The third psychological thriller from No 1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg. The remote resort of Fjallbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But the post-mortem reveals that this is no case of accidental drowning! Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the methodical murder of a child both he and his partner, Erica, knew well. He knows the real question - and answer - lies with why. What he does not know is how this case will reach into the dark heart of Fjallbacka and the town's past, and tear aside its idyllic facade, perhaps forever.

About the Author

Born in 1974, Camilla Lackberg graduated from Gothenburg University of Economics, before moving to Stockholm where she worked for a few years as an economist. However, a course in creative crime writing became the trigger to a drastic change of career. Her first six novels all became Swedish No 1 bestsellers. She lives in a suburb of Stockholm with her three children.

Reviews

Praise for 'The Stonecutter': 'The Stonecutter, by Camilla Lackberg ! continues her excellent series! The main narrative is cleverly interspersed with flashbacks from the past, the relevance of which becomes apparent as the novel progresses. Lackberg is particularly good at portraying the claustrophobia of a small community in which everyone knows everyone else and the police may well be friends with killers' Marcel Berlins, The Times 'Camilla Lackberg is probably the hottest female writer in Sweden at the moment! Lackberg's job is to make the reader pleasurably uncomfortable -- one of her ironclad skills' Barry Forshaw, Independent 'Lackberg is an expert at mixing scenes of domestic cosiness with blood-curdling horror! a must for white-knuckle junkies' Guardian Praise for 'The Ice Princess': 'Another top-class Scandinavian crime writer reaches the British market' The Times 'Has a brooding quality redolent of its barren Swedish landscapes! intriguing and not a little disturbing' Irish Times 'Chilly, deceptive and lucid, just like the icy environment it describes' Literary Review 'Heart-stopping and heart-warming, 'The Ice Princess' is a masterclass in Scandinavian crime writing' Val McDermid 'Camilla Lackberg is a more than welcome addition to the growing ranks of Scandinavian crime writers translated into English. With its sharp emotional nuances and psychological insight, 'The Ice Princess' builds in suspense as the author turns her clear eye on the buried secrets and contemporary relationships of a small, isolated community. I predict that Fjallbacka and its crimes and people will soon be as poplular here as they are in her native Sweden' Peter Robinson

Lackberg's excellent third novel set in the west coast village of Fjallbacka, like its predecessors The Ice Princess and The Preacher, strips conventional veneers from her achingly complex characters. Alternating parallel narratives embroil readers first in the present-day murder by drowning of little Sara Klinga, then in the rise and fall many decades earlier of Agnes Stjernkvist, a venomous schemer who lusts after honest stonecutter Anders Andersson. Investigating Sara's death is series lead Det. Patrik Hedstrom, now an exhausted new father, whose partner, Erica, is suffering through a desperate postpartum depression. Lackberg gradually tightens the disparate narrative strands noose-like around her numerous remorselessly dissected characters, her signature reversal revealing shocking and poignant truths about the residents of Fjallbacka, where she herself was born. With at least nine more novels waiting for English translation and the Swedish TV series Fjallbacka Murders in the works, Lackberg has rapidly become one of the most profitable native authors in Sweden's history. Agent: Joakim Hansson, Nordin Literary Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In this third series outing (after The Preacher), Det. Patrick Hedstr^m and his girlfriend Ericka Falck, who live in Fjallbacka, Sweden, are now the new parents of a baby girl. Erica is upset when the young daughter of her friend Charlotte dies in an accidental drowning. However, it soon turns out that the child's death was murder. Patrick is put in charge of the investigation, which eventually leads to some very unsettling truths about Charlotte's family. In an alternate story line, which begins in 1923, a young woman from a well-to-do family is forced into marriage with the local stonecutter. As the story progresses, she strikes out at those closest to her in terrifying ways. Verdict Readers of Lackberg's two previous books will not be disappointed. The author keeps the interest high in both plots and ties the two together in a disturbing conclusion. A must-read for fans of Scandinavian mysteries by such authors as Hakan Nesser, Ake Edwardson, Kjell Eriksson, and Arnaldur Indridason. [See Prepub Alert, 3/21/12.]-Jean King, West Hempstead P.L., NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.