle more than 50,000 miles across the North American continent — not running from his pain but simply moving, feeling, studying the various landscapes of American desert and Canadian icescapes and the lush, rain-fed atmospheres of the Pacific Northwest.

For anyone who has grieved, this book can be an invaluable resource. In the opinion of this reviewer, it’s worth a thousand self-help tomes. Peart doesn’t preach about how one should recover from loss; he just engages the readers, letting them know how his trek led him out of darkness. Ride with him — even if you’ve never been on a motorcycle in your life.�

Conspirata by Robert Harris

Posted on March 16, 2010
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Conspirata by Robert Harris is a work of historical fiction set in ancient Rome. A sequel to Harris’ novel Imperium, Conspirata continues the story of the life of the great orator and politician Cicero. The book begins in the year 63 B.C., when Cicero was elected consul of Rome. This was the year that he defeated the Cataline conspiracy, saving Rome from what would have been a ruinous civil war, and he appeared to be at the peak of prestige. But such things never last, especially when one has made an enemy of one of the greatest political minds of his generation: Julius Caesar.

Conspirata is a romp. Told in first person through the eyes of Cicero’s slave-secretary Tiro, the story careens from murder to political intrigue to civil unrest to domestic drama. Conspirata is tautly told and brilliantly paced, a sharp contrast to the Roman novels of Colleen McCullough (which are also fine historical fiction in their own right). Someone unfamiliar with basic Roman history and culture might find some of the details of the period’s politics and religion bewildering, but Harris makes the Roman-ness of the book secondary to the plot and characters which are utterly convincing and compelling. I found myself looking forward to every chance I had to read this book, and I devoured it quickly.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Posted on March 15, 2010
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Sarah Vowell recounts her pilgrimage to the memorials, museums and historic markers denoting assassination attempts on Presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley in her non fiction work Assassination Vacation. She constantly ensnares friends and family members into her excursions to see these historic places and constantly peppers daily conversations, with complete strangers even, with trivia of her passion for these assassinated Presidents. This title would be a fun read for American History buffs or those who would like to relive history vicariously. Vowell includes enough historically accurate details for this to be a possibility in either case. Just close your eyes and envision yourself there! Not at all what I expected but still a good thought provoking read. An intriguing tidbit of trivia, one of her relatives had ties to William Quantrill, the famous Confederate guerilla who was known for his involvement in the Lawrence Massacre of 1863.

The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein and Stephen Bloom

Posted on March 15, 2010
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“I like Oxford. You can trust everyone in this town-from Highway 6 to the Interstate. But one think about Oxford is that if you’re and outsider, you don’t wanna cause any trouble. You mess with Oxford, you’re gonna have problems.” –Bob Lindley P. 42.

Everyone has a story. And none of them are just ordinary, although many of the residents of Oxford, IA might tell you they are just ordinary folks. In 1984, photographer Peter Feldstein invited all 676 residents of Oxford to come have their picture made for free and by late summer almost everyone had been photographed. Twenty years later, Feldstein decided to look up all those Oxford, IA residents that he could find and do it again. This time he was joined by writer Stephen Bloom who interviewed each participant. The result is a fascinating glimpse of life in small town America. Remarkably honest, poignant, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, the narratives fill the pages along with the photos showing each in 1984 and again in 2005-2007.

“My Mom left me at a church when I was three. She used to travel with the carnival, and the carnival ended up going broke in Iowa. ….She pinned a note to my shirt that said, “Please take care of her. We can’t any longer.” Brianne Leckness. P. 53

Anyone with an interest in people’s lives, small towns, the Midwest, and/or Iowa will find this an enjoyable read. And you will come away with an appreciation for the diversity in one small community, and maybe a deeper understanding of why these folks like the small town life and why some have moved away.

“I have a no-fail piecrust….My favorites are chocolate ice cream pie, coconut cream pie, and a sugar-free apple pie. I use Golden Delicious apples, Healthy Choice apple juice, cinnamon, tapioca, dot it with butter, and put in a tablespoon of lemon juice.”P. 60

I’m having to restrain myself from telling you about everyone in the book - Just one more.

“I’m an artist. I get into real fine detail. Some of it is fantasy, some is realism…..I’ve had offers to move to New York to be an illustrator….I want to do art that’ll get people’s attention. I want people to think their world isn’t what they think it is…” P. 175

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