In the late summer of 2007 I began writing Unwanted [Askungar], the first book about Fredrika. Little did I imagine that what had been my hobby since I was seven years old – writing – would change my life and become my full-time occupation. Nor did I have any idea how many stories I had within me. It wasn’t until I gave up work that I (and everyone else, I presume) got the full picture of what my writing looked like. Wild and unruly. Passionate and driven. These qualities have made me productive, and perhaps rather unpredictable. My writing is different from that of many other authors. I have loved to write ever since my first year in school, and it is impossible for me to spend all my time in Fredrika Bergman’s world, never to be anywhere else. That’s why I wrote the books about Martin Benner. That’s why I wrote a horror novel. And that’s why I started to write children’s books.
When will the next Fredrika Bergman book be out? That question has haunted me since the spring of 2013, when The Chosen [Davidsstjärnor] was published in Sweden. And now I understand why; so many of you have accompanied Fredrika on her journey. So many of you want more of her. But it’s like this: books must be longed for by the author who writes them just as much as by the readers who are waiting for them. And I didn’t start longing for Fredrika until shortly before Christmas 2015. A new wave of longing seems incredibly distant at the moment, and Fredrika seems to be getting on fine without me. She and the children have a good life in London. And Alex will soon retire, whether he wants to or not. Maybe he’ll find that beach and lie there with a good book.
Anyway. Whatever happens to Fredrika, I will carry on writing, of course. You don’t just dump good habits that have been around for so many years. I’m not finished with Martin Benner; I want to know more about him. Nor am I finished with horror, and certainly not with my children’s books. There are so many stories to tell, so many characters to bring to life. I’ve only just begun.
* * *
There are many people to thank, as is always the case. First of all, warm thanks to my friends. Too many to mention each one by name, but thank you for being part of my life and for making me strong and happy. Special thanks to Sofia Ekholm, who continues to believe that I can do anything, and do it well.
Warm thanks also to my family, who continue to show their loyalty and joy when it comes to my work. Special thanks to my parents, who tirelessly travel to book fairs and other literary events to hear me talk about my writing and my books. It means so much to me to see you sitting there in the audience.
Thank you to all those who help me to produce my books and ensure that they reach as many readers as possible:
To Salomonsson Agency, who continue to promote my books across the world. It’s always a celebration when the translations of my novels land on my doormat! Special thanks to Karin Lindgren and Julia Angelin.
Thanks to Mirja Turestedt, who records my audio books and fills each story with voices.
Finally, thanks also to my wonderful publisher Piratförlaget. I’m so happy that you were the ones who decided to believe in me and Fredrika! It’s a great gift to have you in my life as a writer. Special thanks to my editor Anna Hirvi Sigurdsson, without whose meticulous attention to detail this book would have been much less readable. Special thanks also to my publisher Sofia Brattselius Thunfors, whose listening skills, enthusiasm and knowledge are invaluable resources.
Thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KRISTINA OHLSSON is a political scientist and, until recently, held the position of Counter-Terrorism Officer at OSCE. She has previously worked at the Swedish Security Service, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish National Defence College, where she was a junior expert on the Middle East conflict and the foreign policy of the European Union. Her debut novel, Unwanted, was published in Sweden in 2009 to terrific critical acclaim and all her novels have since been bestsellers. Kristina lives in Stockholm.
Also by Kristina Ohlsson
Unwanted
Silenced
The Disappeared
Hostage
The Chosen
Buried Lies
The Lies We Tell
MARLAINE DELARGY has translated works by many authors including John Ajvide Lindqvist, Therese Bohman, Theodor Kallifatides, Viveca Sten, Johan Theorin, with whom she won the CWA International Dagger in 2010, and Henning Mankell, with whom she won the CWA International Dagger in 2018.
HAVE YOU READ THEM ALL?
Discover the entire series . . .
Unwanted
When a little girl is abducted from a crowded train, Alex Recht thinks it looks like a classic custody row. But young Investigative Analyst Fredrika Bergman is convinced the case is more complex. Then the child is found dead with the word UNWANTED scribbled on her forehead. Will Alex and Fredrika manage to put aside their differences and work together to find the killer, before it’s too late?
Silenced
A teenage girl is assaulted and raped. Fifteen years later, a man is killed in a hit and run. At the same time, a priest and his wife are found dead in an apparent suicide. Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht are assigned to the seemingly unconnected cases. But the trail leads them to a different crime, one whose consequences will reach further and deeper than anyone ever expected.
The Disappeared
The body of a young woman is found dismembered and buried in a forest glade in an innocuous Swedish suburb. Alex Recht and his team soon find that someone has been returning to the same spot to bury his or her victims year after year, decade after decade ...
Hostage
Shortly after a crowded New York-bound flight takes off from Stockholm, a bomb threat is found on board. Anonymous hijackers demand that the Swedish government revoke its decision to deport a Moroccan man. If their demands are not met, the plane will explode when it attempts to land. As the hours pass, the US and Swedish governments are running out of options, and the plane is running out of fuel ...
The Chosen
On a cold winter’s day, a teacher is shot dead in front of parents and children at the Solomon Community, a Jewish pre-school in Stockholm. Just a few hours later two Jewish boys go missing. A figure known as the Paper Boy keeps popping up in the investigation, but who is he? And could he possibly have resurfaced in Stockholm, claiming new victims?
Or discover Kristina Ohlsson’s other books ...
Buried Lies
Five brutal murders in two countries. A woman confesses to the killings, then leaps off a bridge to her death. Her brother insists she was innocent, and wants the case reopened. But how do you vindicate a deceased, self-proclaimed killer?
The Lies We Tell
Stockholm criminal lawyer Martin Benner is chipping away at the false confession linking the deceased Sara Texas to a string of killings. Mio, Sara’s four-year-old son, is missing. Meanwhile, someone is trying to frame Martin for murders he didn’t commit. When it becomes clear that the identity of the killer and that of Mio’s kidnapper are one and the same, Martin realises that he cannot save both Mio and himself. He has to choose ...
First published in Sweden by Piratförlaget under the title Syndafloder, 2017
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2019
A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © Kristina Ohlsson, 2017. All rights reserved.
Published by arrangement with Salomonsson Agency
English translation copyright © Marlaine Delargy, 2019
The right of Kristina Ohlsson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is availabl
e from the British Library
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4711-6993-9
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-6995-3
Audio ISBN: 978-1-4711-8559-5
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Typeset in the UK by M Rules
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
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