The Fifth Season

Description

It's early May when a young family out on a forest walk stumble upon a heavily mutliated body. The female corpse is in eerily good condition, and signs of torture are all too visible. Inspector Malin Fors immediately draws parallels between this case and that of Maria Murvall, the young woman who was found raped and brutally beaten in the forest several years ago. Maria has been living as a mute in the local psychiatric hospital ever since the attack, and Malin is haunted by her inability to help her. In the course of her investigation, Malin meets with a psychologist who tells her about another similar case, and suddenly Maria appears to be a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. But what is it that is so terrible it can't be put into words? Malin is determined to find out the truth, no matter where it might take her.

Mons Kallentoft grew up in a working-class household in the provincial town of Linkoping, Sweden, where the Malin Fors series is set. Before becoming a writer, he worked in journalism and is also a keen food critic. His first novel, PESETAS, was awarded the Swedish equivalent of the Whitbread Award. He has been married to wife Karolina for over 20 years, and they live in Stockholm with their daughter and son. His novels are translated into English by Neil Smith.

Kallentoft's experiments with language have created a challenging, unique style. The victims' thoughts, hopes and memories are a constant reminder of their fate, while short, often repetitive phrases increase the tension in a graphically, often sickeningly, violent exploration of "shameful, terrible, vile crimes" against women. The Fifth Season is atmospheric, disturbing and memorable. - Sydney Morning Herald One of the best-realised female heroines I've read by a male writer. - Guardian Kallentoft's books have been called beautiful, exquisite and original. I can see why. - Literary Review Meditative. Dark. Really, really cold . . . This is a worthy successor to Larsson's Millenium trilogy. - Booklist Starred Review