During the past 10-15 or so years, Swedish crime has become hot. Really hot. Hotter than hot. And by “Swedish crime”, I do of course mean crime fiction — novels, movies and TV series.

There are the old classics, like Sjöwall & Wahlöö’s books about Inspector Martin Beck, which was turned into a very long TV series, that got very popular in Europe and especially in Germany.

Then there are the books about Inspector Wallander written by Henning Mankell, and which also became several TV series, including one produced by the BBC and starring Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander in on location in Ystad, southern Sweden.

Another very popular writer is Liza Marklund, but the biggest hit of them all, is the Millennium Trilogy. Three books written by journalist Stieg Larsson, who died shortly after turning in the manuscripts to his publisher — Larsson never lived to see his amazing, worldwide success.

Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in "The Girl Who Played With Fire"

Millennium became a phenomenom, a huge success all over the world. In December, 2011, a Hollywood movie adaptation, shot on location in Stockholm, Sweden, and directed by David Fincher, will open — but the books have already been made into three Swedish TV movies, which also played theaters in several countries.

Here are my reviews of those three movies. Check them out before you see Fincher’s version!

Click HERE to read the review of THE MILLENNIUM TRILOGY