Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Angels | 1997 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 2 | The Shadow Woman | 1998 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 3 | Sun and Shadow | 1999 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 4 | Never End | 2000 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 5 | Frozen Tracks | 2001 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 6 | Sail of Stone | 2001 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
| 7 | Room No. 10 | 2005 | Chief Inspector Erik Winter | Buy |
The Inspector Erik Winter series by Ake Edwardson follows one of Gothenburg’s most distinctive detectives through seven novels of Swedish crime fiction. Winter is young for his rank, cultured, and sometimes difficult. He listens to John Coltrane while working cases and has a complicated relationship with his family. Death Angels, the first book, sets the pattern: a carefully constructed mystery layered with psychological detail and a strong sense of place.
Subsequent books, including The Shadow Woman, Sun and Shadow, and Never End, deepen both the crime stories and Winter’s character. Frozen Tracks and Sail of Stone expand the scope further, while Room No. 10 brings threads together in a story that connects past and present. Edwardson writes slowly and carefully, building atmosphere through small details rather than dramatic set pieces. The Gothenburg setting is almost a character in its own right, with its harbors, rain, and shifting seasons providing the backdrop for Winter’s investigations. Fans of Henning Mankell’s Wallander or the Martin Beck novels will find a lot to appreciate here.