In Sweden, we've moved away from the notion that mothers have some magical, special bond with children.

The pace of Swedish crime fiction is slower - Stieg Larsson's the exception. And I think we use the environment more.

Don't ever get old. With each year that passes, the old Viking idea of jumping off a cliff to one's death looks better and better. The only thing to hope for is that you get so senile that you think you're twenty years old again. That would be fun to relive.

If I can hit No. 1 on the 'New York Times' best-seller list, I'm thinking of having the entire list tattooed on my body somewhere. It would be fabulous.

I don't feel the need to prove myself by writing the next generational novel.

Scandinavian crime fiction has become a great success all across the world and rightfully so. Sjowall and Wahloo ushered in a whole generation of Swedish crime writers, many of whom are now available in English.

I do listen to Abba. And a lot of '80s and '90s pop music.