Christoffer Carlsson was born in 1986 in Marbäck, Sweden. He holds a PhD in criminology from Stockholm University and is one of Sweden's leading crime experts. He is the youngest winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year, which he has won twice. The New York Times named his debut, Blaze Me a Sun, one of the best crime novels of the year. He lives in Stockholm.
Carlsson's new novel is The Living and the Dead.
At CrimeReads the author tagged four favorite crime novels that he finds himself "returning to again and again, usually late at night," including:
Dennis Lehane, Mystic RiverRead about another entry on the list.
You may not think of the above novels as crime stories, specifically. I understand that, as they’re not typically found on the CRIME/SUSPENSE shelves. That being said, they contain everything a crime novel usually contains: a murder, a killer, a riddle, and a detective whose main reason for being in the story in the firstplace is to figure it all out. So why aren’t they? Good question.
Mystic River, on the other hand, usually is thought of as a crime novel. Why do I love Mystic River? Because it’s so brave. Because it never flinches. Because it understands trauma so deeply. Because it sees the social and psychological dynamics of crime, the moral ambiguity inherent in the word justice. Because every ethical issue must be gray.
Because guilt, grief, and anger are sometimes impossible to distinguish from one another. Because it’s so rich. Because it’s so funny. Because it’s so beautifully written without ever becoming pretentious. Because life is hard. Because the most important time to venture deeper is when it’s the hardest to endure. Because hearts break. Because love is the only force that’s as strong as death.
Mystic River is among the top ten novels for National Crime Reading Month (2023), Brian Lebeau's eight top New England psychological thrillers, James Lee Burke's six top books for aspiring novelists, and Tana French's top ten maverick mysteries.
--Marshal Zeringue
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