The Ice Beneath Her

Starred review from September 26, 2016
The decapitation of a young woman propels Grebe’s exceptional solo debut, which examines three lives broken by failures to take responsibility in a Stockholm where “even the sky is crying.” Peter Lindgren, the detective investigating the crime, is afraid of commitment and still hasn’t accepted the teenage son he never wanted; shop assistant Emma Bohman, whose now-missing wealthy lover appears to be the prime suspect in the murder, dwells on her painful dysfunctional childhood; and profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön, who’s trapped in a suffocating marriage, faces early-onset Alzheimer’s while helping the police with the case. The present-day crime resembles a 10-year-old cold case during which Peter and Hanne shared a short, tragic relationship. In alternating chapters, the three central figures regret what could have been, grieve for what’s been lost, and lament what seemingly can never be, until their bone-rattling self-revelations are redeemed at last by human love. Grebe has collaborated with her sister, Åsa Träff, on the crime series featuring psychologist Siri Bergman (More Bitter than Death, etc.). Agents: Astri Von Arbin Ahlander and Christine Edhäll, Ahlander Agency (Sweden).

Starred review from October 1, 2016
Veteran co-author Grebe (More Bitter Than Death, with sa Trff, 2013, etc.) takes her first solo turn in this tale of three troubled souls linked by a horrific crimeand what a turn it is.The discovery of a womans corpse in a Stockholm house is doubly eye-opening, partly because the place belongs to clothing tycoon Jesper Orre, famous for his wealth, hard-nosed bargaining tactics, and uncertain temper, and partly because the corpses severed head was placed standing on the floor to stare at newcomers. The crime is so outr that the closest parallel homicide detective Manfred Olsson can come up with is a cold case he and his partner, Peter Lindgren, worked 10 years ago, the beheading of temp worker Miguel Caldern. In the absence of other leads, Manfred persuades Peter, a train wreck of a man whos particularly hard on women, to call once again on Hanne Lagerlind-Schn, the consulting psychologist who helped with that case. Manfred doesnt know that Peter and Hanne have had a fraught history since then; neither detective knows that Hanne is now struggling with early-onset dementia. As if these arent complications enough, Grebe cuts repeatedly away from the investigation to focus on Emma Bohman, a salesperson at one of Jespers Clothes&More locations whos swept off her feet by the bosshe meets her, takes her to bed, and proposes marriageand is then carried along into a nightmare when Jesper improbably borrows an enormous sum of money from her and disappears from her life, only to return, evidently, while shes out, steal a valuable painting, kill her cat, get her fired, and frame her for robbery. Each of these storiesPeters, Hannes, and Emmasis compelling enough to fuel an entire novel; Grebes skill in weaving them together is impressive. A tour de force that lifts its author to the front rank among the increasingly crowded field of Nordic noir.

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October 1, 2016
In this first solo novel from Swedish author Grebe (coauthor of the Siri Bergman crime novels and the Moscow Noir trilogy), various characters take chapter turns and portray the mystery of a rich lover who breaks off contact and has perhaps come to harm, and a murdered woman found in his apartment. Is the controversial retail tycoon dead? Or is he a murderer on the run? The police and a consultant seeking the truth occupy center stage, and an old relationship becomes further fodder for intrigue. Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction, and crime fiction generally, will enjoy the understated, angsty drama created by Grebe; librarians who are desperate for Girl on the Train read-alikes can also turn to this for readers who enjoy an antiheroine. Finally, the book is also a candidate for those who enjoyed Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind (2011)as a main character has Alzheimer's disease and her condition and its implications in the workplace are well portrayed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016

Having written a high-flying crime series with sister Asa Traff (its first two titles were nominated for Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year), Grebe goes solo with the story of quiet, lovely Emma Bohman, who launches an affair with business tycoon Jesper Orre, in whose company she works. After he breaks it off, scary things start happening to her, even as police discover a woman's beheaded body at Orre's Stockholm home. That puts investigator Peter Lindgren and psychological profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schon, a tempestuously involved couple, on the case. Film rights optioned by New Line Cinema.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016

In this third novel in the authors' "Clandestine Operations" series, set during the Cold War, two WACs are kidnapped in 1946 Munich by four Soviet NKGB agents. Three of the agents soon end up dead, with the fourth badly bloodied; one of their victims, the charmingly named Claudette Colbert, works for the Directorate of Central Intelligence and knows her stuff when it comes to defense. Now, however, there are far-reaching consequences for the newly formed directorate.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.