The Bucket List
An Agent John Adderley Novel
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Swedish American FBI Agent John Adderley makes his debut in this dark and gripping thriller, winner of Sweden’s Crimetime Award for Best Debut Novel
Waking up in a hospital bed in Baltimore with extensive gunshot wounds, John Adderley knows he’s lucky to be alive. And just a few beds away is the man who 24 hours ago pointed a gun to his head.
Ten years earlier in Sweden, Emelie, the young heiress to a clothing empire, has gone missing. When local police find blood and semen in a deserted area, they arrest a teenage boy. He denies the charges and since the body is never found, he can’t be prosecuted.
Back to the present, Emelie’s high-profile cold case file is sent to Agent Adderley, now living in Sweden (where he’s not lived since he was a boy) in witness protection, hiding until he can testify against the drug cartel he infiltrated back in the States. Adderley is determined to solve Emelie’s case, but, at the same time, he knows that the drug cartel has a price on his head . . .
Like the best writers of the genre, such as Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø, Mohlin & Nyström combine a strong crime story with a novel of psychological richness and depth for an irresistible read.
“A classic Nordic noir thriller—tight, layered, and so chilly that it shivers . . . Subtle psychological elements make each scene rich.” —Foreword Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Swedish authors Mohlin and Nyström's engrossing debut and series launch opens in 2019 in a Baltimore hospital, where FBI agent John Adderley, the son of an American father and a Swedish mother, is recovering from gunshot wounds he sustained while working undercover for a drug cartel. When John receives a letter from his mother imploring him to come home to Sweden and clear his brother Billy's name in the decade-old murder case of Emelie Bjurwall, who was the heir apparent to a clothing company, he negotiates with his superiors to go undercover in Sweden as a Swedish cop to investigate the case. Flashbacks to 2009 illuminate the strained family life of Sissela and Heimer Bjurwall, Emelie's parents, and a mysterious "bucket list" tattoo on Emelie's wrist proves central to Heimer's comprehension of his daughter's final days, as well as John's inquiry, which explains the presence of Billy's semen on the rock where Emily's blood was found. Evocative questions about family and professional expectations help ground this knotty, plausible story, articulating the mistakes people make with the ones they love. Scandi noir fans will look forward to this complex lead's further adventures.
