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The first YA novel from the Swedish Nordic Noir author of "The Invisible Man From Salem". Set during a damp, raw week in October as 16-year-old Vega tries to protect her older brother Jakob from the police.
About the author
Christoffer Carlsson has a PhD in criminology, and is a university lecturer in the subject. He has written five crime novels, including the bestselling The Invisible Man from Salem and the Young Adult noir October is the Coldest Month.
Rachel Willson-Broyles is a freelance translator specialising in literature. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Summary
WINNER OF THE 2016 BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNG READERS, SWEDISH CRIME WRITERS ACADEMY
Vega Gilbert is 16 years old when the police come knocking on the door looking for her older brother, Jakob.
Vega hasn’t heard from him in days, but she has to find him before the police do. Jakob was involved in a terrible crime. What no one knows is that Vega was there, too.
In the rural Swedish community where the Gillbergs live, life is tough, the people are even tougher, and old feuds never die. As Vega sets out to find her brother, she must survive a series of threatening encounters in a deadly landscape. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s dealing with the longing she feels for a boy that she has sworn to forget, and the mixed-up feelings she has for her brother’s best friend.
During a damp, raw week in October, the door to the adult world swings open, and Vega realises that once she has crossed the threshold there is no turning back.
PRAISE FOR CHRISTOFFER CARLSSON
‘The desolate landscape is the perfect backdrop for this taut tale of old family feuds and unfurling secrets.’ The Irish Times
‘ ... And exciting it is. The seasoned crime writer Christoffer Carlsson always has intrigue under his control, and slowly turns up the mystery and drama.’ Dagens Nyheter
Foreword
The crown prince of Swedish Noir, Christoffer Carlsson, explodes into new territory with his first YA novel, a suspenseful read for older teen readers reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone.
Additional text
‘So cool that Christoffer Carlsson is suddenly writing young adult. A thrilling whodunit set in the isolated countryside. Love it! Hope to read more about Vega, the paper-friend I have come to like so much.’
