Lesser isn’t here to win converts, but even those unmoved by its subject will thrill to the book, a beautifully crafted inquiry into fiction, reality, crime and place.

Lesser concludes the volume with a useful appendix, in which she shares her favorite Scandinavian mysteries, along with helpful commentary. Whether readers are transfixed by the spectacular exploits of Lisbeth Salander, or impressed with the doggedness of Kurt Wallander, or even if they've never encountered these characters, they'll find in Scandinavian Noir an entertaining journey into the world of these mysteries and the cultural milieu that spawned them.

...an enjoyable travelogue.

Once these thematic commonalities have been laid out, the examination that follows is utterly delicious. Lesser is the perfect, upbeat guide to all this dour Nordic wet-wash, and she’s eloquent on the bedrock reasons why people might subject themselves to such books in the first place.

Part literary criticism and part travelogue, this exceptionally well-conceived cultural history compares the 'mental image' of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden that critic Lesser...derived from immersion in Nordic noir thrillers, and the reality she found when she finally visited those countries.

...comprehensive and insightful assessment of noir novels from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.