INTERNATIONAL DAGGER?

Karen of Euro Crime produced an excellent suggested shortlist for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger Award here.

Karin Alvtegen: Shadow

Niccolo Ammaniti: The Crossroads

Hans Fallada: Alone In Berlin

Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Played With Fire

Fred Vargas: The Chalk Circle Man

Johan Theorin: Echoes From The Dead

You can read another review of the Stieg Larsson here.

Interestingly the Karin Alvtegen and the Stieg Larsson were both translated by Reg Keeland. 

I have read and reviewed four out of the six books and would find it virtually impossible to choose a winner from those, but I suspect the battle will be between a couple of Swedish books that have already won prizes in Scandinavia; Echoes From The Dead and The Girl Who Played with Fire.

But I feel Alone In Berlin [Every Man Dies Alone in the USA] by Hans Fallada is a beautifully constructed quite exceptional book that should be compulsory reading both in our schools and universities. It would not do any harm for those greedy politicians who are bringing our parliamentary democracy into disrepute to read it as well.

It is a difficult choice. 

Who do you think will win? You can find a full list of  eligible books here. 

[photograph taken at Budleigh Salterton on Monday, proving it isn't always raining in Devon]