Nesser, Håkan 1950-

PERSONAL:

Born 1950, in Sweden; married; children: two sons.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Uppsala, Sweden.

CAREER:

Writer and educator.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Swedish Crime Writers Academy Prize for new writers, 1993, for The Wide-Meshed Net, and Best Novel award, 1994, for Borkmann's Point, and 1996, for Woman with a Birthmark; Glass Key Award for the best crime novel of the year, Scandinavian Crime Society, 1999, for Carambole.

WRITINGS:

Borkmanns Punkt (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1994, translated by Laurie Thompson as Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Barins Triangel: Berättelser Ur Det Inre Landskapet, A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1996.

Kvinna Med Födelsemärke (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1996.

Kommissarien Och Tystnaden (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1997.

Kim Novak Badade Aldrig I Genesarets Sjö (title means "Kim Novak Never Swam in Genesaret's Lake"), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1998.

Münsters Fall (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1998.

Carambole (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1999.

Flugan och Evigheten, A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1999.

Svalan, Katten, Rosen, Döden (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 2001.

Kära Agnes!, A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 2002.

Fallet G (mystery novel), A. Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 2003.

The Return: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, translated by Laurie Thompson, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 2007.

ADAPTATIONS:

The "Inspector Van Veeteren" mysteries have been adapted as films, starring Sven Wollter, in Sweden.

SIDELIGHTS:

Håkan Nesser was born and raised in Sweden, where he is one of the nation's most popular crime writers. He has earned numerous awards for his "Inspector Van Veeteren" mystery novels, which have been adapted into half a dozen films in Sweden, starring Swedish actor Sven Wollter. Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery is the second installment in the series, but it is the first of Nesser's novels to be translated into English. Inspector Van Veeteren is an affable Swedish detective who enjoys fine wine and runs an antique bookstore on the side. In this volume, he is returning from vacation when there is a brutal murder in a nearby town: a wealthy real estate investor has been axed to death. Because this killing is the second of its kind in two months, Van Veeteren remains in town to help the local law enforcement determine if it is coincidence or the start of a serial-killing spree. The book's title refers to a point in an investigation when sufficient evidence has been gathered in order to solve the case. Mystery Ink reviewer Fiona Walker remarked that "Nesser plots so well, creates tension so well, moves the story on so well. It's suspenseful, intelligent, and pleasingly different." The critic also stressed the author's skill at "turning what seems on the fact of it to be a serial killer novel into something rather different." Michelle Leber, writing in Library Journal, found the book "exceptional for its elegance of prose and plot." And New York Times Book Review contributor Marilyn Stasio commented that "although the writing feels a bit stodgy in Laurie Thompson's translation, Nesser has a penetrating eye for the skull beneath the skin."

The Return: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery is the next book of the series to be translated into English. The book starts with a young girl making a gruesome discovery on her way back from a trip with her kindergarten class: a dead body, mutilated and wrapped in a piece of carpeting. Van Veeteren, newly diagnosed with cancer of the bowel, does most of his detective work from his hospital bed, rising only to finally close the case and catch the culprit. Booklist reviewer Bill Ott called the book "another solid example of why the Swedes have become the talk of crime fiction."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2006, Bill Ott, review of Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, p. 25; January 1, 2007, Bill Ott, review of The Return: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, p. 64.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2007, review of The Return, p. 54.

Library Journal, April 1, 2006, Michelle Leber, "Nordic Crime," review of Borkmann's Point, p. 70.

New York Times Book Review, April 9, 2006, Marilyn Stasio, "Shape Shifter," review of Borkmann's Point, p. 33.

Property Week, December 15, 2006, Ian Wall, "Christmas Reading, with Ian Wall," p. 44.

Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2006, review of Borkmann's Point, p. 38.

Variety, December 5, 2005, Gunnar Rehlin, "Kim Novak Never Swam in Genesaret's Lake," p. 53.

ONLINE

Armchair Interviews,http://reviews.armchairinterviews.com/ (August 29, 2007), Dara O'Sullivan, review of Borkmann's Point.

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (August 29, 2007), Mary Ann Smyth, review of Borkmann's Point.

BookPage,http://www.bookpage.com/ (August 29, 2007), review of Borkmann's Point.

Daserste,http://www.daserste.de/ (August 29, 2007), interview with Håkan Nesser.

Deadly Pleasures,http://www.deadlypleasures.com/ (August 29, 2007), review of Borkmann's Point.

Entertainment World,http://entertainmentworld.us/ (August 29, 2007), Walter Reichert, review of The Return.

Eurocrime,http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/ (August 29, 2007), Karen Chisholm, review of Borkmann's Point; Maxine Clark, review of Borkmann's Point; Karen Meek, reviews of Borkmann's Point and The Return.

Mystery Ink,http://www.mysteryinkonline.com/ (August 29, 2007), Fiona Walker, review of Borkmann's Point.

Reviewing the Evidence,http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/ (August 29, 2007), Sharon Wheeler, review of Borkmann's Point; Yvonne Klein, reviews of Borkmann's Point and The Return.

Van Veeteren,http://www.vanveeteren.com/ (November 7, 2007), information on film series.