Annika Bengtzon Books

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The name Annika Bengtzon refers to a series of mystery suspense novels written by Liza Marklund. The books follow the exploits of a rookie reporter trying to make it in the cut-throat world of tabloid journalism.

Chronological Order of Annika Bengtzon Series

The first Annika Bengtzon novel ever published was Paradise. However, chronologically speaking, Annika’s story begins in Studio 69.

Annika came from a small town. By the time readers met her, her relationship with her family was rather strained, though she had managed to maintain a strong bond with her grandmother in whom she always confided whenever her world started to collapse.

Annika eventually left her steady boyfriend back home and migrated to Stockholm where she had landed a job at a local tabloid. Annika had until the end of the summer to make her mark.

If she played her cards right, then she would have a permanent position with the Evening Post. But if she failed to prove her worth, Annika would be forced to return home empty-handed.

The reporter was quite fortunate to land a story with a political angle and a dead woman at its center, and she immediately jumped at the chance to expose the corruption and the rot in the heart of Stockholm, unaware of the danger that she was drawing to her person in the process.

The Annika Bengtzon series explores Annika’s journey as she tries to climb the ladder of success in journalism. Each novel finds Annika dealing with a new story, one with a mystery that she must solve in order to present a narrative that her superiors can print.

A significant portion of this series is spent delving into Annika’s persoal life and the struggles she encounters in her efforts to balance her career with the rigors of motherhood. Annika isn’t perfect.

She is smart and sassy but the reporter is also prone to histrionics and irrationality. Her love life is a chaotic mess that she is often unable to control. Annika only finds peace and purpose when she puts her mind to the task of unraveling a mystery.

Because Annika isn’t a police officer, she approaches each mystery with the intention of simply discovering all the pieces of the puzzle that are necessary for her to tell a cohesive story to her readers. As such, there are many Annika Bengtzon novels that end without closing all their plot threads, not because the author doesn’t know the answers to the questions she asked but, rather, Annika doesn’t need to know everything.

She doesn’t have to resolve every mystery to the fullest extent or locate every culprit. She only needs to know the answers that help her tell her story. And those are the only answers that the author gives to her readers.

Annika Bengtzon Awards

Liza Marklund won the Poloni Prize in 1998 (Best Swedish Crime Novel), The Swedish Union’s Award in 1999 (Author of the Year), and The Debutant Prize in 1998 (Best First Novel) for The Bomber and Studio 69.

Annika Bengtzon Books into Movies/TV

Colin Nutley, a Swedish director, turned The Bomber and Paradise into movies which featured Helena Bergstrom as Annika. That was in 2001 and 2003. And then a production company called Yellow Bird acquired the rights to the rest of Marklund’s novels in 2009, announcing their intention to turn six more Annika stories into movies. Malin Crepin played Annika in the Yellow Bird adaptations.

Best Annika Bengtzon Books

The strongest aspect of these books is the author’s portrayal of Annika, a feminist protagonist whose actions and mannerisms tend to generate divisive opinions, with some of the best books in the series including:

Studio 69: When a young woman is found dead in a cemetery, Annika Bengtzon begins talking to all the people who knew her. As each interview throws new light on the case, Annika tells a story that captures the imagination of the nation.

But then a new revelation destroys Annika’s narrative and her career begins to unravel.

The Bomber: This award-winning novel finds Annika on the trail of a dangerous story. Stockholm’s new Olympic stadium has been devastated by a bomb blast. Now all anyone cares about are the potential terrorist threats in the country.

But Annika isn’t too worried about the past. She has her sights firmly set on the bomb blast and the secret truths surrounding its occurrence.

Other Book Series You May Like

Another great read is the “Charlie Crawford Mystery” Series by Tom Turner. With his sanity having been tested by a lifetime spent pursuing high-profile murders, Charlie Crawford is finally forced to leave New York when the newspapers expose his love life. Charlie sets down roots in Palm Beach where the criminals are a little more relaxed and so much richer.

You may also enjoy the “Hazel Martin Mysteries” Series by Leighann Dobbs. This series of historical fiction novels follows the exploits of a mystery novelist called Hazel Martin who solves crimes and mysteries alongside her Siamese Cat.

What Is The Next Book in The Annika Bengtzon Series?

There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Annika Bengtzon Series. The newest book is The Final Word and was released on October, 17th 2017.

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