Missing

by Anna Paterson (Translator), KarinAlvtegen (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $5.82

  Missing grabs the reader from the first page, and doesn't let go until the gruesome denouement. This fabulous thriller won the Best Nordic Crime Novel in 2000 (previous winners include Peter Hoeg's Miss Smilla's and Henning Mankell's Faceless Killers ) and has enjoyed massive success all over Europe. Sibylla is on the run from the authorities and convention. Choosing to live of-no-fixed abode for many years, she tricks affluent businessmen into paying for dinner then putting her up in expensive hotel rooms. When one of them is found mutilated, Sibylla - with her unconventional life style and the fact that she was spotted fleeing the scene of the crime - leads her to become 'Sweden's Most Wanted' as a serial killer. But more that being an excellent crime novel, the book explores the terrifying isolation of a woman who has rejected the values of her background and intimacy of her family. Alvtegen uses stunningly direct prose in a plot of tremendous pace and verve. Missing is an irresistible reading experience.

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.25

  In The Grand Hotel, a homeless woman charms a businessman into paying for dinner and a room. When his dead body is discovered the following morning she becomes the prime suspect. When a second person is killed in similar circumstances, Sybilla, having left her comfortable middle class upbringing for the anonymity of the streets, becomes the most wanted person in Sweden ...Missing is a totally compelling read and a classic thriller that confirms Alvtegen as a crime writer worth comparison with Henning Mankell. But at its core, the book also explores the terrifying isolation for a woman who has rejected the values of her background and intimacy of her family.