Reviews

• “If you thrill to the chills of Scandinavian noir, chances are you’ve read something by Anders Roslund. /…/ Roslund has two strong prose styles – dark and darker – and both are on show in [Knock Knock].”

• “This terrific mash-up of police procedural and crime thriller has strongly imagined characters, explosive action, and a twisty plot with an unexpected conclusion. It’s a must for Scandinavian noir fans.”

• “A high concept thriller that tells the electrifying story of a police inspector and a former criminal informant in a race against time as they attempt to unravel past and present secrets.”

• “Grens is an immensely compelling character whose sharp intuition and dedication to justice are reminiscent of Harry Bosch. This tense, sophisticated procedural can stand alone, but readers will find themselves drawn to Grens’ seven earlier investigations.”

• “A heart-pounding thriller. /…/ Roslund’s serpentine plot and visceral character development brings each cliffhanging chapter to a staggering revelation on how tasty a dish of cold, karmic revenge can be. From the first Knock Knock on the door of a murder scene to discovering the killers behind it, this novel is a breathless, suspenseful read.”

• “Roslund’s fourth has punchy prose and plot twists that readers expecting another brooding Scandinavian noir won’t see coming.”

• “Knock Knock is shot through with images and scenes that are impossible to forget and are intertwined with a number of suspenseful vignettes. Anders Roslund is a household name throughout most of the world as a master of crime fiction, and this book is a sterling example of why.”

• “Roslund cleverly interlaces two disparate storylines, and readers will marvel at just how much action can take place in a period spanning only three days. Knock Knock has handily reaffirmed all my Scandi-noir gushing.”

• “This is definitely a tense and detailed thriller, giving some interesting highlights into Swedish policework and their use of undercover agents. /…/ The ending is a twist and a shocker, and only a reader skilled in picking out details will guess this story’s finish. The last three sentences resonate with sad and shocking irony.”

• “Set over three action-packed days, it’s another complex, white-knuckle read.”

• “Scandi-noir fans are in for a treat. Knock Knock is a dark read – not for the lily-livered.”

• “Anders Roslund […] deservedly belongs among the bestsellers and his novels always live up to a high standard. [He is an] ambitious wordsmith who is able to carve out an escalating tension that builds throughout. /…/ [Knock Knock] is among the best this year and rather impossible to put down.”

• “Anders Roslund is without a doubt a heavyweight within Swedish crime fiction. /…/ What an intro! Darker than Ellroy. It should not be possible.”

• “Impossible to put down. I can't comprehend how Anders Roslund manages to make days, hours and seconds fit together in a thrilling resolution that takes place in Albania and Stockholm.”

• “Knock Knock is as skillfully told and exciting as [Roslund & Hellström's] previous novels. The character description is excellent, and the reader empathizes with both the main character as well as the side characters. The description of the setting is well-executed. All in all, this is a great thriller about organized crime and revenge, but also about trust and loyalty.”

• “Anders Roslund knows how to build a plot about what humans are willing to do in order to devastate the lives of others or to prevent evil from triumphing over life. [Knock Knock] is a novel to be read when you feel safe in your own little space, since it is such a ferocious and powerful cocktail of hidden cruelties [and] false hope, that anything else would be madness.”

• “Soon you are immersed in an intro so frightening you will have a hard time forgetting its imagery. /…/ Roslund’s crime novel is of the sweaty, action-packed kind, and you read it with a pounding pulse and constant sense of unease. At the same time, it is a gripping and smart plot to consume and ponder.”

• “Knock Knock is […] a breathtakingly thrilling, heartbreaking story of unscrupulous arms trading, shootings, and all their underlying causes. And above all, what an upbringing in close connection with violence and guns can do to a child’s perspective. /…/ This definitely is one of this year’s best and also most tragic crime fiction reads.”

• “That we stand before a new page-turner, told with an economic and vigorous language, is evident. /…/ Clever, thought-provoking and incredibly well-written. All to the tunes of a soundtrack of which we just want more.”

• “Roslund is terrifically skilled at creating intrigues, planting misleading threads and then, with the hands of a master, transforming the complex construction into a perfect novel. /…/ With a novel like this in your hands the desire to read becomes extraordinary; everything else turns into distractions that keep you from lustfully devouring the next page.”

• “An edge of your seat thriller about revenge and treachery during three fateful days.”

• “One of this year’s very best crime novels, that will keep even the most well-read and quality-conscious crime readers in a breathtaking iron grip from beginning to end. /…/ Brilliant crime fiction in every aspect. Content, form, language, composition, tempo and psychology; all working together to such a degree that as a reader one is thoroughly on edge all the way through, in such a way that one could even find oneself tempted to re-read this delightfully substantial crime novel in order to dwell on the details that are fully understood only at the end. /…/ Anders Roslund is getting better and better, and has for some time now established himself within the Swedish Super League alongside Arne Dahl and Stieg Larsson. /…/ Intelligent and accomplished crime, that one can almost not recommend enough.”

• “Roslund knows how to write a breathtaking and terrific story, this one placing itself in between “Nordic Noir” and political thriller. It also succeeds in presenting fascinating character portraits, in particular that of the harsh police officer, who has decided to spend the rest of his time in Swedish family idyll, and of the lonely investigator who lost his beloved many years back and now dreadfully awaits retirement in half a year, which will claim his whole identity away from him. Knock Knock is one of the best crime novels this reviewer has read in a very long time.”

• “I’m deeply fascinated by Roslund’s ability to capture me in a crime universe I’ve no desire to leave again. Impressive crime craftsmanship. It’s the goddamn best reading experience of the year.”

• “Roslund’s immense strength lies in his solid research and vast knowledge of organized crime, but at the same time he is also a master of intricate plots, in which the tension rises to another level towards the end – and finally, his two main characters in particular are extremely well-written. Anders Roslund is one of the giants in Swedish crime fiction, fully on par with Arne Dahl and [Lars] Kepler et.al. /…/ It is a truly outstanding and read-worthy thriller, and Roslund has probably never been better. /…/ The mix of facts and fiction works optimally, and the plot, with its swift transitions between the main characters, adds to the building of the tension.”

• “There are novels where you have to read many pages before you’re truly caught by the story. And then there are those that catch your attention from the first page to such a degree that you want to read it all before you put it down. Swedish Anders Roslund’s crime novel Knock Knock is an example of the latter. /…/ Knock Knock is an exciting piece of crime fiction with realistic character portraits and a great plot. It’s hard to find anything that doesn’t work with it – that it’s well-written is yet another plus. But then again, Anders Roslund is an experienced author.”