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Quick answer: If you loved The Drowning, try The Ice Princess, The Stranger, The Stonecutter, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Snowman and Faceless Killers. Each one is a chilling Scandinavian crime novel with small-town secrets, dark pasts and twisty plots.
Camilla Läckberg's The Drowning (2008) is the sixth of her Fjällbacka mysteries, set in a picturesque Swedish fishing village. Writer Erica Falck and her husband, detective Patrik Hedström, investigate when a local man disappears and his friend, a debut novelist, receives threatening letters. Old secrets from the town's past rise to the surface. Readers love its atmosphere and twists. These books share its Nordic noir mood.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Mood | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ice Princess | Camilla Läckberg | Swedish | readers who want to start the series |
| The Stranger | Camilla Läckberg | Swedish | readers who want more Läckberg |
| The Stonecutter | Camilla Läckberg | Swedish | readers who want more Fjällbacka |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Stieg Larsson | Swedish | readers who want the classic Nordic noir |
| The Snowman | Jo Nesbø | Norwegian | readers who like serial killers |
| Faceless Killers | Henning Mankell | Swedish | readers who like Wallander |
| Jar City | Arnaldur Indriðason | Icelandic | readers who like Iceland |
| The Keeper of Lost Causes | Jussi Adler-Olsen | Danish | readers who like cold cases |
| Snowblind | Ragnar Jónasson | Icelandic | readers who like isolated towns |
| The Hypnotist | Lars Kepler | Swedish | readers who like dark thrillers |
| The Chestnut Man | Søren Sveistrup | Danish | readers who like creepy killers |
| The Killing | David Hewson | Danish | readers who like the TV series |
| Smilla's Sense of Snow | Peter Høeg | Danish | readers who like literary mysteries |
| The Dry | Jane Harper | Australian | readers who like small towns |
| Broadchurch | Erin Kelly | British | readers who like coastal towns |
1. The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
Erica investigates her childhood friend's death.
Best for: readers who want to start the series.
2. The Stranger by Camilla Läckberg
A woman's car crash hides a darker story.
Best for: readers who want more Läckberg.
3. The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg
A drowned girl turns out to have been murdered.
Best for: readers who want more Fjällbacka.
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A journalist and a hacker dig into a family's crimes.
Best for: readers who want the classic Nordic noir.
5. The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
Harry Hole hunts a killer.
Best for: readers who like serial killers.
6. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Kurt Wallander investigates a brutal murder.
Best for: readers who like Wallander.
7. Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason
A detective investigates an old crime.
Best for: readers who like Iceland.
8. The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
A detective solves cold cases.
Best for: readers who like cold cases.
9. Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
A rookie cop in a snowbound town.
Best for: readers who like isolated towns.
10. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
A hypnotist helps police.
Best for: readers who like dark thrillers.
11. The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
A killer leaves chestnut figures.
Best for: readers who like creepy killers.
12. The Killing by David Hewson
A detective investigates a teen's murder in Copenhagen.
Best for: readers who like the TV series.
13. Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg
A woman investigates a boy's death.
Best for: readers who like literary mysteries.
14. The Dry by Jane Harper
A detective returns home.
Best for: readers who like small towns.
15. Broadchurch by Erin Kelly
A boy's death shakes a town.
Best for: readers who like coastal towns.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Drowning: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to The Drowning. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Start with The Ice Princess to meet Erica and Patrik. For more Nordic noir, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Snowman and Faceless Killers are essential. If you love isolated towns, Snowblind and The Dry are excellent.
Related: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson: Summary and Key Takeaways · The Dry by Jane Harper: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Drowning about?
A man disappears in Fjällbacka and a novelist receives threats, revealing old secrets.
Is it part of a series?
Yes. It is the sixth Fjällbacka mystery.
Do I need to read them in order?
It helps, because Erica and Patrik's lives develop across the books.
Where is Fjällbacka?
A fishing village on Sweden's west coast.
Who is Camilla Läckberg?
A bestselling Swedish crime writer.
Is it violent?
It has dark themes, but it is less graphic than some Nordic noir.
What should I read next?
The Ice Princess.