If you like fast-paced action and surprising twists and turns, then you will love Christer Tholin's sleuth series. Buy GUILTY? to see how this suspenseful case is solved!
GUILTY? is the fourth, standalone book from Christer Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series.
Title: Guilty
Series: Stockholm Sleuth (Bk 4)
Author: Christer Tholin
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Release Date: 20th March 2020
BLURB supplied by Silver Dagger Book Tours
Stockholm: From one day to the next, 16-year old Hanna
just vanishes without a trace. Her worried parents hire detectives Lars and
Elin to find their daughter. The two of them do just that and very quickly.
However, Hanna’s problems are far from over – she is trapped in the clutches of
a “loverboy”. Just a couple of months later, the two private detectives are
asked to help once again, because now Hanna is facing a much more serious
issue. This difficult assignment pushes everyone involved to their limits …
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
Ali
steered the Audi into the fast lane. Finally, now he could make good time. He
was on his way to Södertälje, he had to show his face to his folks again. He
hoped Hanna would survive the evening by herself. After all, he couldn't always
babysit her. Damn, such shit. He almost had her there, she was already eating
out of his hand. And then, suddenly, her parents showed up. Who could have
guessed that they would hire a private detective? They weren't that fond of
Hanna - at least that's what she claimed. At first, he had thought that Hanna
had contacted her parents or that Klara, and that is why they showed up at his
door. But Hanna had been as surprised as he had been and had even asked her
parents how they had found her. Private detectives - he couldn't believe it.
But at least this proved that he could count on Hanna, she had not betrayed
him. That was something.
He
accelerated, finally he was allowed to drive faster. The Audi sped ahead; Ali
loved that feeling. For a while he had toyed with the idea of getting a TT, but
he thought the interior was just too small. From the outside it looked super
cool, but if you wanted to invite a few more chicks, it was simply incredibly
tight. Nah, the RS5 was just right, exactly his thing.
Now
he could start from scratch again with the bitch. He had spent the entire day
yesterday trying to get her back on track. He'd probably lose a minimum of two
weeks, if not three. Fucking shit, how much time had he already invested? And
now this setback. Mehmed was already complaining about when he was finally
going to let the horse run. He wanted more dough so they could have a blast. He
was right, Ali had been way too patient with her. On the other hand - if he had
taken the next step earlier and then the parents had shown up? No, that
wouldn't have worked at all, she would probably have run for home. This way, he
could get her back on the track and then slowly tighten the screws. Everything
was fine.
The
sweetest thing of all was that her old man had actually guaranteed Ali's success.
Initially he had been very calm and had let his wife do the talking. Ali had
already seen his plans going up in smoke. But then her father got angry and
started screaming. And when Hanna had responded with a snotty reply, the old
man had lost it and immediately socked her one. Ali had been so pleased about
that; he could hardly contain himself. Hahaha. He still had to laugh now. How
stupid could you be? After that, Hanna ran into the bathroom and locked herself
in there. The old man had been ranting and threatening to call the police, but
Hanna had stood her ground. No, she was never coming home. If the police came
for her, she would run away again the next day. Ali almost jumped for joy. The
old man drove her even deeper into his arms, it was just awesome.
Damn,
couldn't the idiot with his shitty Ford get out of the way? There were three
lanes to choose from and this fucker had to block the fast lane. Ali couldn't
tailgate any closer, wasn’t that idiot looking in his rear-view mirror?
Finally, he changed to another lane. Ali stepped on the gas pedal.
He
wasn't sure yet how to proceed. It wasn't good that the parents now knew where
Hanna was. Maybe they did call the police. Sure, Hanna would certainly come
back, but once the cops had been there, hell man, that was stressful. Perhaps
if he took her to another apartment, it would be safer. A new cell phone and a
bit of caution, then even the detective wouldn't find her. But the sensitive
bitch felt so comfortable in his apartment, he might end up wasting time going
somewhere else. Ah, shit, either way he was doing it, it was a risk. He had to
talk to Mehmed. Although he was often too reckless, it would be good to know
what he would do in his situation. After all, he'd been playing this game for a
while longer.
He
was up to 100 now, it felt good. Although there was a speed limit of 65, the
police hardly ever came here, because the traffic was mostly too congested for
them to catch anybody. Ali accelerated again and passed a Tesla, so cool.
This
morning he had sex with her again, he did it with her once a day. She had to be
broken in properly, he was all up for that, hehe. She wasn't particularly
pretty, but she was a young girl. Her body was firm and slender, the skin was
soft, unfortunately she didn't have much in the way of boobs. Anyway, with
enough make-up, sexy clothes and the right lighting, she still looked very
enticing. They had done this many times before; at first, she had been
reluctant, but now she liked it more and more. Like he said, she was almost
there. Shit, he'd get through a few more weeks. He would listen to what Mehmed
had to say, but somehow another apartment seemed safer to him. He would get his
little pony running there, too. When it really kicked off, he would need
several places anyway. After all, it wasn't supposed to go on in his home. Yes,
he breathed a sigh of relief. A little sprint at 110 mph helped him clear his
mind. That's when he made the best decisions. He would send the kid a sweet
text message, then she would be pacified tonight, and he could relax with his
family.
Crap,
a truck swerved to overtake, he had to hit the brakes. Why did they pass here?
He flashed his lights, but the stupid driver in front wouldn't even notice.
Either way, it didn't matter, he was almost there, and he'd made his decision.
MURDER? is the third, standalone book from Christer Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series. If you like fast-paced action and surprising twists and turns, then you will love Christer Tholin's sleuth
Title: Murder
Series: Stockholm Sleuth (Bk3)
Author: Christer Tholin
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Release Date: 1st December 2018
BLURB supplied by Silver Dagger Book Tours
Christina’s idyllic existence with her husband Patrik comes to an abrupt
end when Patrik suddenly vanishes from their suburban home in Stockholm.
Christina is precipitated into a hellishly desperate and anguished search for
Patrik – which after six weeks turns up nary a trace of him.
At her wits end, she contacts local sleuths Lars and Elin, who, after a brief investigation, reach the conclusion that Patrik simply decided to abandon his cushy existence to embark on a new life –without Christina.
At her wits end, she contacts local sleuths Lars and Elin, who, after a brief investigation, reach the conclusion that Patrik simply decided to abandon his cushy existence to embark on a new life –without Christina.
Lars and Elin ultimately trace Patrik’s movements to the wooded wilds of
northern Sweden, but too late – he’s found dead. The police rule his death an
accident, but Christina thinks otherwise – and so she asks Lars and Elin to do
a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Patrik’s demise. Was
his death really accidental, or was foul play involved? And was the mysterious
Natalia somehow implicated?
Unfortunately, none of the countless leads that Lars and Elin follow up gets them any closer to solving the mystery of Patrik’s death. But then they get a startling break that results in Christina having to make a tricky and extremely consequential decision that plunges our three protagonists into a life or death struggle.
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
July 2016
Her hand felt so good in his. He
was always amazed how soft and delicate her hands were. He was entranced,
watching her run along beside him. She was the very picture of loveliness, with
her thick blond hair, green eyes and high cheekbones. But this morning he’d had
the impression that something was bothering her. She’d disappeared into the
bathroom right after breakfast and hadn’t been the same since – somehow not as
happy and lively as usual. He’d asked her what was going on, but she’d said,
“No, nothing, I’m fine.”
He was simply
crazy about her. He’d never imagined that such a gorgeous young woman could
ever be interested in him, much less fall for him. And now here they were
beginning a new life together; sometimes he felt like he was dreaming. During
the three days since they’d moved into the cabin, the harmony between them had
been simply idyllic. And the sex was amazing too – just the love-making he’d
been craving, a craving she knew exactly how to slake.
They were approaching
the end of the forest path – and the highlight of the walk. The path led to the
site of a landslide that had occurred a few years back. The landslide had
created a long steep downhill slope that afforded a magnificent view of a large
forest meadow dotted with rocks and bushes – and oftentimes animals, which took
no notice if you stood there watching them. During a walk they’d taken here a
couple of days ago they’d spotted reindeer, which she’d been very excited about
as she had never seen a reindeer in the wild.
At the end of the
slope they stopped, and he turned toward her. She was staring over the edge of
the steep cliff, but she wasn’t as radiant today as she’d been during their
previous walk.
“Is anything the
matter? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, no, nothing
like that...I really don’t know.” She let go of his hand, took a step away from
him, and gazed at him. What did the look in her eyes mean? He couldn’t tell for
sure. He saw a lot of sadness there, but also anxiety. She averted her gaze. What
was eating her?
As he was about to
again ask her what the matter was, he became aware of a movement behind him. He
figured it must be an animal and turned around. A huge muscular man was heading
straight for him, causing him to stagger backward. He stepped sideways, into
what he realized too late was an abyss. He lost his balance and the last thing
he heard was Natalia screaming. His hand clawed the air, as he plummeted
downward, almost head first. He managed to grab onto a bush whose thorns dug
into his hand; but the bush was too small to break his fall. The branch he’d
grabbed broke, and he continued falling.
His last thought
before crashing into the ground below was of Natalia.
Part I
August 2016
Liv
opened the large front door.
“Hi, Christina, great to see you. Come on in,” she said.
“Hej! Nice to see you too. Your place
is really awesome,” Christina said, looking around in wonderment.
Liv gave her former coworker a furtive look. “Something’s not
right,” she thought to herself. “Those rings under her eyes, she looks so
tired, and kind of down.” Liv couldn’t remember Christina ever looking this way
before.
But Liv kept all this to herself. “Yeah, well, I inherited all
this from my folks,” she said, laughing. Frankly, she felt embarrassed to be
living in such resplendent surroundings. The house, which was located in a
housing tract in the Stockholm archipelago, had its own beach and a large
docking pier where a huge motorboat was docked.
“It’s really a shame that we spend so little time here; most
of the time it just stands empty. But I must say it’s great to have a vacation
home near Stockholm.” This was the first occasion Liv had been here since
January, when she’d moved to Berlin with her kids.
“Hej, Christina. I’m
Martin. Nice to meet you,” Martin said as he emerged from the bedroom.
“Hi Martin. You speak really good Swedish.”
“Yeah well, I’m getting there. Though I often have to ask if
I’m using the right word.” Martin was German, but he’d been attending Swedish
classes ever since he and Liv had gotten together. Plus, they spoke Swedish at
home more and more.
Suddenly three kids came barreling into the house from the
back yard.
“Here come the offspring,” Liv said. “How about giving
Christina a nice hello? This is my oldest, Saga, and her brother Hampus. Saga’s
11 and Hampus is almost nine.” The two children shook Christina’s hand. Behind
them was a little girl who was looking on anxiously.
“And that’s Martin’s daughter Lara. She’s five and isn’t
fluent in Swedish yet, but she understands just about everything.” Laughing
shyly, Lara shook hands with Christina.
“Kids, do you want to have coffee with us, or would you rather
have ice cream?” said Liv.
“Ice cream, ice cream!” the kids shouted in unison.
“Okay great, so go get yourselves an ice cream from the
freezer, which we pretty much filled to the brim yesterday.” The ice cream
truck from Hemglass made its weekly rounds on the neighboring island, and
yesterday they’d waited for it to come by. The kids ran into the kitchen,
jostling each other.
“The veranda’s the best place for a quiet conversation, so
let’s go out there, shall we?” Liv led Christina through the large living room
to the terrace door, which opened out onto a magnificent view. The property
sloped down gently to the water, with expanses dotted with large rocks, and
bordered by pine and oak trees – and as a backdrop to all this, an unimpeded
and stunning view of the sea. The water glistened in the sun; the islands, with
their trees and meadows, were bathed in a green, luminescent glow; and
scattered around this idyllic scene were houses, most of them painted red, and
a few boats sailing past.
“What an awesome view. It doesn’t get much better than this.”
For all Christina’s apparent excitement at taking all this in, Liv couldn’t
help but notice, once again, the fatigue her friend exuded, and her drooping
shoulders.
“Yeah, we never get tired of it,” Martin said. “It’s really
great for me, as this is the first time I’ve been here. When I took a cruise
through our archipelago last year, I couldn’t have imagined that one day I’d be
spending my vacation in a house like this one.”
Liv recalled that back then, Martin had come to Stockholm in
the hope of finding her. They’d originally met in southern Sweden, where Martin
had rented a vacation home. They’d arranged to meet up again, but then Liv had
been kidnapped – an event that had plunged Martin into a state of extreme
distress. He’d found out that Liv was living in Stockholm with her family and
had decided to go there to find her. Which he’d eventually managed to do, with
the aid of two private detectives. But this was by no means the end of the
story.
The three of them sat down on the veranda, where there was a
large wooden table under a pergola, and around which comfortable, thickly
upholstered lawn chairs were arrayed. Martin served the coffee, while Liv cut
the cake that she’d baked in the morning with Saga and Lara. As they drank
coffee and ate the delicious cake, they chatted about the weather and their
vacation plans.
“Did you go on vacation?” Liv asked.
"No.” Christina said, shaking her head sadly. “I’m not
much in the mood for a vacation, to tell you the truth. Actually, my husband
has gone missing. Which is why I wanted to see you.”
She was fighting back tears, and Liv stroked her arm
soothingly. “I was right,” she thought to herself. “Something really is wrong.”
She looked over at Martin, and their eyes met: yes, they were
familiar with such problems.
“So, tell me,” Liv said gently.
Christina cleared her throat. “Five weeks ago, he just
vanished without warning. It was a Friday and he’d gone to work as usual, but
he never came home. I called him a zillion times, but it just kept going to
voicemail. The next day I filed a missing person’s report with the police – who
haven’t done a damn thing about it. I’m at my wit’s end, that’s the long and
the short of it.”
“Did he show up at work that day?” Martin asked.
“Yes, he was, though he left work pretty early, but there was
nothing unusual about that, as it was a Friday.”
“And why aren’t the police trying to find him?” said Liv.
“They say there’s no evidence of foul play or an accident.
They think that Patrik just decided to disappear. They told me I need to just
wait, and that in most cases people who’ve ‘gone missing’ eventually turn up
safe and sound.”
“What makes them think that?” Martin asked.
“Well, it’s because Patrik took his passport and all his
credit cards with him. Plus, his car hasn’t been spotted anywhere.”
“I see.”
“So why did you want to see us?” Liv asked.
“Yes, well, maybe I’m wrong but rumors have been circulating
at the company about what happened last year – I mean before you sold the
construction business. ‘Cause let’s face it, your ex died under kind of
mysterious circumstances and people have been saying that there was some kind
of kidnapping. There wasn’t much about it in the papers, but didn’t some
private eye or other help you?”
“Yes, that’s true. It’s a long story. We’ve been trying to
keep a lid on all this as much as possible, and that’s been going quite well.”
“I see. Of course
you’re under no obligation to disclose any of this to me either. But please
know that if you do take me into your confidence, your secrets will be safe
with me.”
“I have total faith in you on that score. After all, you
handle confidential information at the company all the time.” Christina was the
human resources manager at Liv’s property management company. And though Liv
was no longer involved in the company’s day to day operation–having having
hired a COO and resigned from the board, she’d been working alongside Liv until
the end of last year and knew that she could always count on Christina to
maintain confidentiality.
“The whole thing has
since blown over, but as I’m sure you can understand we don’t want the media,
or anyone else for that matter, to get wind of this. So, what you surmise is in
fact true, but of course you need to keep it to yourself. Last year I was
kidnapped, and then Saga was taken as well. Thank God for Martin, though,
because if it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t have come through this
ordeal safe and sound. He also hired the private detectives who ultimately got
to the bottom of all this.”
Christina gave Liv a look of consternation. “Wow, two
kidnappings. That must have been horrible. Were you harmed or hurt in any way?”
“No, as I said, we both came through it in one piece. But Saga
is still haunted by it. She has nightmares all the time and doesn’t like being
left alone. But I must say the move to Berlin has done her a world of good.
Being in a new place, a new school, and so on is helping her to put the whole
thing behind her. We were kind of concerned about how she’d react to coming
back to Sweden for vacation, but she’s been absolutely fine – at least thus
far.”
“I’m glad to hear that everything’s worked out so well,”
Christina said.
“Yeah, we really love Berlin, the two little ones speak
perfect German and Martin and I get along really well – like two peas in a pod,
actually,” Liv said, taking Martin’s hand and gazing at him lovingly.
“Yes, all the upheaval was worth it in the end,” he said with
a sly smile.
Liv turned back towards
Christina: “I cannot recommend those two detectives we used highly enough.
They’re really good. Trustworthy, easy to work with – and they really get
things done.”
“Wow, it would be awesome if they could help me out too,”
Christina said, once again fighting back tears.
“Really, you needn’t worry. You’ll see, everything will work
out fine in the end.”
“Could you give me their
number?”
“I think it would be better if I called them and gave them
your number instead,” Martin said. “They work for an agency that employs a
number of detectives, and you want to be sure that the two we worked with are
assigned to your case. Besides, they’ll already know what the case is all
about, and that’ll make it easier for me to introduce you to them. In any case
I’d intended to contact Lars while we’re here.”
“Thanks, that’s really nice of you. I wanted to avoid hiring
just any old detective. It’s much better when someone is recommended to you
that others have had a positive experience with.”
“Yes of course. And really, Lars and Elin are terrific. You
can’t go wrong with them,” said Liv. “So tell me, Christina, do you have any
idea what might have happened to your husband?”
“No,” she said with a despairing look. “I just keep racking my
brains, trying to fathom what might have happened. The whole thing makes no
sense. Everything was peachy keen between us, I swear. We were planning to go
to our summer home in Norrland in July. When he disappeared, and I was unable
to reach him, I even went to Norrland to see if he might have gone there. But
that was stupid of me, because of course he wasn’t there. Though I had the
impression that he might have been there for a little while.”
“What makes you say that?” Martin asked.
“Well as you know, you have to pack everything away in the
fall in order to close up a summer cabin for the winter. And some of the
furnishings looked to me as though they’d been used recently. Or at least I had
the impression that the cabin wasn’t exactly as we’d left it.”
“That’s an important detail. The sort of thing you absolutely
must tell the detectives.”
“Yes, I will, of course. I’m sincerely grateful to both of
you. Please tell them to contact me as soon as possible. But now I need to go,
otherwise I’ll miss the last ferry.”
Having raised from the chairs Liv and Martin accompanied
Christina to the door and said goodbye. They observed how she got into her car
and drove down to the street.
“Poor Christina,” sighed Liv, after Christina had left. “I
really feel for her. It’s a good thing I got Saga back after only a few days. I
never would have been able to survive her being gone for five whole weeks.”
“But look, Christina’s husband is an adult – though the not
knowing is a killer, that’s for sure.”
“Do you think he might simply have left her?”
“Hard to say. Though let’s face it, she’s no Miss Sweden.
“Really?” Liz shrieked,
rolling her eyes, “You think he left her just ‘cause she’s a bit plump? But she
always dresses really well, plus she’s a super nice person.”
“Yeah, but you only know her in her capacity as an HR manager,
which perhaps isn’t the most objective basis for judging someone.”
“Yeah, maybe not. But by the same token, you can’t just judge
a book by its cover, you have to try to see what’s inside.”
“Yeah, and maybe she’s a veritable tornado in bed,” said
Martin, laughing.
“Men,” she snorted.
“All you care about is physical appearance and sex.”
“You know exactly what we’re like. But fortunately, you
fulfill all my wishes on both of these things.”
“Thank God for that,”
she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
But then she put her arms around him and gave him a tender
kiss.
“When are you going to call Lars?”
“In a minute. I hope he’s not away on vacation. It’s August
and it’s not back to school time yet.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
Liv went out on the terrace to clear the table. She was more
upset by the conversation than she cared to admit. These things belonged, after
all, to the recent past, and it didn’t take much to revive the memories of
events that had occurred only last year. She and Martin had often talked about
whether it was advisable for them to return to Sweden this year, as they both feared
that doing so would reopen old wounds, especially for Saga. But Hampus really
wanted to go so that he could water-ski and swim every day. So, they’d decided
to take the risk, and everything had been hunky dory, thus far. Liv had in fact
gone to Stockholm a couple of times in recent months, as her presence at board
meetings was required. But she was always happy to come back home to Berlin,
and to Martin. And actually, here in the archipelago with her family, she’d
hardly given last year’s kidnappings a thought. That is, until the conversation
of this evening. Now all of a sudden, the memories and emotions came flooding
back, particularly her anxiety about Saga. She thought about how incredibly
relieved she’d been to be able to hug Saga again. She was beginning to cry; she
needed to pull herself together. She decided the best thing to do was to see
how the kids were doing; she needed to feel their physical presence.
SECRETS? is the second, standalone book from Christer
Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series.
Title: Secrets
Series: Stokholm Sleuth (Bk2)
Author: Christer Tholin
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Release Date: September 2017
BLURB supplied by Silver Dagger Book Tours
"Dammit!
She’d made a huge mistake. She’d never make it out of here - they were going to
kill her."
In the crime novella SECRETS?, fledgling private investigator Elin Bohlander
takes on what looks like an easy assignment — at first: to determine if her
client’s boyfriend is having an affair with another woman. To do this, Elin
follows him to a secluded cabin in the woods, where she soon discovers that
what’s actually transpiring is stranger than anyone thought. Having ventured
too far, she’s stumbled upon a hornet’s nest and put her life at risk. But it’s
too late. Can Elin win the unequal fight against a gang of brutal child
molesters?
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
Another day at the office went by with
nothing special going on. But Elin was now on fire, and she constantly checked
her mail in the hope of finding a new request, but there was nothing. It was
enough to drive her insane! She so wanted another assignment, one that would
truly challenge her—one that was even more interesting than Helena’s. Elin had
driven to the cabin a third time and seen the men there, but since nothing new
had come of it, she decided she was done with it.
Now back at her apartment, she had
changed into something comfortable and eaten a snack. She was standing in the
bathroom washing her hands when Maja came home.
“Elin!” Maja was screaming. The door to
the apartment slammed shut. Maja’s bag made a loud noise as it landed in a
corner, and her rapid footsteps could be heard crossing the living room floor.
Elin hurriedly dried her hands. This was not at all like Maja, who was usually
the image of calm itself. Something must have happened. Elin opened the door to
see Maja standing before her, her hands on her hips. Her face was red; her
breathing, quick and shallow. She stared at Elin, furious: “What have you done?
Where did you go with my car?”
“Maja, calm down! What happened?”
“I will not calm down! I want to know where
you went with my car. Damn it!” Her dark eyes flashed at Elin.
“Fine, no problem. I’ll tell you. Come
on, let’s sit down.” Elin stepped toward Maja and tried to take her in her
arms, but Maja pushed her away.
“What? I haven’t done anything to you. Whatever
it is, I didn’t do it intentionally. What’s going on with the car? Is something
broken?” Elin looked at her, distraught. She had never seen Maja like this
before. Usually, it was Maja who had to calm Elin, not the other way around.
“Come on, let me hold you in my arms. I love you.”
That seemed to work. Maja lowered her
eyes, and her shoulders dropped. Elin put her arm around her and drew her
close. What was going on? Maja was sobbing. She embraced Elin and held her
tight. Her shoulders jerked, and she was howling like a hyena. God Almighty,
this must really be bad. Maja seldom cried, and never this hard. Elin was
getting seriously worried. What had happened here? After all, she had parked
the car in the courtyard, and everything had been fine. Unless someone had
tried to break in, but that would have happened later. And why did Maja think
Elin was to blame? That wasn’t like her at all.
Gradually, the sobbing subsided. Elin
led Maja into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Squatting down before
her, she looked into her tear-filled eyes.
“Now tell me everything, and if I’m to
blame, I’ll admit it right away. Promise! And I’ll formally apologize. But I
honestly have no idea what could be wrong with your car. I borrowed it again
the day before yesterday, but then I parked it in the courtyard, as usual.
Everything was still fine at that point. I swear!” Elin raised her right hand.
The corner of Maja’s mouth twitched
briefly into an unsuccessful smile. She dug around in her pants pocket, produced
a tissue, and blew her nose. Then she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Luckily, she wasn’t wearing any makeup, or she would have looked even worse.
“I was attacked,” she finally gasped.
“What? Are you hurt?” Elin couldn’t
believe it. Maja was extremely well trained—she could perform any self-defense
move in her sleep. And what did this have to do with the car?
“No. They only threatened me.”
“That’s lucky.” Elin breathed a sigh of
relief. At least, Maja was unharmed. “But who threatened you? Now please! Tell
me the whole story from the beginning.” Elin gave her a penetrating look. “All
right, Maja?”
Maja blew her nose once more and leaned
back. “Yeah, OK. So I was walking out of the studio on my way to the
underground. Since it was still so light out, I took the shortcut through the
park. There was no one in sight other than that guy who’s been following me for
the past few days. He was sitting on a bench in the middle of the park. I was
trying to decide whether to turn around. But then I thought, ‘This is my chance
to find out what this is all about,’ and I walked right up to him. He
immediately stood up, and it was only then that I noticed he was wearing a
mask. I wanted to go back right away, but when I turned around, there were
three other guys standing before me, all with masks as well. I tried to escape
to the right, but these guys already had a knife at my throat, and they were
restraining me on all sides. Then they pulled me off the path and down into the
bushes, and one of them whispered that I should keep my trap shut. I was sure
they were going to rape me, and I was desperately trying to figure out how to
break free. But then one of them—a tall guy, definitely over six feet—said that
they just wanted to talk to me. I didn’t really believe that, but I waited to
see what they would say.”
Elin stared at her, spellbound.
“I need something to drink,” Maja said.
Elin rose and went to the kitchen. She
had an uneasy feeling for some reason. Four guys, of all things, and one of
them very tall. That was surely no coincidence. But why?
Elin handed Maja a glass of water. Maja
drank eagerly. “And what did they want?” asked Elin.
“They claimed I’d followed them in my
car. And that they didn’t like having someone sneaking around behind them. This
would be their first and final warning. If they saw either me or the car nearby
again, our next meeting would proceed without a lot of talking. They said
they’d make short shrift of me.” Maja had tears in her eyes again, and she let
out several sobs. “I had to confirm that I understood. I obviously said yes.
After that, one of them hit me in the stomach full force, and I blacked out.
When I came to again, the four of them were gone.”
“God, how awful! I’m so sorry—I’m sure
they were the same guys I was observing. I just don’t understand why they
reacted so viciously. I’ve already put the whole thing to rest. Honestly, Maja,
I didn’t want to pull you in. I’m sure it was me they were after.”
“Yeah, that much was clear to me by
then. But did you go back to the cabin another time? You only told me about two
surveillances. And the men didn’t see you at all, did they?”
“Well, yes, they did. The second time,
they stopped briefly next to my—I mean, your car. I ducked right away, but they
might have written down or photographed the license plate number. I’m
sorry—that was my mistake. The first time, I did better and parked around the
corner. I’m sure they didn’t see the car that time. Then the day before
yesterday, I was there again for the third and last time because I just
couldn’t get the whole business out of my head. I wanted to get through the
surveillance quickly, so I drove the car down the dirt road to the fork where
it turns off to the cabin. On their way back, they obviously drove by your car,
but I was hoping they didn’t see it.”
Maja sighed. “But they did. Did you find
anything out?”
“No, that’s why I put the whole thing to
rest. The assignment is done. I just wanted to make sure one more time that
nothing new had come up. But it was the same game as the other times: working
together on their computers, four guys in two cars—nothing more.”
Maja was calmer now. Her breathing was
steady again. “I’m sorry I lit into you earlier. It’s clear that it wasn’t your
fault. I just needed to vent my frustrations on someone.”
“No problem. I probably deserved it,
anyway. When I think of how they could have attacked me instead, then I know
that I got off lightly with your tirade. But that should be a lesson to me:
I’ll no longer use your car for detective work. I see now what comes of that.
But tell me, can you describe these guys at all?”
Maja shook her head. “No. They all had
on black masks, hoodies, jeans, and sneakers. The one who was following me
earlier was wearing a brown parka, as usual—otherwise, I’m sure I never would have
recognized him. And as I said, one of the other three guys was very tall. Aside
from that, I didn’t notice anything special.”
Elin thought it over. “It fits in any
case. I mean, who else could it be? I just don’t understand why they would make
such a big deal out of it. If all they’re doing is playing harmless computer
games, they wouldn’t have had such a violent reaction. Something
about the whole thing stinks—I’ve had that feeling from
the very beginning. Four guys who meet in secret in a secluded place several
times a week ... that can’t possibly be harmless.”
Maja sat up. “You’re not really thinking
of pursuing this further, are you? To be honest, I’ve had enough. I can usually
put up a good fight, but four men armed with knives—I’d rather not risk that
again. And I can tell you: they meant what they said.”
Elin raised both hands in defense. “Stop
worrying! Under no circumstances do I want anything to happen to you. But it
bothers the hell out of me that they could get away with this intimidation act
so easily. In my view, our best move would be to bring in the police. They’d
definitely find something interesting here—if only I knew what it was.”
“Thanks, but I really have no interest
in dealing with the police. You know how overworked they are. And since nothing
serious happened to me, I can imagine what priority they would give this
incident. Also, if these guys ever caught wind that the police were involved,
they’d get in their heads to make good on their threat. I really don’t need
that, thank you very much.”
“Yeah, I know. But this situation
doesn’t exactly feel safe, either. I mean, how do we know that they’ll leave us
in peace, even if we just lay low? Think about it. You run across one of these
guys by chance. You don’t even recognize him, but he alerts the others, and
there you are again with a knife at your throat.”
Maja looked at Elin in horror. “Do you
have to be so graphic? I’ve got chills running down my spine.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re right, though. It’s still a
risk. Let me see how I cope with it. Ask me again in a few days—maybe I’ll
change my mind. But please do not do anything without my consent! This thing
concerns me now, too. You can’t make the decisions on your own.”
“All right, Scout’s Honor. I’ll discuss
everything with you beforehand.”
Elin could easily understand Maja’s
point. And she would keep her promise. On the other hand, her detective
instincts had been aroused, and she wondered what lay behind this thing. Just
what sort of plot were they hatching in that cabin?
Elin rose and walked to the window. She
looked down at the entryway to the house on the other side of the street. There
was no one there.
“At least, they seem to have called off
their surveillance. I don’t see anyone there.”
“Sounds good. That’s something, anyway.”
Maja made no effort to check Elin’s observation but instead went straight to
the kitchen. “I need to eat something now. And a glass of wine would also be
good. Now that I think about it, more like several glasses.”
That was something Elin could fully
endorse. Right now, a little normalcy and relaxation were just what they both
needed.
VANISHED? is the first book in the Stockholm Sleuth Series and where we meet the two private investigators, Elin and Lars.
Title: Vanished
Series: Stockholm Sleuth
Author: Christer Tholin
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Release Date: 18th July 2018
BLURB supplied by Silver Dagger Book Tours
She: a very hot 30 something Swedish woman. He: a native of
Berlin, on vacation in rural Sweden, seeking solace for his broken heart. They
meet. He finds her irresistible. But before their relationship can get off the
ground, she vanishes mysteriously, having apparently been abducted. So Martin
sets out to rescue Liv from her captors, with the aid of two Swedish detectives
in a race against time – and across Sweden. In so doing, Martin and his
intrepid detective duo put their very lives on the line.
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPT
They left the house and ran to the driveway.
There they heard the sound of an engine rapidly approaching.
“Damn, somebody’s coming. Quick, into the
woods!”
They rushed behind the house and into the
trees, where before them was a narrow path. Martin tried to keep his voice
muted: “We’ll cut through the woods to my car. Follow me!”
He followed the wooded pathway for a short
stretch, then veered to the right through the trees. It was muddy and difficult
to negotiate; that meant they weren’t going to make headway very quickly. “We
have to try not to make any noise.”
Liv nodded.
They moved slowly around the house. The
vehicle had now arrived; it was the black pickup.
“Shit.” Martin cursed. Liv held on firmly to
his shirtsleeve. “Shouldn’t we try to escape through the woods instead?”
“Do you know your way around here?”
“No.” Liv looked around. “How far is it to
my summerhouse?”
“Liv, we’re in Dalarna, really close to your
husband’s summerhouse.”
“What?” Liv opened her eyes wider and
pressed her hands to her mouth.
Martin looked at her: “To my car?”
She nodded.
They kept moving cautiously through the
woods, able to hear the driver getting out and going up to the house. It
couldn’t be much longer until he noticed that Liv’s things were missing; then
he would go into the cellar and…
Gradually they put more distance behind them
and approached the driveway. Martin looked back and believed they could now
leave their cover without risk. It went faster on the driveway; Martin’s
shoulder ached with every step, but now was the time to keep his teeth
clenched. Just as he unlocked the car, he heard a sound from the house. The man
had come out the door and roared something that Martin didn’t understand. Liv
looked at him with horror. As fast as they could, they climbed into the car.
Martin started it; unfortunately, he still had to turn it around, and there was
very little space to do so. Twice he backed up until he could finally drive
off. At that very moment, the engine of the pickup revved behind them. He
looked in the rear-view mirror; the truck was already approaching them. He hit
the gas. The car reacted and lurched forward with a jerk. Martin drove as fast
as he could; Liv was frightened; she held on to the armrest and looked around
from back to front.
“Faster! Please!”
“I’m trying to.”
Martin pushed the pedal harder. The main
road lay in front of them – he knew he wouldn’t make the curve at that speed.
Even so he kept driving at the same velocity; a brief glance revealed the
pickup directly behind them. The engine was loud, and the black steel fenders
in front of the hood were coming dangerously close. At the intersection to the
main road, Martin braked slightly, hoping to make it onto the dirt road without
landing in the ditch. Gripping the steering
wheel with all his strength, the Audi swung around, and it looked like they
would make it. But the pickup had other plans. It didn’t intend to make the
curve. The driver swerved slightly to the right and rammed the Audi from the
side just as they reached the bend. The Audi’s rear end slung around towards
the woods. Liv screamed, both airbags deployed and Martin braked with
everything in his power. The car came to a stop diagonally across the road.
Before Martin recovered his seven senses,
the door was swung open, and he was staring down the barrel of a rifle. The man
roared something in Swedish. Martin didn’t understand a word, but it was clear,
nonetheless, what the man wanted. Martin got out and raised his arms. Behind
him, Liv crawled out of the car. She said something to the man, who tersely
roared back, and Liv fell silent. The man wore a green parka with a high
turned-up collar. Other than that he wore a baseball cap. Because of this, little
of his face was visible. Dishevelled dark hair and a large, somewhat red nose.
With the rifle, the man motioned them to the pickup. He opened the hatch over
the bed and said something. Liv scrambled in; Martin behind her. They had to
lie down, then the hatch was closed tightly. Liv felt for his hand and held
onto it firmly. The bed smelled like cement and leaves. It was cold.
Completely dark.
The pickup started up, turned around and
drove off.
A few minutes later, the hatch was opened
again, the man directed them into the house, down the stairs and into the
cellar. He motioned them to sit on the bed and looked around the room. The
rifle was still pointing at them. The man cursed, kicked the table so that it
flew over the threshold of the doorway, then he left the room. A key turned in
the lock.
Martin and Liv looked at each other. Liv
bent her head and laid it on Martin’s shoulder. She was crying. Martin put his
arm around her.
He could think of nothing to comfort her.
The situation was quite hopeless.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author grew up in the North of Germany,
Schleswig-Holstein. Today, he lives together with his family in Stockholm,
Sweden, where he works as a management consultant.
Already for ages he has been a great fan of crime stories and therefore, had
the desire to write his own crime story with the characters acting in Sweden.
This crime-fiction is now available under the title "Vanished?".
The crime novel starts at a slower pace - like Martin's holidays, but the
tension goes up more and more. It comes to a number of surprising turns giving
new impulses to the story. Apart from that, the lovely country Sweden is
described with the view of a foreigner.
AUTHOR LINKS
GIVEAWAY
$20 Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment