There is something about the sinister, shadowy, gray atmosphere of the AMC show The Killing that is unforgettable. The series was based on a Danish series called Forbrydelsen (The Crime.) The American series is set in Seattle and it does rain. Our detectives eat in the rain and smoke in the rain. Rain falls heavy on the windshield day and night. When we think about books with this same sense of atmosphere, Swedish thrillers come to mind like the Martin Beck series by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall and the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, but here are a few crime series set in the Northwest that take advantage of that Twin Peaks quality in the air out there. 

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain
Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer. With Gretchen in prison, Archie has become addicted to pain pills. When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the investigation.

A Matter of Trust: A Mia Quinn Mystery by Lis W. Wiehl
A prosecutor and a detective take on an off-the-books case in Seattle, Washington.

The Bookmaker's Wake: A Mystery with Cliff Janeway by John Dunning
Cliff Janeway is convinced to go to Seattle to bring back a fugitive wanted for the possible theft of a priceless edition of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."

Until Proven Guilty: A J.P. Beaumont Mystery by Judith A. Jance
Set in Seattle, homicide detective J.P. Beaumont, searches for the killer of a young girl and discovers an underground world of religious fanaticism.

Decoys: A John Denson Mystery by Richard Hoyt
John Denson, private-eye, returns to his hometown in Oregon on assignment to act as a decoy—introducing himself as his client’s fiancé. He soon finds himself in something more serious than a game of vengeance.