Author Description

Product Description Now in paperback, the third Joona Linna Thriller in what has become the most talked-about internationally bestselling new crime series to come out of Sweden, appealing to fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo. Detective Inspector Joona Linna, under internal review by the National Police for an alleged infraction, is on leave to solve some troubling personal business when he is called in to "observe" the investigation of a gruesome and strange murder at Birgittagarden, a youth home for wayward teenage girls. But it's not long before Linna is drawn deeply into the intricate, disturbing case. Intriguing, astonishing, and with all of the suspense that first captured audiences inThe Hypnotist,The Fire Witness is Lars Kepler at his most psychologically complex and thrilling. From Publishers Weekly While technically on administrative leave, detective Joona Linna is assigned to a case in a Swedish town where a young girl at a residential program has been found dead. He checks and double checks the curious circumstances of the death and tries to find information from the victim's housemates, but Linna is also willing to hear what Flora Hansen, a local medium of questionable skill, has to say. This dark mystery is rendered even more haunting by Mark Bramhall's performance. His deep and crackling voice not only heightens the book's significant suspense but also grabs listeners' attention and refuses to let go. Bramhall practically growls at times, but despite speaking in lower registers, he manages to ably convey a range of voices, including those of women, young and old. A Sarah Crichton hardcover. (July) About the Author LARS KEPLER is the pseudonym of Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril & Alexander Ahndoril, both critically-acclaimed writers under their own names. Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril's first novel Stjärneborg (Castle of Stars) has been translated in several languages while Alexander Ahndoril's novelThe Director, about Ingmar Bergman, was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.The Fire Witness is the third book in a series featuring Detective Inspector Joona Linna. The author lives in Sweden. From Booklist *Starred Review* In Sundsvall, Sweden, police responding to a distress call at a girls’ group home discover a brutally murdered teenager posed with her hands covering her eyes. Blood-soaked bedding in an adjacent bedroom conceals a hammer, and that room’s occupant, Vicky, has fled through an open window. While police collect evidence, a figure resembling Vicky emerges from the forest nearby and steals a car with a preschooler strapped inside. Joona Linna, recently sidelined by an internal-affairs investigation but still widely recognized as Sweden’s premier investigator, is ordered to respond as an “observer” to the local investigation. When the car is found submerged in a river, both children are assumed dead, and the official scenario paints Vicky as a savage killer and kidnapper. Inconveniently, Linna finds evidence that they’re still alive, and he begins poking holes in the police scenario. At the same time, he faces personal dilemmas upon learning that the wife and child he sent into hiding years ago are once again facing danger. This third novel featuring Joona Linna is a knockout example of the thoughtful plotting and character development, genius investigation, and unflinching examination of human evil common in Scandinavian crime fiction. But it’s the mixture of relaxed, witty dialogue and raging action scenes that will draw American readers who believe the Scandinavian subgenre is too moody for their taste. --Christine Tran Review • "Gripping.... False leads, administrative difficulties, and hints of a case involving Linna's own family keep the pages flying by." -Publishers Weekly • "A knockout... thoughtful plotting and character development, genius investigation, and unflinching examination of human evil.... But it's the mixtur