Reviews

• “This is suspenseful from the first page till the last; hard-boiled and terse. A noir crime novel and a bite-your-nails drama that takes place around shabby bars at Gullmarsplan, townhouses in Solna and the boiling hot Texas desert /…/ A thriller with its foot planted on the gas pedal.”

• “It’s a sweaty and nervous read. But entertaining. The language is fast-paced and highly effective. Harsh almost, and humorous at times. What is proffered is psychological suspense rather than simple action.”

• “An obviously joyful manipulation of the classical hardboiled style /…/ I like Kristina Ohlsson’s small two-book series – it’s refreshing and entertaining.”

• “The Lies We Tell takes off where Buried Lies ended, and is just as wonderful as the first book. Supremely exciting and a real page-turner, it has everything a really good thriller should have.”

• “The Lies We Tell contains no tangents, no unnecessary descriptions of the environment /…/ it’s skillfully constructed and executed. Kristina Ohlsson is quite simply one of the best in the genre in Sweden /…/ entertainment on a high level and with no speed limit set.”

• “The Lies We Tell is just as the previous novel about Benner an extremely fast-paced and hardboiled story /…/ here [Ohlsson] very elegantly weaves together all the threads /…/ those who enjoy this type of dark, quick-paced story will be more than pleased.”

• “If Buried Lies was one of the best crime novels of last year, then The Lies We Tell will sweep the feet of this year’s books right from under them. Because this is good. Really good /…/ It’s thrilling and hardboiled, with smart dialogue and the type of pulse you’ve never seen before”

• “This is hardboiled, as if Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer had met a Swedish, somewhat perverse reality /…/ Ohlsson sets a break-neck pace.”

• “There’s a lot more of American James Ellroy than Swedish Mankell and co. in the first Buried Lies, and now so also in its sequel, The Lies We Tell.”

• “It is a heinous story about family, parents and relationships that Kristina Ohlsson knowledgably and with an expert narrative rolls out and mixes with red herrings, mysterious side characters, and layers upon layers of secrets – so many that it’s impressive she can keep it all alive for two novels. Besides the usual suspense, she manages to do what so many of her Scandinavian colleagues attempt without the same elegance: to build stories on a theme, without them turning into a postulated study in predictable elements. /…/ All in all an excellent example of a chilling entertainment for the winter holidays.”

• “A labyrinthine treat about failure, betrayal and revenge. /…/ [Buried Lies and The Lies We Tell ] are all-together terrific, their narrative form innovative, and with them Kristina Ohlsson positions herself as one of Swedish crime fiction's most interesting names right now.”

• “The plot is marvelously put together. /…/ [The Lies We Tell] plays out as if it were a musical piece, played on a piano ominously tuned by the all-knowing Kristina Ohlsson.”

• “This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s so thoroughly well-written, and I loved every second I could read it. /…/ A kick-ass novel with a constant fast pace and a level of suspense that holds till the end. I had a hard time putting it down, and it even ate away at my sleeping hours. /…/ I just can’t recommend these books [Buried Lies and The Lies We Tell] enough.”

• “Kristina Ohlsson’s new novel: a devil’s work of unfettered suspense.”

• “Those who have read Buried Lies must not miss The Lies We Tell.”

• “Incredibly suspenseful with a most unexpected ending.”