Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Forgotten Dead | 2009 | Tove Alsterdal | Buy |
| 2 | Låt mig ta din hand | 2014 | Tove Alsterdal | Buy |
Before Tove Alsterdal settled into the recurring world of the High Coast, she wrote standalone crime novels that explored different angles of the genre. The Forgotten Dead, her 2009 debut, established her as a writer with a gift for building dread and pulling readers through a mystery with genuine momentum.
These early books share the atmospheric quality that marks all of Alsterdal’s work: a strong sense of landscape, characters shaped by histories they’d rather not acknowledge, and crimes rooted in things that happened long before the story begins. They offer a different angle on her writing than the High Coast series, without the benefit of accumulated setting and character but with a freshness that comes from a writer still staking out her territory.
For readers who have already worked through the High Coast books, the standalone novels are a worthwhile addition. For those new to Alsterdal, the High Coast series is the better place to start.