Reviews

• “A crime novel that surprises on several levels. /…/ It’s got a well-crafted and clever plot with unexpected turns, where the author has a steady grip on the reader to the very end. /…/ For the Missing is an impressive debut that bodes well for the future. /…/ It won’t be long before guided tours are held in Lager’s footsteps.”

• “A brilliant crime novel. /…/ Like a seductive summer night, with lurking shadows and treacherous undergrowth. Everything is here, even if it’s not obvious at first glance. /… / There is something about the density itself, a suggestive tone that is struck from the first chapter onwards. /…/ There are so many layers to Gullspång, so many people’s stories. It’s about interpretations, it’s about who holds the power and who is unable to resist it. It’s not a simple whodunnit.”

• “[Lina Bengtsdotter’s] book about Annabelle is by far the best crime novel of the year.”

• “A debutant delivers the most somber and nail-biting-inducing Swedish crime novel of the year. Lauded Lina Bengsdotter has an iron grip on our souls. /…/ The dramaturgy is perfect, the psychology luminous and the case with the missing teenage girl appears to endlessly deepen, like a bottomless woodland lake.”

• “Nerve-racking, surprising and well-written.”

• “[Lina Bengtsdotter] offers a great portrayal of the worn-out community, interesting and perceptive character portrayals, and an unexpected turn of events in the crime plot itself. A debut that makes one crave more.”

• “I’m on pins and needles awaiting the reveal of what’s become of Annabelle.”

• “This is a new crime success.”

• “An explosive debut.”

• “A tightly plotted crime debut.”

• “This smash hit Swedish debut breathes new life into a few well-worn det-fic themes to create a thriller that lingers in the memory.”

• “A wonderful debut.”

• “This may be the debut novel for Lina Bengtsdotter, but it immediately slots her into the pantheon of Scandi Noir greats. She is a seamstress. She weaves a wonderful, embracing picture of life in a down-at-heel, dying, remote and rusty, Swedish industrial eyesore; and gradually unpicks the different threads, laying each out, its sparse clarity giving the reader a myriad of separate storylines. /…/ I will be looking out for more by Lina Bengstdotter. For The Missing takes crime fiction to a disturbingly personal, high level.”

• “A powerful Scandi Noir debut by a promising new author. /…/ Atmospheric, evocative and with a heroine who overcomes some of the genre’s clichés, this is a first-class procedural with all shades of grey unveiled like onion peel as the narrative progresses. With various parallel story strands deepening the mystery before they all come together in a flurry of unwelcome truths, this makes for an altogether excellent thriller.”

• “This debut novel is intelligent and arresting. And grim.”