Cursed

Description

What secret would you kill to protect?When Hedda Hellberg fails to return from a retreat in Italy, where she has been grieving for her recently dead father, her husband discovers that his wife's life is tangled in mystery. Hedda never left Oslo, the retreat has no record of her and, what's more, she appears to be connected to the death of an old man, gunned down on the first day of the hunting season in the depths of the Swedish forests. Henning Juul becomes involved in the case when his ex-wife joins in the search for the missing woman, and the estranged pair find themselves enmeshed both in the murky secrets of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, and in the painful truths surrounding the death of their own son. With the loss of his son to deal with, as well as threats to his own life and to that of his ex-wife, Juul is prepared to risk everything to uncover a sinister maze of secrets that ultimately leads to the dark heart of European history.Taut, chilling and unputdownable, Cursed is the fourth in the internationally renowned series featuring conflicted, disillusioned by always dogged crime reporter Henning Juul, and marks the return of one of Norway's finest crime writers.

Thomas Enger is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel Burned (Skinndod) in 2010, which became an international sensation before publication. Burned is the first in a series of five books about the journalist Henning Juul, which delves into the depths of Oslo's underbelly, skewering the corridors of dirty politics and nailing the fast-moving world of 24-hour news. Rights to the series have been sold to 28 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Killer Instinct, another Young Adult suspense novel, was published in Norway in 2017. Rights have been sold to Germany and Iceland. Enger also composes music, and he lives in Oslo. Follow him on Twitter @EngerThomas, on Facebook www.facebook.com/thomas.enger.77 or visit his website thomasenger.net Kari Dickson grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, but spent most of her summers in Norway with grandparents who couldn't speak English, so spoke Norwegian from an early age. She went on to Scandinavian Studies at UCL. While working in theatre in London, she was asked to do literal translations of two Ibsen plays, which fuelled her interest in Norwegian literature and led to an MA in Translation at the University of Surrey. Having worked initially as a commercial translator, including some years at the central bank of Norway, she now concentrates solely on literature. Her portfolio includes literary fiction, crime, non-fiction, and plays. Her translation of Roslund & Hellstroem's Three Seconds won the CWA International Dagger in 2011. Kari currently teaches Norwegian language, literature and translation in the Scandinavian Studies department at the University of Edinburgh.

'A gripping narrative that begs comparison to Stieg Larsson' Bookpage * 'One of the most unusual and intense writers in the field' Barry Forshaw, Independent * 'An intriguing new voice in crime' NJ Cooper * 'Spine-chilling and utterly unputdownable. Thomas Enger has created a masterpiece of intrigue, fast-paced action and suspense that is destined to become Nordic Noir classic' Yrsa Sigurdardottir * 'Thomas Enger is one of the finest writers in the Nordic Noir genre, and this is his very best book yet. Outstanding' Ragnar Jonasson * 'Cursed is visceral and heartfelt - a gripping deep-dive into the secrets that hold families together and tear them apart' Crime by the Book * 'Slick, compelling and taut, Thomas Enger combines a sophisticated layers of mysteries with an intensely scarred hero embarked on a tragic quest. A dark and suspenseful blast of Nordic exposure' Chris Ewan * 'The Killing took us by surprise, The Bridge was a good follow-up, but the political drama Borgen knocked spots of both. For readers who enjoy these Scandinavian imports, this novel is a treat ... the dialogue is sharp and snappy, and the characters seem to come alive in this sophisticated and suspenseful tale' Jessica Mann, Literary Review * 'It has real strengths: the careful language, preserved in the fine translation, and its haunted journalist hero ... An intriguing series' Guardian * 'A powerful new voice and a writer I will follow with great interest' Raven Crime Reads