Hostage A novel

In a slight departure from the police procedurals featuring Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht, Ohlsson takes her two leads in new directions. The action here takes place in the present but is based on the 2010 Stockholm terrorist attack (an event with a personal connection Ohlsson addresses in an afterword). Bergman is now working for the justice department, and Recht has moved to the National Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into several bomb threats throughout Stockholm. No bombs are found on the ground, but it appears there may be one in the air on board a flight from Stockholm to New York that happens to be captained by Recht's son. Working with Eden Lundell, the head of the counterterrorism unit of Sweden's security service, Recht must negotiate with both Swedish and American officials about strategy. The two governments need to find a way to work together before the plane's fuel runs out or it enters U.S. air space. This is a tense, complex story that will satisfy fans of the series and of Scandinavian crime fiction in general.--Alesi, Stacy Copyright 2015 Booklist

Ohlsson's nail-biting fourth Fredrika Bergman novel (after 2014's The Disappeared) teams Fredrika, a former police detective now temporarily working for Sweden's justice department, with two legendary crime solvers: Alex Recht, Fredrika's former police boss now with the National Bureau of Investigation, and Eden Lundell, the aggressive new head of the counterterrorism unit of Säpo, the Swedish security service. The trio face a huge crisis when Karim Sassi, the captain of SAS Flight 573 en route from Stockholm to New York, reports that a note found in one of the plane's lavatories threatens to blow up the Boeing 747 unless the Swedish government stops the scheduled deportation of Zakaria Khelifi, a suspected terrorist, and the U.S. shuts down a covert operation called Tennyson Cottage. The copilot happens to be Recht's son. Meanwhile, the Americans are determined to shoot down the plane if it enters U.S. air space. In an illuminating afterword to this breathtaking thriller, Ohlsson mentions her fascination with the United States, a country she loves, though she questions some of its post-9/11 counterterrorism policies. Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden). (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Hostage 1 Stockholm, 12:27 Once innocence was lost, it could never be regained. He had thought this on countless occasions. As far as Sweden was concerned, it had begun with the assassination attempt at Drottninggatan right in the middle of the Christmas-shopping rush in Stockholm. Sweden had its first suicide bomber, and the shock waves spread throughout the whole country. What next? Would Sweden become one of those countries whose citizens dared not venture out for fear of terrorist attacks? No one had been more worried than the prime minister. "How do we learn to live with this?" he had asked over a glass of cognac late one night in Rosenbad, the government offices in the city center. There was no clear answer to that. The consequences had been devastating. Not from a material point of view--physical things could be repaired. However, many emotional and moral values had been shattered. As the newly appointed minister for justice, he had been astonished to see the shaken individuals demanding new laws in order to make society safer, and had treated them with caution. The government party that opposed immigration capitalized on the situation and made one statement after another. "We have to take a firm approach on the issue of terrorism," the foreign secretary had said when the government met for the first time after the attack. As if she were the only one who realized this. They had all looked hopefully at the new minister for justice, who had taken up his post only weeks after the terrorist attack in Stockholm. Muhammed Haddad. Sometimes he wondered if they had known what was to come, and had handpicked him for the post. As an alibi. As the only person who could take necessary action without anyone being able to call him a racist. Sweden's first Muslim minister for justice. A newcomer to the party who had never met any opposition during his short career. Sometimes it sickened him. He knew that he was given preferential treatment because of his ethnic and religious background. Not that he didn't deserve his success. He had been a brilliant lawyer, and had realized at an early stage that he wanted to devote himself to criminal law. His clients had dubbed him the miracle worker. He wasn't satisfied with winning; he also demanded redress. He had been fifteen years old when he came to Sweden; now he was forty-five and knew that he would never return to his homeland, Lebanon. His secretary knocked and stuck her head around the door. "Säpo called. They'll be here in half an hour." He had been expecting the call. The security service, known as Säpo, wanted to discuss a high-security matter, and Muhammed had made it clear that he wished to take the meeting in person, even though this was not common practice. "How many of them are coming?" "Three." "And Eden Lundell?" "She's coming, too." Muhammed felt calmer. "Show them into the large conference room. Tell the others we'll meet there five minutes beforehand." Excerpted from Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson, Marlaine Delargy All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.