THE ROOM IN THE GROUND

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.