In praise of Scandinavian writers

I have been reading a novel by the great crime writer Jo Nesbo. One thing that strikes me is the terrific sense of place, something that characterises a lot of writers from Scandinavia.
As a writer, I am also inspired by a sense of place. Whether it be a gloomy city or a stunning hillside, a glass-strewn council estate or a majestic waterfall, something about my surroundings triggers ideas, just like it does with the Scandinavian crime writers.
And as it should with all writers.Why? Because the reader has to feel they are there and that starts with a writer’s connection with a place.
John Dean