Stieg is dead, yeah we know, but recently I read an article which stated about a next Stieg Larsson. A norwegian writer called Jo Nesbo has been named so. And after that in several reports I noticed the same thing. Has anybody read any of this Jo Nesbo's books? If anybody has, plz lemme know how they make you feel. Stieg Larsson is unreplaceable, isn't he? What do you think?
Posted by Pippilota i Villekulla,

These books are Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! They are an insult to any accomplished writer who can actually string a sentence together. Case in point: Dennis Lehane - who is a fiction writer of the highest order, and somehow he can't sell a fraction of as many books as an overrated hack like Larsson. Most books can make you feel enlightened after reading; Larsson's books actually make you feel thicker after reading them! Nuff said.
Posted by Cecilia Wanker in Goteborg,

I also read that JO Nesbo doesn't appreciate being compared to Stieg Larsson, simply because he is an infinitely better writer. Check out Dennis Lehane for better written, more suspenseful novels.
Posted by Bobby in Oslo ,

I just know that Harry Hole via Jo Nesbo is DEPRESSING. I also get that the couple that wrote (under one name) the "The Hypnotist" are supposed to be the next Stieg (they are from Sweden). And Blech for that...I guess my thing with Mankell is that he so clearly did not like Wallander....I mean just read the conclusion to the series.
Posted by Val Darrant in Michigan,

Cecilia, I've never heard of Dennis Lehane. What turns you on to his style? Why is he good? What does he do that makes Larsson a "hack" in your opinion? Thanks in advance for your answer.
Posted by Nancy K.,

Yup. Larsson's books are terrible. They're so simple. Well, other than the fact that they implement bold attitudes of feminism and directly address issues of discrimination and political corruption which are very large issues in Swedish society. Women being murdered but remaining of low importance simply because they are "whores" or sex trafficking being ignored because, like the murders, they're "whores" and a young girl facing injustices her whole life directly due to political corruption aren't serious issues and definitely do not occur today. And although most of its popularity and sensation was due to the fact that it directly criticized social issues making it in fact a very bold statement in very Mikael Blomkvist style. And his sentences are definitely simple. You know, like Ernest Hemingway who's sentences were incredibly plain and straightforward but held much deeper meanings of existentialism and showed the post-World War attitude held in that time. So yes, "these books are Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!" But I suppose the reason this doesn't make you feel enlightene like "most books" is because these aren't like most books. You know, most books as in Twilight or maybe James Patterson books. Leaving you enlightened for only a brief moment, if you call being mildly surprised or satisfied with a happy ending enlightend. And they do leave you thicker. Thicker with very important issues that are currently being ignored in today's society.
Posted by Angelica,

Damn. Y'all are harsh.
Posted by Sara in Bloomfield, MI, US,

Doesn't the fact they are fun and as entertainments have a different level of responsibility of serving as vehicles for delivering a comprehensive social agenda count? Dennis Lehane is a tremendous but difficult writer - and as such his audience and expectations differ. Larsson has a huge audience and as such his "accumulated social nudge to awareness" could be said to be more effective in the end than Lehane who writes well to confirm the opinions of a smaller audience that already understands and shares his views. I read them both. Does that make me Smart or Stupid?
Posted by Leo in Cottage Grove Oregon,

I have read Jo Nesbø's books and have enjoyed them very much. I should admit that I grew up in Oslo and enjoyed reading about an area that I know well. That said, I found Nesbø's books to be fun and entertaining. Harry Hole ( Nesbø's lead character) is flawed just like Larsson's Lisbeth Salander, but both have their own sense of right and wrong. A fun summer read if you don't want to get into the whole series would be to read " Headhunter" by Nesbø. Martin Scorsese is making a movie based on this book. Since the original question was who is the next Stieg Larsson (assuming it was asked because they enjoy the books) my vote is for Jo Nesbø.
Posted by Kristin in Danville California,

Don't know why we have to put authors in a contest...I read all the authors discussed here and they all have their merits! Really enjoyed the Larrson trilogy AND AM READING Nesbø now...great fun!
Posted by hooch in hermitage, USA,

So agree with you Hooch. Many people enjoy different types of music and I am the same with books. Went from Stiegs books to The Help by Kathryn Stockett. So extreme but enjoyed both. Now like it seems everyone else I have started Fifty Shades of Grey.
Posted by Dragon Fly in England,

iv read a feww of nesbo's books he is different from larsson but just as good
Posted by c kelly in greenock,

I think a lot of people are way, way too harsh on Larsson's work. The last 2 are overlong, but I did like them. That said, Larsson was never in the same ballpark as Dennis Lehane. That's a level of talent many writers will never, ever reach.
Posted by Shaun in Lanexa,

Dennis Lehane is indeed exceptionally talented, but I swore off his books after reading Mystic River and Shutter Island. I could not take the depressing tragedy of those books. They are exceptionally well written, but I don't need help getting sad. On the other hand, I just finished Stieg Larsson's trilogy and would gladly have read the rest of his planned 10 book series. He wrote well, and his books are not drenched in hopelessness as is the case with Lehane.
Posted by Pookie in Danbury-ish,

I find it intrinsically difficult to compare different authors; perhaps the only common attribute being the broad genre that they fit into.. however, they bring so much of themselves into their literature - SL was a journalist and a researcher of right wing extremism, something not difficult to escape in his trilogy. Nesbo, on the other hand, read Economics and Business - I , for one, find him less intense or gripping than SL. One cannot compare their English prose, however, as we are all reading translations. Perhaps, the one author I find comparable to SL in style and intensity is Michael Connelly - again a journalist by training; and whose protagonist (like SL's) is a brooding introverted male a with a gift for solving crime riddles. personal tastes, right?
Posted by Rohit in Manchester,

Please do not compare Michael Connelly to Stieg Larsson. Michael Connelly's books are researched thoroughly; Stieg Larsson's are not.
Posted by SLH in Dublin,

There's no point writing a fine book if no one reads it, for all his limitations as a writer, Larsson took some important messages and pushed them under the nose of the whole world. Good enough for me :-)
Posted by Mark Chisnell in South of England,