Final Mankell novel makes Petrona shortlist

The final book from Henning Mankell is among the titles to be shortlisted for the 2018 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.

Mankell's After the Fire, translated by Marlaine Delargy (Vintage/Harvill Secker), sees the return of Fredrik Welin from 2010's Italian Shoes. Living in splendid isolation on an island in a Swedish archipelago, the protagonist wakes up one night to find his house on fire and soon finds himself suspected of arson by the authorities. "While there’s a crime at the heart of this novel, the story also addresses universal themes of loss, fragile family ties, difficult friendships, ageing and mortality", said the judges. "The occasionally bleak outlook is tempered by an acceptance of the vulnerability of human relationships and by the natural beauty of the novel’s coastal setting."

Also shortlisted are fellow Swedish titles Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolito, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles (Simon & Schuster) "a compelling and timely novel" which sees 18-year-old Maja Norberg is on trial for her part in a school shooting which saw her boyfriend, best friend, teacher and other classmates killed; The Darkest Day by Håkan Nesser, translated by Sarah Death (Pan Macmillan/Mantle), which follows an "engaging figure who navigates his post-divorce mid-life crisis by opening a witty dialogue with God"; and The White City by Karolina Ramqvist, translated by Saskia Vogel (Atlantic Books/Grove Press). According to the judges: "This raw and compelling portrait of a woman at rock bottom uses the sometimes brutal physical realities of motherhood to depict a life out of control, and persuasively communicates Karin’s despair and her faltering attempts to reclaim her life."

Shortlisted from Denmark is What My Body Remembers by Agnete Friis, translated by Lindy Falk van Rooyen (Soho Press), a "singular achievement in every sense", according to the judges. It follows Ella Nygaard, whose mother was killed by her father when she was a child and then has to deal with the fallout.

Rounding out the shortlist is Finnish title The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston (Orenda Books). The judges said: "The grim starting point of Antti Tuomainen’s novel – a man finding out that he has been systematically poisoned and his death is just a matter of time – develops into an assured crime caper brimming with wry black humour."

The judges are writer and journalist Barry Forshaw, translator and editor Dr. Kat Hall and crime novelist and reviewer Sarah Ward.

They said: "As ever, the Petrona Award judges faced a difficult but enjoyable decision-making process when they met to draw up the shortlist. The six novels selected by the judges stand out for the quality of their writing, their characterisation and their plotting. They are original and inventive, and shine a light on highly complex subjects such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, school shootings, and life on the margins of society. A key theme that emerged across all of the shortlisted works was that of family: the physical and psychological challenges of parenting; the pressures exerted by family traditions or expectations; sibling rivalries; inter­generational tensions and bonds; family loyalty… and betrayal.

"We are extremely grateful to the translators whose expertise and skill allows readers to access these gems of Scandinavian crime fiction, and to the publishers who continue to champion and support translated fiction.

The winning title will be announced at the Gala Dinner on 19th May during the annual international crime fiction convention CrimeFest, held in Bristol from 17th to 20th May 2018. The winning author and the translator of the winning title will both receive a cash prize, and the winning author will receive a full pass to and a guaranteed panel at CrimeFest 2019.

The Petrona Award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia, and published in the UK in the previous calendar year.