It’s Danish. That’s enough for quite a few crime fiction lovers out there. So when ITV3 airs Those Who Kill at 10pm tomorrow night (23 February) we reckon plenty of people who read our site will be tuning in. We’re fans of The Killing and Wallander and this programme has the same director, so we decided to take a closer look at this latest Scandinavian on-screen offering to see what it’s all about starting with the trailer:
The story is based on novels written by Elsebeth Egholm and it’s all about detective inspector Katrina Ries Jenson and forensic psychiatrist Thomas Schaeffer who are part of a special crimes unit in the Copenhagen police department. They look into serial killer cases where there are unusual, psychological angles to the investigation. You can pretty much rest assured the show is cold, gritty and violent. In the first episode, which is two hours long, they start off by finding the skeletons of four women in the woods north of the city, and the challenge is to work out the mind of a killer who’s having monstrous delusions.
Five more episodes will follow, and the second one is about a family brutally murdered in their home with, you guessed it, no apparent motive.
OK, so you’re thinking this is a website about books so why are they talking about a TV series that’s in Danish, with subtitles? Well, when we heard about the series we decided to look into whether or not people can get the books its based on and read them. We’ve discovered that at the moment English translations of Elsebeth Egholm’s work are only available in Australia and New Zealand, where the books Next of Kin and Life and Limb are on sale. Her books can also be read in German, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian. They’re soon to appear in Polish, Icelandic, Italian and French too.
We asked Egholm’s agent Lars Ringhof about seeing the work in the UK and America. “The recent novels are on submission among British publisher and we are hoping to have a deal before the London Book Fair,” he said.
However the author is a big success in her native Denmark – hence the TV series. Ringhof continues: “Her new series had its debut here last year with Three Dog Night – following ex-con Peter Boutrup as he tries to adapt to life outside prison, but is caught up with elements from his past. A second novel has just been delivered, Dead Souls, also about Peter Boutrup, and it will be published in Denmark later this year.”
Of course, we are jumping the gun a bit. The TV series might not be that good. We’ll find out tomorrow night. If you watch it, don’t forget to pop back here to let us know what you think of it by posting a comment below. Series 1 can be ordered on DVD but only comes out 2 April.
Just wondering as I’m finding it hard to find series info in English but is Next of Kin from the same series that the show Those That Kill is based on?
Next of Kin is available in Australia as an ebook and it’s non agency so I was thinking of picking it up.
Thanks but I found my answer
Next of Kin is the first translated to English but is actually the forth in the Series. I wasn’t getting many hits as I spelt the name incorrectly. FYI You’ve spelt it 2 different ways in your article 
Thanks for letting us know. Do let us know what you think of the show tonight, and the book.
I’m so glad that I found your site and thanks so much for the tweet update. I’ll definitely watch the new series tonight and share my views when I come back. I enjoyed The Killing, as well Borgen, so anything Danish would do
The first episode was pretty good, I thought. Not the same lingering tension, and quicker paced than The Killing. They had to get the whole story into one episode though, which is good in a way. Was not as dark and brutal as I expected.
I thought it was good too, and it’s a lot to pack in one episode. However I did find the ITV’s constant adverts distracting, so I think I’ll be recording the future series and watching it later, without the said annoyance.
Very tense viewing – I was nearly out of my comfort zone! Great to see other actors/actresses from The Killing and Borgen.
Really enjoyed the first episode. Managed to catch it on repeat last night.
Its a very different style from The Killing and Wallander. More of a psychological/forensic slant, which I really like in crime dramas. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the series plays out. Good to see one or two familar faces too!
With all the excellent dramas coming out of Scandinavia at the mo, things bode well for “The Bridge” later this year.
I was very impressed, with every aspect of the production of ‘They who kill’; especially the first two episodes. Simply outstanding! Thanks to everyone involved.
With such cinematic expertise, creativity, and imagination, why was it ‘pulled’?
PC 13 November 2022
PS: 10 years on; lucky me – better later than never!
Hi Peter – There was a gap and then they reinvented it and there were two series – Darkness: Those Who Kill and Blinded: Those Who Kill. You can read more about them here:
https://crimefictionlover.com/2019/08/darkness-those-who-kill-new-danish-crime-drama-on-bbc-four/