Jens Lapidus

Jens Lapidus (b. 1974) is one of Sweden’s premier authors, who with his fast-paced and thrilling novels bring attention to the dark underworld of Stockholm. Tagged “a Swedish James Ellroy” by critics, Lapidus’ works draw on his 15 years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer representing some of Sweden’s most notorious criminals, something which has given him a unique insight and knowledge paired perfectly with a gritty and true-to-reality prose that leaps from the page. He is the creator of the immensely popular Stockholm Noir and Top Dog series, alongside three stand-alones. Lapidus’ debut, Easy Money (Sockholm Noir #1), became one of Sweden’s most talked about novels of the 21st century, and has together with its sequels been adapted into both films and an incredibly successful TV series on Netflix.

Jens Lapidus is also part of a children’s-book duo together with Hedda Lapidus, where they create thrilling literature for young readers.

“Jens Lapidus is a very talented crime author. He is also a young author. He is only going to get better – and he has every potential of becoming the best”
–Leif GW Persson

“Anything Jens Lapidus writes is a must-read for me. His writing crackles with a profound understanding of not simply why bad people do bad things, but how.”
–Ryan Gattis

Awards

Shortlisted for the ThrillZone Awards (Best Translated Thriller) Netherlands – Paradis City The No-Go Zone 2022
Shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel) Sweden – STHLM Delete Stockholm Delete 2015
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Bibliography

Stand-alone

Top Dog

Stockholm Noir

Jens Lapidus & Hedda Lapidus

The Dillsta Gang

Related news

Pascal Engman, Anders de la Motte, and Jens Lapidus selected among Falu-Kuriren’s best books 2024

As the year 2024 is coming to an end, Swedish newspaper Falu-Kuriren has listed its best suspense novels of 2024. Among the selected titles are No One by Pascal Engman, The Rust Forest by Anders de la Motte, and Grand Finale by Jens Lapidus. The paper offers the following reviews:

“With journalistic sharpness, Pascal Engman has the ability to create suspense literature in which he puts his finger on different societal issues. Detective Vanessa Frank and her colleagues are recurring characters, but Engman puts as much care into criminals and victims in his stories. /…/ The many threads are intertwined to a ball that rolls faster and faster. Pascal Engman writes highly topical suspense like no other.

“De La Motte’s writing is impressive, and The Rust Forest is definitely worth a read.”

“Jens Lapidus’ Top Dog series has been influential in shaping both novels and TV shows about Stockholm’s underworld as it appears today. With this, he brings the series to the finish line, and it is truly a Grand Finale.”

‘Grand Finale’ published in Sweden

What is the price of being Mr. One? Teddy knows, more than well. Even though he’s made himself a fair amount of money on a number of illegal operations, he doesn’t sleep well at night. The pressure from those around him is bigger than ever. His closest man thinks they should go for heavier stuff. There’s also a rumor going around that someone wants him dead. Teddy turns to his brother Darko for protection, Darko who’s just come home from an unhappy time in Malmö’s underworld.

Meanwhile, Jossan has stepped up: bigger business, more dangerous games. She has opinions on Teddy’s unwillingness to go for the heavier goods. Teddy has to choose. Should he take the bloody path lined with drugs – one that could lead to big money but which is also potentially lethal – or should he try to rekindle things with Emelie and Lukas and build a future on the right side of the law?

Grand Finale is the sixth and final installment in Jens Lapidus’ lauded Top Dog series.

‘The Dillsta Gang and the Vampire Heist’ published in Sweden

A new gang has presented itself in Dillsta, and they are a real scary gang of teenagers! There’s also something strange about them, apart from the fact that they’re teens. Why are they only out at night? Why are they so pale? And what is that red stuff they’re drinking, it can’t possibly be blood, can it? That would mean that they are… a vampire gang!

When the news spreads that the new gang is involved in drug sales, the Dillsta gang is faced with a more dangerous situation than usual. Perhaps they really should listen to the policeman Ali Svensson when he tells them to keep out of the way until the drug league has been arrested? As Zasha gets more and more scared, it becomes obvious that if anyone is going to catch the vampire gang it has to be the Dillsta gang! Time to shop for some garlic.

The Dillsta Gang and the Vampire Heist is the seventh installment in The Dillsta Gang series – fast-paced and fun books for younger readers by Jens and Hedda Lapidus.

‘Dead Man Walking’ published in Sweden

A wounded family meet at the graveyard to remember the mother who passed away over twenty-five years ago. It’s Teddy, his father and his sister, along with Emelie, who has begun researching what really happened when Teddy’s mother died. The traces lead to a past no one knew existed, and soon, Emelie is drawn into a double game more dangerous than she could ever imagine.

Teddy, on the other hand, is not at all interested. He is preoccupied with maintaining his position as the new Mr. One, a path which forces him deep down into Stockholm’s underworld and its brutal conflicts. Then Max escapes from the youth detention center, and Teddy must decide what to do with the boy who murdered his beloved nephew. To seek revenge or not, that is the question.

Dead Man Walking is Jens Lapidus’ highly anticipated and breathtakingly thrilling story about the power of the past over the present, and the price we must all pay for our actions.

Johnny Wohlin Photo: Johnny Wohlin

Jens Lapidus’ best-selling novel Paradis City to become major Viaplay drama

The Viaplay group is set to adapt Jens Lapidus’ bestseller Paradis City into a major TV-series headlined by some of the Nordic region’s most exciting screen talents. Set in Sweden in a not-too-distant future, the TV-series will star Alexander Abdallah (Snabba Cash) and Julia Ragnarsson, and is directed by Fenar Ahmad.

The six-part TV-series will commence filming this summer, in Stockholm and Vilnius.

‘Top Dog Season 2’ to premiere on C More and TV4

May 8 will see the premiere of the second season of Top Dog, which is freely based on Swedish author Jens Lapidus’s bestselling books The VIP Room, Stockholm Delete and Top Dog.

Hans Jörnlind, Charlotte Lesche and Axel Stjärne are the writers of season 2, with Alexis Almström and Ahmed Abdullahi directing.

Top Dog Season 2 premieres on C More May 8 and on TV4 May 17.

Jens Lapidus shortlisted for ThrillZone Award

Jens Lapidus’ The No-Go Zone has been shortlisted for the Dutch ThrillZone Awards 2022 for ‘Best Translated Thriller’.

The winners will be announced the 24th of December.

The ThrillZone Awards is awarded by ThrillZone, a fan-run literary blog in the Netherlands. The nominees are selected by the ThrillZone editors and reviewers.

Kepler, Ohlsson and Lapidus on the Swedish bestseller list

The Swedish bestseller list this week have Lars Keplers’ The Spider claiming the No. 1 spot followed by Kristina Ohlsson’s Dimmed Lights coming in at No. 3 and Jens Lapdius’ Mr One  sailing to the No. 5 spot on the official bestseller list for hardcover fiction. 

‘Mr One’ published in Sweden

Top dog Isak is tired of being Mr One. He is about to sell his stake and go straight. In the shadows, the next kingpin – Kerim – is waiting to take over. But when Isak’s son mysteriously disappears, the deal is off, and Isak must return to the streets.

Teddy and Emelie are also tired, but of each other. He always fails to be an honest worker, and she doesn’t want their son to grow up with a father who cannot stay on the right side of the law. Gradually, they are dragged in to the power struggle that arises after Isak’s abdication.

Who will take over as Mr One? And who will help him, and who is going to try to stop him? Jens Lapidus’ new novel, Mr One, the long-awaited fourth part of the Top Dog series, is dark, ruthless and superb.

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