Varg Veum books in order

Reading order

The Varg Veum series follows Bergen-based private investigator Varg Veum through fourteen novels spanning 1979 to 2024. Created by Gunnar Staalesen, the series is one of the longest-running in Scandinavian crime fiction and one of the earliest examples of what would later be called Nordic noir. Veum is a former child welfare officer who now works independently, bringing a social conscience to cases that often involve vulnerable people and institutions that have failed them.

Bergen’s urban geography is a constant presence in the books, with specific neighborhoods, streets, and the surrounding fjord landscape shaping the atmosphere of each case. Staalesen uses Veum’s cases to examine Norwegian society across different eras, from the social upheavals of the 1970s and 1980s through to contemporary issues. The series benefits from being read in publication order, both for the development of Veum’s personal life and for the way Staalesen’s writing and thematic concerns evolved over the decades.

The novels are published well apart, reflecting Staalesen’s measured approach to the series rather than rapid production. English readers should note that translations have been published in a different sequence from the Norwegian originals, with some earlier books becoming available in English only after later ones were already in print. Checking the publication dates of translations versus original publication dates is useful when deciding where to start.