"The sizzling Swedish crime novel dominating the current season": this pulse-pounding story, set within the city of Stockholm, hits bookshelves this summer
In the realm of contemporary crime fiction, Pascal Engman, a Swedish author of Chilean descent, has made a significant impact with his intricate and thought-provoking novels. The Widows, his second installment in the Vanessa Frank series, has been hailed as a masterpiece of suspense and a powerful critique of Western democracies.
Born in 1986 to a Swedish mother and Chilean father, Engman honed his journalistic skills at the daily Expressen before embarking on a career as a bestselling crime novel author. His writing style is characterized by a documentary rigor and sense of tempo, a testament to his years as a reporter.
The Widows is set in the city of Stockholm, far from the clichés of Nordic noir. The urban geography is meticulously detailed, anchoring the plot in a tangible reality and reinforcing the credibility of the story. The city breathes, perspires, and suffocates with its characters, giving the plot a troubling resonance.
The novel opens with a macabre discovery at the heart of a Stockholm park – the body of the investigator Vanessa Frank's adopted daughter. This case immediately shifts into the intimate while revealing ramifications that threaten national security. The plot deploys its ramifications with surgical precision, involving radicalization, sleeper cells, and political maneuvers.
Engman's writing refuses narrative compromises, preferring the complexity of reality to Manichean simplicities. The Widows is a dense work that delves deep into the psychological depths of its characters, combining narrative urgency with a questioning of contemporary threats.
The Widows has been qualified as a high-flying Swedish thriller by Télérama, and Pascal Engman's writing has been praised for its ability to transcend the effective page-turner exercise to question the flaws of Western democracies.
Engman's novel has found success not only in Sweden but also in twenty different languages, solidifying his status as a master of suspense within the Swedish thriller genre. His previous novel, Femicide, won the Petrona Award in 2023, recognising the best Scandinavian crime novel translated into English.
Camilla Läckberg, a renowned Swedish author, has hailed The Widows as the most blazing Swedish crime novel of the season. With over 600,000 copies of his novels sold in Sweden, Engman is the most sold Swedish author of his generation.
In conclusion, The Widows by Pascal Engman is a must-read for fans of crime fiction and those seeking a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues. Engman's writing style, his attention to detail, and his ability to weave a gripping narrative make The Widows a standout addition to the genre.
[1] Engman, Pascal. The Widows. Trans. Marlaine Delargy. Oneworld Publications, 2021. [2] "Pascal Engman." Crime Fiction Almanac. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Mar. 2023. [3] "Pascal Engman." Goodreads. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Mar. 2023. [4] "Pascal Engman." The Petrona Award. N.p., 2023. Web. 15 Mar. 2023. [5] "Pascal Engman." The New York Times. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Mar. 2023.
During the flight, some passengers immerse themselves in books, seeking a distraction from the mundane ride. The novel The Widows, translated by Marlaine Delargy, has become a popular choice for travelers due to its gripping narrative and thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues.
