The Saint
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In this internationally bestselling Nordic noir, the investigation into the murder of a beloved soccer coach in a quiet Stockholm neighborhood reveals a dark truth.
Local girls’ soccer coach Sven-Gunnar Erlandsson is practically a saint in the community, known for his good works and volunteering. So when his body is found in Stockholm’s beautiful Herräng forest, shot at close range in the back of the neck while walking home from a late-night poker game, the police struggle to find a motive. Nothing has been taken from his pockets except his cell phone, and the only other clues left behind are a cryptic handwritten note and a handful of playing cards.
The Hammarby murder squad takes the case, splitting up the leads between their eclectic mix of officers. Led by Detective Chief Inspector Conny Sjöberb, the team also includes a veteran inspector who balances his career with caring for his disabled daughter, a widow who has returned to police work after several decades spent as a homemaker and pursuing a law degree, a new transplant who recently achieved minor celebrity status as an Idol contestant, and a young police assistant struggling with trauma she can’t share with her colleagues.
Each member of the team pursues a different lead and, as they interview Erlandsson’s friends and family, they discover a disturbing web of secrets, including a possible link to the cases of two missing girls. Could Erlandsson have been less of a saint than everyone thinks?
A very exciting new voice from the north.”
—Ragnar Jónasson
Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet.”
—Peter James
Gerhardsen’s masterful plotting takes us around multiple metaphorical corners, possible killers, and surprise victims in her character- and emotion-driven saga. Maybe it’s time to get back into Scandi noir―and you don’t have to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one.”
—First Clue
Intricately plotted . . . Series fans will enjoy themselves.”
—Publishers Weekly
This gripping procedural . . . offers smart investigation and a disturbing mystery, but the absorbing shifts in the VCU detectives’ relationships are Gerhardsen’s most impressive feat.”
—Booklist
Carin Gerhardsen is a mathematician who made her literary debut in 1992. Her standalone thriller, Black Ice, was selected as one of Publishers Weekly’s best mysteries of the year, and her Hammarby series has been translated into 25 languages and sold over three million copies worldwide. She lives in Stockholm.
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