UR ASKAN – DEATH IN SUMMER

By Lina Areklew

WHEN MURDER COMES to a secluded island, the ghosts of the past will resurface. As a young boy, Fredrik Fröding survived one of Europe’s worst ferry disasters. The tragedy haunts him, and decades later Fredrik refuses to give up hope that his brother Niklas also lived. It’s become an obsession that cost him a career in the police, and his relentless quest for answers leads him from Stockholm to the island of Ulvön. In the remote north on Sweden’s High Coast, the island community is tiny, but bolstered by a bustling tourist industry. It’s where detective Sofia Hjortén retreated to after her personal life fell apart. When a man is murdered at the local hotel, she gathers evidence, and is shocked to see Fredrik in the area: his departure from police training also signalled the end of their brief intimacy.

SOFIA’S WORK LEADS her to unravel secrets from forty years ago. What does a summer camp have to do with the dead man? It’s this mystery Sofia must solve – a job made harder when the key suspect in the crime turns out to be Fredrik. Has his fragile mental state led to violence, or is there someone else out there whose demons have led to bloodshed?

A COMPULSIVE SCANDINAVIAN crime thriller with a vivid and atmospheric setting. Perfect for police procedural fans who love the novels of Maria Adolfsson, Anders de la Motte and Håkan Nesser.

First published by Bazar, Sweden 2020

Czech Republic, Publishing house Bourdon
Denmark, Forlaget Memoris
Estonia, Pegasus
Finland, Tammi
Germany, Goldmann
Hungary, Europa Publisher
The Netherlands, Luitingh Sijthoff
Norway, Bonnier Forlag
Romania, Editura Rao
Turkey, POL Yayinevi Sherkati
UK, Canelo
US, Open Road Media

Areklew builds a fantastic story, truly well written and thrilling with many unexpected twists and turns. All through we have incredibly skilled character portrayals, impressive setting depictions, mainly from the High Coast, and a thought-through storytelling where different perspectives in different times build strong suspense for the page-turning reader, towards a dramatic resolution with a great twist at the end. I’m convinced that this book will be a bestseller and I’m already looking forward to meeting Sofia and Fredrik again!
– Kapprakt

Areklew’s character gallery feels real. She also builds the tension skilfully with in many different moments, sidetracks and chronological shifts all the way to the dramatic reveal of the killer. A plus for the humourous finish.
– BTJ

This is suspense with extra everything. … The descriptions of the environment are fantastic. You really want to see this adapted on the screen. It’s grand, thrilling and very unpredictable.
– P4, Sveriges Radio

The first book in a new series with the High Coast as a backdrop, from a debutant that introduces an interesting police officer that you like to see more of. Good pace the whole way through.
– Göteborgs-Posten

Lina Areklew is without a doubt an author name to remember.
– Amelia Magazine

I like the setting, Örnsköldsvik feels like a fresh environment which hasn’t been written about before. A great start with Fredrik’s story about Estonia and what made him feel so damaged. Sofia is an interesting character to build on. It will be fun to follow her. The case itself is also well built and disturbing. It could be the talk of the year.
– Västerviks Bokhandel

Nominated for Crimetime Debut of the Year, 2020

Lina Areklew

BOOKS

Fiction