Hell and High Water: A blistering Swedish crime thriller, with the most original heroine you'll meet this year

Description

The first in a new Swedish crime series featuring Tekla Berg, a fearless doctor with a remarkable photographic memory "Watch your blood pressure! A tense and clever thriller" Lilja Siguroardottir With 85% per cent burns to his body and a 115% risk of dying, it's a miracle the patient is still alive. He only made it this far thanks to Tekla Berg, an emergency physician whose unorthodox methods and photographic memory are often the difference between life and death. Convinced that the fire was a terrorist attack - and that the patient was involved - the police are determined to question him. Almost as determined as those who would silence him at any cost. And while Tekla battles to keep him breathing, she can't shake the thought that something about him is strangely familiar . . . Tekla has always hidden her remarkable mind from her hospital colleagues, resorting to amphetamines to take the edge off the endless whirl of lucid memories. But now she'll need to call on all her wits as she's drawn into a mystery involving corrupt police, the godfather of the Uzbek mafia, and her beloved but wayward brother. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding

Christian Unge works as a senior doctor at Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm. He spent the early part of his career working for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Congo (DRC) and Burundi, later publishing a memoir about his experiences. Film/TV rights to his Tekla Berg series have been sold to FLX, producers of the Netflix series Quicksand.

A taut and blistering thriller with the most memorable protagonist ever. Christian Unge is in total control of his environment. It deserves to be huge. -- Imran Mahmood Multi-layered and gritty with a strong emotional undercurrent - this is one to savour. -- Susi Holliday Christian Unge describes the hospital environment better than anyone else in Sweden. Tekla is a scalpel-sharp character who delivers a massive shot of adrenalin. Unmissable. -- Jens Lapidus Watch your blood pressure! A tense and clever thriller. -- Lilja Sigurdardottir Electrifying. * Crime Monthy. * A gripping crime novel . . . fast-moving and packed with convincing detail and memorable characters . . . Tekla is a terrific character. -- Natasha Cooper * Literary Review * As gripping as it could be. Stressed-out, sleep-deprived and pill-popping Dr Tekla Berg is as unusual a centra character as you will find . . . An authentic and seriously exciting debut. -- Myles McWeeney * Irish Independent. *