The Stonecutter - Hardcover

Lackberg, Camilla

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1605983306 ISBN 13: 9781605983301

Publisher: Pegasus Crime, 2012

Synopsis

The remote resort town of Fjallbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But this was no accidental drowning . . .

Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father. It's his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well. What he does not know is how this case will reach into the dark heart of Fjallbacka, spanning generations, ripping aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

About this title

Review:

Excellent. The end, when it comes, shocks like a dip in Swedish seawater.

Something's rotten in Fjallbacka, Sweden: Seven-year-old Sara Klinga's drowning turns out to be a murder, and mysterious woes soon befall other children. An eerie subplot about a local stonecutter's family secrets provides clues in this dark novel of revenge, estrangement and loveless marriages. It will keep you guessing.

The hottest crime genre of the moment is Nordic noir and Camilla Läckberg is one of the reasons. Darker, bleaker, and far more sinister than similar American fare.

Fire and ice! Masterful suspense as compelling as secrets lying far beneath the dark sea. Läckberg is the perfect crime novelist who combines her gift for intriguingly complicated plots and a keen understanding of the 'grotesques' who live among us. Erotic and terrifying.--Ann Rule, author of In the Still of the Night

From the Author:

Q&A with Camilla Lackberg

Congratulations on being the sixth bestselling author in Europe! Stieg Larsson and his Millennium Trilogy topped the list and Henning Mankell is at no.9 - why do you think that Swedish crime writing has such appeal across the continent?
I believe that Sweden has a great crime writing tradition – starting with Sjöwall & Wahlöö. I also believe that people all over the world are curious about the Swedish environment and society.

Due to your success and the genre and country in which you are writing you are often categorised and grouped with other Scandinavian crime authors. But which authors do you see yourself as similar to and who has had the greatest influence on your work?
My biggest influence is actually Agatha Christie. She started my love for traditional and old school crime writing. And among the more modern crime writers I have a great love for the English authors – for example Val McDermid, Peter Robinson and Reginald Hill.

How have your novels been received back in Fjällbacka and what made you choose the town as the setting for your crime series? The reason I chose to write about Fjällbacka is that it’s the place I know best, and therefore it’s the place I best can describe in my writing. I also feel a lot of love for my home town. And to my great joy the love is answered – the people in Fjällbacka are so proud of the books, and of me.

Your novels are filled with fractured marital and family relationships. Would you say that this is representative of modern-day Swedish society?
I would say that it is representative of people all over the world and that is the reason why I think my books have had such global success. Family and our closest relationships are universal and as a writer I am very interested in relationships among people, and why I therefore chose to write about it so much and explore it in my books.

Are your characters inspired by people you know?
All writers write about people they know or have met and I’d say that most of my characters are an amalgamation of different people I know. And actually, how I form my characters isn’t always a conscious decision. But I will admit that a few of them are actual people and in those cases I have asked for their permission...

In The Ice Princess your focus was on Erica with Patrik’s narration slowly becoming more prominent throughout the book. Subsequently in The Preacher and The Stonecutter Patrik has become the focal character. Was this always your intention?
The choice of main character in each of the books is something that has occurred organically depending on what’s happening in their lives. Sometimes it’s Erica, and sometimes it’s Patrik, and I find it gives me a lot of freedom to be able to change focus.

You have three young children and The Stonecutter’s plot centres on the murder of a small child and the actions of a paedophile. Did your fears for their safety inspire you to tackle these themes in the novel?
As a mother my greatest fear is that something bad will happen to my children. And as an author I have a unique opportunity to handle and express my deepest fears by writing about them. I believe it also gives depth to the books; to be able to draw from what’s happening in my real life. Mellberg showed a new side to himself in The Stonecutter, one that was very different from his unpleasant character in the previous novels.

This is a quality of your novels, that people’s characters are far more complicated than purely good or evil. But are there any of your characters that you really dislike?
When I started writing about Mellberg, for example, my intention was that he would be a truly unpleasant character. But few people are that one dimensional – we all have good and bad sides and, as I got to know him, his good side became apparent and I have actually grown quite fond of him!

Here in the UK The Stonecutter is only the third novel in your series of seven. Without giving too much away, how about a little teaser of what’s to come next?
Well... I can say that there will be a wedding in the future... But also tragedy will strike. And that is all I can reveal right now...

About this edition

• Publisher: Pegasus Crime
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1605983306
• ISBN 13: 9781605983301
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 489