As you probably know by now, I’m a Nordic Noir fan and I’ve been going through the list of books I’ve made from the July New York Times Book Review recap of Nordic Noir.

Today I’d like to talk about Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp. Schepp originally self-published the book when no major publishers wanted it. She sold 40,000 copies and sold the most books of Sweden’s independently published authors. She has won the Specsavers Reader’s Choice award as Sweden’s most popular crime author as voted by readers in 2016 (beating out Camilla Lackberg), 2017 and 2018. She now writes for a major publishing house.

Marked for Life is the first book in the Jana Berzelius series which also has Marked for Revenge and Slowly We Die published in English. There are two more books in the series that have not yet made it to the States.

Henrick Levin and Mia Bolander are called out to a murder scene. Hans Juhlen, head of Sweden’s Migration Board handling asylum issues was found dead in his home by his wife. He was shot to death where he lay. There is virtually no forensic evidence except a finger print and palm print on the window sill, belonging to a young child, and since the Juhlens were childless, it must belong to a stranger.

Several days later a young boy was found shot to death in a nearby deserted shoreline. His finger prints match those on the window sill and the gun found next to him could be the Juhlen murder weapon. The strange thing is that on the back of the boy’s neck was carved the name Thanos. In Greek mythology Thanos is the personification of death. Could a young boy really be capable of murder?

Enter prosecutor Jana Berzelius who will head the investigation. Jana is strong and professional and harbors a few secrets of her own. The first is that she remembers nothing about her life prior to her being adopted as a pre-teen. Second is the carving on the back of her neck, Ker. In Greek mythology, Ker is a female death spirit. Could she and this murdered boy have something in common. Ever since she can remember she has been having disturbing dreams. She has spent years trying to learn of her past. Could this possibly bring those memories to the forefront?

I really liked Marked for Life and plan on continuing to read this series. Jana’s hunt for her identity puts her at odds with the police investigation, both of which are strongly pulling at her. The police procedural involving Levin and Bolansky as well as several other team members including a forensic specialist is realistic as they doggedly pursue clues all the while being hounded by the press. Schepp combines their personal lives and business lives so we get to know our characters.

And if you like suspense and action, you’ve got plenty of it here. The author manages to touch on people smuggling, drugs and child soldiers all in one book but it doesn’t overwhelm you.

Everyone has a different set of criteria for what is Nordic Noir. For me it’s the atmosphere, bleak, dark, dreary, depressing both in location and in characters. While the subjects in Marked for Life are depressing, the atmosphere did not meet my “Noir’ criteria. Neither the locale nor the characters exhibit those qualities. So, Marked for Life is a good intro into Scandinavian Noir if you want to start slow.

I must show one quote to you from the New York Journal of Books. “Marked for Life gives you such a chill that ice forms along your extremities and sends you burrowing under the bed covers seeking not so much warmth, as a hiding place from evil.” Indeed, evil does lurk between the covers of this book.

Marked for Life is recommended for fans of Camilla Lackberg, Sara Blaedel and Steig Larsson.

This book is prime fodder for movies, so I hope someone picks up the movie option. I highly recommend Marked for Life.