An Open Letter to the Ghost of Stieg Larsson

An Open Letter to the Ghost of Stieg Larsson:

Dear Stieg,

Can I call you Stieg?  I feel at this point in our relationship, we should be on more familiar terms.  Thank you.  No, seriously, just… Thank you.  I loved your novels (well, I loved the first two, the last one was just OK).  I loved the movie adaptations of your novels.  They brought grim and gruesome back into my life as no other book has since Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.  The atmosphere you created was brilliant; I feel as if I have been to Sweden a thousand times…

But, here’s my real reason for writing to you, even though your are dead: what I really want to thank you for is opening the U.S. market to Scandinavian thrillers to a whole new level.  While I loved your books, I have found so many new (to me) authors that I feel I would not be able to live without.  It’s not that we here in the States didn’t have ANY Nordic crime to read, but the selection was either limited or not advertised enough.  International fiction has a quality which authors from your own homeland cannot replicate.  The feel, the temperament, the culture are all so different from what we experience in day to day life.  Through my reading, I have visited more amazing locations than I can count.

Should I name some of those brilliant authors whom you have opened the door for?  Lars Kepler, a pseudonym for a team of authors, has come out with The Hypnotist which I loved so much, I suggested it for my mystery book club.  Anne Holt, who has other books previously released in the U.S. is gaining her first major exposure with her novel, 1222.  Jussi Adler-Olsen had his first book released in the States this summer – The Keeper of Lost Causes was one of my favorite reads of the year.  The list just goes on: Karin Fossum, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Asa Larsson, Arnaldur Indridason, Håkan Nesser, as well as the husband and wife team Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö.

So, thank you, Stieg. Thank you so much for everything.  Also, don’t forget that the answer is 42.

Sincerely,

Katie