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Fjallbacka is a series of novels written by Camilla Lackberg. Though, it would be more accurate to call the books the Patrik Hedstrom series because Patrik is Camilla’s primary protagonist.
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Order of Fjällbacka Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ice Princess | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Preacher | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Stonecutter | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Gallows Bird / The Stranger | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Hidden Child | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Drowning | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | The Lost Boy | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Buried Angels | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | The Ice Child | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | The Girl In The Woods | 2017 | Description / Buy |
Some people call it the Fjallbacka series because the books are set in the quaint little coastal village. Fjallbacka has been around since the 17th century, thriving primarily because of its fishing industry. Camilla grew up in Fjallbacka. As such, it isn’t a surprise that she would choose to write a story set in a location she has such intimate knowledge about.
Even with all the murders that liter Camilla’s books, she finds time to give her readers a detailed tour of the idyllic village, painting very vivid images of the world her characters inhabit.
The first book Camilla wrote in the series, The Ice Princess, introduced Erica Falck to readers, a character that returns to her hometown of Fjallbacka after the death of her parents only to encounter more tragedy in the form of her best friend’s suicide.
Unable to accept the notion of such a beautiful woman killing herself, Erica joins Police Detective Patrik Hedstrom as they strip the layers of the suicide away to reveal the truth lying beneath.
Camilla Lackberg was an economist before she began writing. A graduate of Gothenburg University, Camilla started writing from a very young age. The author has seen her crime novels garner international popularity and acclaim, especially following Camilla’s decision to work with Steven T. Murray and Tiina Nunnally, the skilled individuals responsible for translating her Scandinavian novels into English.
Fjallbacka Awards
For her efforts in writing the Fjallbacka series of books, Camilla Lackberg has received a number of accolades, this including the SKTF Prize for Author of the Year and the People’s Literature Award.
Fjallbacka Books into Movies
A television series called Fjallbackamorde was filmed in 2011 and released in 2012. The show was an adaptation of Camilla Lackberg’s Fjallbacka crime novels. The plan was to air 12 episodes, each 90 minutes long. The disappearance of the television show’s director in 2011 caused some complications, though the first two episodes were still aired in 2012. Daniel Lind Lagerlof, the director, was presumed to have fallen into the water of the Tjurpannans nature reserve. The crew was filming in the area.
Best Fjallbacka Books
Camilla Lackberg is unique in her approach to writing, focusing on creating vivid snapshots of events and digging into the psyche of characters instead of delivering cohesive scenes, with some of the best books in her Fjallbacka series including the following:
The Hidden Child: When Erica Falck discovers a Nazi medal in her father’s possessions, she digs into her family’s past in search for answers, especially in light of her emotions over the neglect she suffered as a child.
When the search leads Erica to a retired history teacher and friend to her mother, Erica finds the man’s answers vague and evasive, a situation she might have brushed off if the man hadn’t died violently two days later.
The fact that her husband is on paternity leave doesn’t prevent him from getting involved. Patrik Hedstrom believes that someone is working really hard to bury certain secrets.
Erica is eventually forced to read her mother’s wartime diaries, discovering very painful truths in the process. She begins to realize that the secrets she seeks might put her husband and baby in danger.
The crime in this book is pretty simple. However, the motivations and secrets behind it are very complicated and make for interesting reading.
The Preacher: Two campers disappeared in Fjallbacka two decades ago. A young boy accidentally discovers their remains at the present. He also stumbles upon a fresh victim of murder.
Patrik Hedstrom, who is looking forward to meeting his first child with his girlfriend, cannot fathom what it would feel like to lose a child. The local detective puts his mind to solving the crime, especially when a little girl goes missing.
In this book, Camilla Lackberg jumps around a lot among the perspectives of different characters, and it gets confusing in some places. Though, the mystery is still entertaining.
Other Book Series you May Like
The “Inspector Rebus” books by Ian Rankin are set in Edinburgh. They are police procedurals that follow a hardboiled police officer known as Inspector John Rebus. The books paint a bleak and rather uncompromising picture of Scotland with its poverty and corruption, not to mention the organized crime.
The “A Reykjavik Thriller” books by Arnaldur Indridason are crime novels that follow the stories of the Reykjavik Police as they solve murders and unearth the truths behind nefarious crimes.
What Is The Next Book in The Fjällbacka Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Fjällbacka Series. The newest book is The Girl In The Woods and was released on January, 1st 2017.