RUMMET I JORDEN – THE ROOM IN THE GROUND
By John Ajvide Lindqvist
“I want to understand.”
In the basement of his new house, the former Haitian embassy, Kim Ribbing is holding Dr. Martin Rudbeck captive. When he was young, Kim was caught in the doctor’s clutches and subjected to electric shocks under torture-like conditions. Now, the roles are reversed. Through an elaborate plan, Kim has managed to cover the tracks of the abduction. However, an unforeseen event occurs that turns everything upside down. Together with Julia Malmros and fourteen-year-old Astrid Helander, Kim is forced to use all his imagination to create new false leads.
Meanwhile, the investigation of the kidnapping has landed on Jonny Munther’s desk. He already has a bone to pick with Kim, and together with his colleagues Carmen Sanchéz and Christof Adler, he embarks on a desperate cat and mouse chase.
Parallel to these events, Julia, along with Irma Ryding, is researching the right-wing extremist party Sannsvenskarna (The True Swedes) and its connections to the motorcycle club Apostates. Something that turns out to be anything but harmless.
The continuation of the acclaimed suspense novel The Writing in the Water is here. While the first book was expansive and international, The Room in the Ground is claustrophobic and local. Kim Ribbing, Julia Malmros, and Astrid Helander are more than back – they are completely trapped.
ABOUT THE BOOK
First published by Ordfront Förlag, 2024
RIGHTS SOLD TO
Brazil, Editora Alaude
Denmark, Gyldendal
Finland, Gummerus
Germany, DTV
Norway, Gyldendal
Sweden, Ordfront
Ukraine, Bohdan Publishing House
US (WE), AmazonCrossing
REVIEWS
“Ajvide Lindqvist’s new crime novel is a whirlwind of a magic trick. […] The writing is witty, fast-moving, and filled with action, in an audacious mix of modern-day technology and old-fashioned shenanigans. […] The Room in the Ground is a well-constructed piece of entertainment, a rollicking story with many twists and turns.”
– Dagens Nyheter, Sweden
“This is a great read, the author is simply unable to write anything bad.”
– Kapprakt, Sweden
“In his Bloodstrom trilogy, John Ajvide Lindqvist takes a break from writing horror and offers three classic, opulent crime novels packed with entertaining winks to the crime genre.”
– Bokspegeln, Sweden
“The author has a fine-tuned understanding of our subjective creation of purpose, and how it is co-created in relation to others. […] The novel’s building suspense goes beyond the crime genre rule book. It lets the reader indulge in relationships portrayed by a genuinely socially competent author, and is generously sprinkled with cultural references.”
– Aftonbladet, Sweden
“Just like its prequel, this is a page-turner that mixes action and humor with high spirits into masterful entertainment. It’s dark, claustrophobic and eerie, but also leaves room for wit.”
– Göteborgsposten, Sweden
“The Room in the Ground is an unlikely yet irresistible mix of modern hearsay and crime literature. […] The book’s joyful storytelling, dark humor, and creative flow makes it impossible to close. John Ajvide Lindquist is a masterful author, seemingly free of calculating cynicism, still genuinely invested in his unforgettable characters and exciting environments. This makes the reader just as invested!”
– BTJ, Sweden
“This elegantly written story keeps a high pace with quick twists and turns from the very beginning. John Ajvide Lindqvist’s storytelling is playful and flowing, with a good mix of humor and spot-on references to modern culture. […] Highly enjoyable read with likable characters. […] It’s so well-composed and thought-out that the reader can tell there is a plan for the trilogy as a whole. I like that.”
– Nerikes Allehanda, Sweden
“The Room in the Ground is deeply concentrated, with that eerie basement as its dark center. […] The novel is sprinkled with clever and unexpected ingredients. […] It’s a cat-and-mouse game, a catch-me-if-you-can story, in which advanced technology and state of the art hackers are part of the game.”
– Norrtelje Tidning, Sweden
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