My first book, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, was published in Sweden the autumn of 2013. It is currently sold to 25 countries and might already or soon be available in a bookstore near you. On this page you’ll find some information about me and my book and things I do when I should be writing a book.
The Murders in Great Diddling is one of Washington Posts Five mystery novels to read this fall:
With fall’s arrival comes the promise of longer evenings — the perfect time to curl up with a mystery novel. This season’s offerings bring us quirky characters, puzzling murders and far-flung settings, including an English country village (naturally) and Iceland. Each book pairs well with your favorite pumpkin-spiced beverage — and perhaps a scone
I couldn’t agree more! And Berit Gardner is in excellent company on their list. Or how about Maggie Moore, a woman who has beer for breakfast, chain smokes and studies “forensic linguistic” in Wordhunter? Or the hero in Ragnar Johnassons (an Icelandic writer who has also translated Agatha Christie) novel, where Reykdal is writing a dissertation on how the police handled two deaths at a former sanatorium in Death at the sanatorium? Not to mention “elderly but intrepid” Agnes Sharp who solves crimes with her motley crew of fellow retirees, and of course, at the top of my TBR-pile, 11 year old savant, Flavia de Luce who lives on the English countryside and solves murder with the gardiner.
The first book in my new murder mystery series starring writer and amateur sleuth Berit Gardner. Out in English on August 14
The best stories are the ones we didn’t know needed to be told
The small, rundown village of Great Diddling is full of stories—author Berit Gardner can feel it. The way the villagers avoid outsiders, the furtive stares and whispers in the presence of newcomers… Berit can sense the edge of a story waiting to be unraveled, and she’s just the person to do it. In fact, with a book deadline looming over her and no manuscript (not even the idea for a manuscript, truth be told), Berit doesn’t just want this story. She needs it.
Then, while attending a village tea party, Berit becomes part of the action herself. An explosion in the library of the village’s grand manor kills a local man, and the resulting investigation and influx of outsiders sends the quiet, rundown community into chaos. The residents of Great Diddling, each one more eccentric and interesting than any character Berit could have invented, rewrite their own narrative and transform the death of one of their own from a tragedy into a new beginning. Taking advantage of Great Diddling’s new notoriety, the villagers band together to start a book and murder festival designed to bring desperately-needed tourists to their town. What they couldn’t have predicted is how the new story they’ve begun to tell will change all their lives forever.
Uplifting, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Murders in Great Diddling by New York Times bestselling author Katarina Bivald is a celebration of the life-changing magic of books and the people who love them.
The Pine Creek Motel has seen better days. Henny would call it charming, but she’s always seen the best in things. Like now, when she’s just met an untimely end crossing the road. She’s not going to let a tiny thing like death stop her from living fully–not when her friends and family need her the most.
After the funeral is over, her body is buried, and the last casserole dish is empty, Henny is still around. She’s not sure why, but she realizes she has one last opportunity to help her friends discover the happiness they once knew before they lose the motel and cabins they’ve cherished for years.
“Hopeful, heartening, and humane, this is the novel I needed to read right now.”–J. Ryan Stradal, author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota and Kitchens of the Great Midwest
“Remarkable…unquestionably a page-turner and full of wisdom. A brave, unusual book, which powerfully portrays friendship and love.” –Felicity Hayes-McCoy, author of The Library at the Edge of the World
Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy’s funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor — not much else to do in a small town that’s almost beyond repair. They just never imagined that she’d start a bookstore. Or that books could bring them together – and change everything.
There’s a book for every person … and a person for every book.
If you find yourself strolling down charming cobble streets, causally stopping to admire an old church or some particularly lovely roses – take care! Chances are that you’re about to stumble on a dead body. Here’s my five best British murder stories.
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