The historians A novel of WWII

As WWII rages, "neutral" Sweden attempts a delicate balancing act. In practical terms, this means mining iron ore in Lapland on Blackåsen Mountain to fuel the Nazi war machine. Laura works on negotiating this trade with Germany. Meanwhile, Jens, secretary to the foreign affairs minister, unpicks government threads tied to the torture and murder of Laura's friend Britta. These strands lead to a group of prewar university students in thrall to a charismatic professor, the disappearance of Sami reindeer herders on Blackåsen, and a far-reaching and terrible conspiracy. The book industry is flooding us with WWII fiction, but Ekbäck's setting and focus are unique, on Scandinavian countries' individual positions and as a bloc exploring their own eugenics theories while caught between an increasingly abhorrent Germany and fears of a brutal annexation by Russia. As in her other novels, including Wolf Winter (2016), Ekbäck fully utilizes the fictional Blackåsen as a mysterious and sinister setting. Plot twists may not be entirely unforeseen, but Ekbäck's suspenseful prose will give fans of spy thrillers and Nordic noir a tale to sink their teeth into.

Two Swedish civil servants uncover a Scandinavian WWII conspiracy in this historical epic from Ekbäck (Wolf Winter). While assisting a team overseeing Sweden's trade negotiations with Nazi Germany in 1943, Laura Dahlgren discovers the body of her best friend, Britta Hallberg, near the University of Uppsala, where they had been graduate students five years earlier. In a parallel narrative, Jens Regnell, secretary to the Swedish minister of foreign affairs, works to help ministry archivist Daniel Jonsson fill in missing phone call records between the minister and his Danish counterpart. After Daniel is found dead of suicide, Jens becomes increasingly paranoid and gives greater credence to a thesis manuscript he received from Britta before she was killed, in which she reported on a secret agreement between Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to maintain their neutrality with Nazi Germany. After Laura's apartment is bombed, she and Jens cross paths and discover a clue about a conspiracy that would tie Britta and Daniel's deaths with the mysterious disappearances of Sami people near an iron mine in the far north. As they get closer to the truth, they face increasing danger. Ekbäck sets out multiple red herrings and intricate plotlines, which create tension and lead to a satisfying conclusion. This riveting novel will keep readers turning the pages. (Jan.)