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A gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB

“A nerve-racking political thriller with the most exciting detective duo in a long time. Bring on their next case” Romy Hausmann, author of Dear Child

“A rich, engrossing novel” Literary Review

The launch of a new series inspired by Sherlock Holmes. A murder investigation brings together two unlikely allies in a race to uncover a shadowy international conspiracy.

Professor Hans Rekke: born into a wealthy Stockholm family, world authority on interrogation techniques, capable of vertiginous feats of logic and observation . . . But he might just fall apart when the going gets tough, leading to substance abuse and despair.

Micaela Vargas: community police officer, born to Chilean political refugees in a tough suburb, with two brothers on the shady side of the law.

Vargas feels she has something to prove. She’s tenacious and uncompromising, but she needs Rekke’s unique mind to help her solve the case. Rekke has it all – wealth, reputation – but also a tendency to throw it all away. He needs Vargas to help him get back on an even keel so he can focus his mind on finding the killer before they’re both silenced for good.

Translated from the Swedish by Ian Giles

Reviews

Smålandsposten
A must-read . . . Lagercrantz guides us with playful ease
Kulturnytt, Swedish Radio
One likes Rekke and Vargas - both as partners and as individuals - and that's where David Lagercrantz really captivates the reader
Svenska Dagbladet
Very entertaining . . . the depiction of the double act's friendship is finely tuned and poignant
Expressen
I have no choice but to surrender. David Lagercrantz knows his craft
Dagens Nyheter
An enormous amount of research is behind this story, everything from music-theoretical concepts to the rapidly growing class alienation of the noughties is depicted with precision
Göteborgs-Posten
An ambitious and complex plot that wants to follow the conventional thriller template on one hand, but on the other hand wants to tell us something more
Expressen
The craftsmanship has been honed following the Millennium novels. As if he has imitated the winning concept to perfection . . . It works brilliantly
Smålandsposten
David Lagercrantz skilfully navigates the complicated plot, from the Taliban's Afghanistan, through the Soviet Union's prominent music schools, Islamist terrorist attacks and wars, behind the doors of the CIA and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs . . . Lagercrantz guides us with playful ease . . . Dark Music is a book that has to be read
Romy Hausmann, author of Dear Child
A nerve-racking political thriller with the most exciting detective duo in a long time. Micaela Vargas, a fighter, and Hans Rekke, a tragic genius - characters so complex and engaging that you become addicted to them. Bring on their next case, David Lagercrantz!
Natasha Cooper, Literary Review
Takes in the Taliban's hatred of music and musicians, the Americans' use of torture in the 'War on Terror' and much else. [A] rich, engrossing novel.
John Dugdale, The Times (Best Thrillers 2022)
Dark Music . . . has a cosmopolitan collection of oddball characters, and themes as diverse as classical music and Sweden's antiterrorist policies.
Alan Jones, Independent
A crime thriller inspired by Sherlock Holmes, written by the author who successfully continued writing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy sounds like a dream. But it's happened . . . You'll love the massive contrast in styles of the two main characters, as they cope with the ups and downs of a complicated investigation - one Holmes himself would have loved to solve
Natasha Harding, The Sun
Fans of dark Swedish crime will love this moody thriller from the guy who continued Stieg Larsson's dragon tattoo series
Reaction
A slow burner with emphasis on character development, Dark Music is an intricately written and gripping Scandi-crime read - teeing up future stories for its protagonists
Natasha Harding, The Sun
Fans of dark Swedish crime will love this moody thriller from the guy who continued Stieg Larsson's dragon tattoo series.
Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent
A complex and dark Sherlock Holmesian tale, first in a new series by from The Girl in the Spider's Web author.
Barry Forshaw, Financial Times
A murder investigation with complex international tendrils is well handled by Lagercrantz, and Ian Giles provides an idiomatic translation