The Swede - Softcover

Karjel, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062339605 ISBN 13: 9780062339607

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2016

Synopsis

A thief.

A prisoner.

A man who no longer exists.

At a remote military base on an island in the Indian Ocean, the FBI is trying to get a prisoner to confess. But the detainee, a suspect in an Islamist-inspired terrorist attack in the United States, refuses to talk.

Ernst Grip, a Swedish security officer, has no idea why he's been dispatched to New York City. The FBI agent he meets on arrival, Shauna Friedman, seems to know a little too much about him. And when he arrives at his real destination, the American authorities have just one question: Is their suspect a Swedish citizen?

In the process of uncovering the prisoner's true identity, Grip discovers the man's ties to a group of other suspects--a ruthless American arms dealer, a Czech hit man, a mysterious nurse from Kansas, and a heartbreakingly naive Pakistani. The closer Grip gets to the truth, the more complicated the deception becomes. Who is real and who is leading a double life?

About this title

Review:

[Karjel s] English-language debut, which has already drawn comparisons to Homeland and been optioned for U.S. television, is consistently smarter and more nuanced than most genre fiction, and his cynical take on geopolitics has the ring of real experience. . . . A compelling read. --Entertainment Weekly"

A superior thriller . Filled with rich characterization and unforeseeable twists and revelations, this mesmerizing first in a planned series will leave readers gasping for breath. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Think le Carr? meets Homeland. --Entertainment Weekly"

With this smart, compelling English-language debut, Karjel deserves a place in the rankings of notable Nordic crime writers. --Booklist (starred review)"

"[Karjel's] English-language debut, which has already drawn comparisons to Homeland and been optioned for U.S. television, is consistently smarter and more nuanced than most genre fiction, and his cynical take on geopolitics has the ring of real experience. . . . A compelling read."--Entertainment Weekly

A "superior thriller.... Filled with rich characterization and unforeseeable twists and revelations, this mesmerizing first in a planned series will leave readers gasping for breath."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Think le Carre meets Homeland."--Entertainment Weekly

"With this smart, compelling English-language debut, Karjel deserves a place in the rankings of notable Nordic crime writers."--Booklist (starred review)

-[Karjel's] English-language debut, which has already drawn comparisons to Homeland and been optioned for U.S. television, is consistently smarter and more nuanced than most genre fiction, and his cynical take on geopolitics has the ring of real experience. . . . A compelling read.---Entertainment Weekly

A -superior thriller.... Filled with rich characterization and unforeseeable twists and revelations, this mesmerizing first in a planned series will leave readers gasping for breath.---Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Back Cover:

A Swedish security agent is summoned to interrogate a terror suspect held by the FBI in this sophisticated, fast-paced thriller--but the prisoner isn't the only one with something to hide.

At a remote military base in the Indian Ocean, the FBI is trying to get a prisoner to confess. But the detainee, a suspect in an Islamist-inspired terror attack in the United States, refuses to talk.

Ernst Grip, a Swedish security officer, has no idea why he's been dispatched to New York City. The FBI agent he meets on arrival, Shauna Friedman, seems to know a little too much about him. And when he arrives at his real destination, the American authorities have just one question: Is their terror suspect a Swedish citizen?

In the process of uncovering the prisoner's true identity, Grip discovers the man's ties to a group of other suspects--a ruthless American arms dealer, a Czech hit man, a mysterious nurse from Kansas, and a heartbreakingly naive Pakistani. The closer Grip gets to the truth, the more complicated the deception becomes. Who is real and who is leading a double life?

The Swede is a riveting, intense novel about the compromises that people--and nations--make in the name of security and survival. Within this world built on secrets, Grip and Friedman have to learn to trust each other if they hope to stay alive.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062339605
• ISBN 13: 9780062339607
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352