Åsa Larsson

“An intriguing and ambiguous ending is the perfect finish for a story in which characters are living lives that are real, complicated, challenging, and raw. Highly recommended for readers who like their fiction to challenge them, make them think, and don’t mind the story staying with them way after the book itself has gone.”
Eurocrime (UK)

“A real page-turner with steadily rising suspense the closer you get to the gruesome finale.”
Svenska Dagbladet (SE)

“Larsson immediately qualifies into the Swedish elite.”
Expressen (SE)

“Among all the more or less successful crime novels now flooding the market, Åsa Larsson’s book seems like the brilliant exception. It is thrilling, compelling, and clear with a well conceived structure and captivating language.”
Arvika Nyheter (SE)

“An evocative novel with an entirely original and spot-on tone.”
Göteborgs-Posten (SE)

“A virtuoso mood piece.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review (US)

“Riveting […] Fans of Henning Mankell, Karin Fossum and Arnaldur Indridason will be rewarded.”
Publishers Weekly (US)

“A brilliant narrative that ties together immoral capitalism in Africa with the impoverishment of the sparsely populated Swedish countryside. […] It is impressively spot-on.”
Södermanlands Nyheter (SE)

“Superb, gut-wrenching”
Publishers Weekly (USA)

“Crime novels are printed in mass editions. And I’m happy that it is this particular book, with its many voices and perspectives and its theme of globalization, that the world’s readers will devour now.”
Svenska Dagbladet (SE)

“Åsa Larsson once again shows that she is a skillful writer of Swedish desolation. No one can reignite language the way she can. […] Åsa Larsson’s great strength is in what is not said; when she places a simple detail so clearly in the foreground that you can’t miss the darkness hiding behind.”
Dagens Nyheter (SE)

“Essential reading for all Scandinavian crime fans.”
Booklist (US)

“The third book in her Rebecka Martinsson series is one of the most gripping. […] Åsa Larsson’s genius is in telling the story from multiple viewpoints, so cleverly that you can’t see the dots connecting until they hit you right in the face at the end.”
The Times (UK)

“Larsson’s best book so far. The supernatural elements are worked seamlessly into a complex and engaging mystery, resulting in a thoroughly compelling reading experience.”
Booklist, Starred Review (US)

“The real allure of Larsson’s meticulously crafted narrative lies in her unflinching dissection of human needs and desires.”
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review (US)

“Larsson’s laid-back style makes her unflinching probing of the icy depths of the human heart all the more chilling.”
The Telegraph (UK)

“Language that is by turn simple and clear, and by turn poetically brilliant.”
Norrländska Socialdemokraten (SE)

“Critics used to be able to dismiss crime fiction with a few condescending remarks about language and psychology. Soon they won’t be able to do that anymore. Åsa Larsson’s book, for example, stands firmly on the three most important tenets: style, human understanding, and plot.”
Svenska Dagbladet (SE)

“Among the current batch of Nordic writers, the new Larsson is one to be followed with the most minute attention.”
The Independent (UK)

“Larsson has us by the throat from her first paragraph…Electric.”
The Independent (UK)

“A terrific novel about greed, isolation and the deep human need for companionship.”
The Sunday Times (UK)

“Larsson excels at creating engaging, complex characters whose interactions and development provide as much forward momentum as the search for the killer.”
Publishers Weekly (US)

“The opening scene is magnificent.”
Svenska Dagbladet (SE)

“A terrific novel about greed, isolation, and the deep human need for companionship.”
The Sunday Times (UK)

“Asa Larsson has no need of horrendous detail, or ritual killings, nor indeed of a single tattoo. She is simply a very good writer. There is no doubt in my mind who is ‘the other Larsson’.”
The Irish Independent (UK)

“It is not the plots that make you love Åsa Larsson’s crime novels. […] Instead, it is the environment, the people, the language, and the underlying warmth.”
Dagens Nyheter (SE)

“Larsson is a master of horror, of character portraits, of local knowledge, and of authentic descriptions of place.”
Verdens Gang (NO)

“Ingenious to the last sentence. This thriller is highly literary – and so much better than anything other Scandinavian bestselling authors have done.”
Brigitte (DE)

“The fragile Rebecka Martinsson is an indelible figure, and we are reminded that the distaff Larsson is one of the best current practitioners of Scandinavian crime fiction.”
Financial Times (UK)

“[The Sins of Our Fathers] sees the fragile but determined Rebecka making a welcome return after a decade. As well as being a masterful storyteller, Åsa Larsson is an astute social commentator, so no doubt her fans will be hoping they don’t have to wait another 10 years for her next thriller.”
Sunday Express (UK)

“Rebecka is as ever wonderfully pig-headed and opinionated, prone to mistakes and wonderfully human and believable, as are all the friends and colleagues (and animals) gravitating around her and the sense of both place and familiarity is what makes Larsson’s novels rise a level above the normal standards of Scandi Noir, and takes this book to moving new levels of empathy and mystery.”
MacLehose Press (UK)

“No other Swedish crime writer has been lauded to the extent Åsa has; her stories are something out of the ordinary. […] [The] language roars like a river, it is as if the language itself shows how everything has changed and is coming together: then and now, old battles and new crimes, family ties, and people’s dependency upon one another.”
Dagens Nyheter (SE)

“[Åsa Larsson’s] suspense novels are in a league of their own. In part due to the language, but also because they include several warm portrayals of people; people shaped by harsh social climates as well as severe weather. […] The Sins of Our Fathers holds multitudes, high pace, and human tragedy galore, extreme Laestadians as well as bloody knock-out fights. But also, dizzying ski trips, frolicking dogs, and touching elderly romance. […] A grandiose finale.”
Arbetarbladet (SE)

“[This] is a multifaceted, utterly brilliant crime novel. It is also a read that creates an insatiable urge to move north; Åsa writes about a landscape that she loves, a Norrbotten with mountains so beautiful they seem to be out of this world, and sparkling rivers that rush and roar as they have done since ancient times.”
Femina (SE)

“It has been nine years, and Åsa Larsson is still in impeccable shape. The Sins of Our Fathers is a proper brick of a book that holds her finely tuned ability to capture the people, the environment around Kiruna, her way of building suspense in perfect harmony with said people and environment, and above all her expertise in engaging the reader in all of it.”
Norra Skåne (SE)

“‘When Ragnhild Pekkari decided to die, life became a little easier to live’, is the first sentence in this 550-page thick novel. Wow, without any other comparison it’s basically as good as the start of Kafka’s The Trial. […] Åsa Larsson’s writing is propulsive, and her language is among the very best in the Swedish suspense genre. She has the ability to give her characters life and make them feel authentic and far from one-sided, be it villain or police, because they ‘have all been little once.’”
Norrländska Socialdemokraten (SE)

“Both Martinsson and Larsson have evolved since the debut Sun Storm from 2003. From starting off as a solid, albeit brilliant, Swedish crime novel and writer, to growing into a grand authorship with complex narratives spanning over multiple timelines and with a protagonist that is highly authentic in her humanity. So yes, Åsa Larsson and Rebecka Martinsson are certainly welcome back. […] Åsa Larsson tells her story in a flow that is so rich with anecdotes, nature experiences, history, and emotion that I never want it to end. […] The Sins of Our Fathers is a crime novel, but it is also so much more. It holds the most vivid portrayals of boxing, where you can feel every punch. Here is love, both between humans and that to nature, incredibly palpable, powerful, and splendid. Here is a heart beating for Kiruna, the town with all of its flaws. And nature, wild and beautiful, ever present and often central. And in the midst of it all, in a story brimming with human fates, it persists; the Suspense, of the kind that grabs hold and keeps us fixated. The important kind.”
Borås Tidning (SE)

“Åsa Larsson leads us with a steady hand through the misery and makes sure that our hearts remain open for her cast of characters (and the dogs too). Rebecka of course, but also Ragnhild, the former boxing star Börje, police officer Anna-Maria, and pretty much anyone else that happens to pass by. Not even Rebecka’s insufferable colleague Carl von Post (what a great name) can be dismissed completely; perhaps he’s just very insecure. It is a story that, despite its 558 pages, never feels too long. The milieu evokes an insatiable urge for Norrbotten while the relational drama between characters is a page-turner in and of itself. The crime mystery is ambitious and thrilling, but the read is equally about making sure that everything goes well for Ragnhild, to smile about the on-point portrayal of life with teenagers at Anna-Maria’s, and to see Rebecka try to heal what is broken inside of her. The Sins of our Fathers gives the answers you need and offers a worthy ending.”
Göteborgs-Posten (SE)

“The new book is a 550-page brick of a page-turner. Yes, that’s right. You’re quickly drawn into the peculiar incidents around Kiruna. Events from 50 years ago provide contrast to a complicated murder investigation in the present. […] [Larsson] skilfully builds suspense and relationships. A master with a language that rushes forth like a lively northern river. An everyday language that shines.  Straight-forward dialogue. Milieus characterized by the northernmost parts of Sweden. Credible insight into the tough work of police and prosecutor. The puzzle is laid out piece by piece. You sense connections, kinship. And finally, the entirety is revealed. And then there are the different shades of love. That which everyone is constantly looking for, but that is so hard to reach. And the dogs that are always there – those loyal, warm, souls. The harsh northern milieu around Kiruna provides backdrop and character. The city that is being moved in order to get to the iron ore underneath. The northern parts that are drained from natural resources that rapidly flows south in an unequal, elongated country. After an outstanding first sentence, the book ends in a few warm final lines that stay with you – the belated happiness of two people.”
Gotlands Allehanda (SE)

“A worthy finale for a defiant character.”
Dalarnas Tidningar(SE)

“It been nearly ten years since we last heard from prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson in Kiruna. But Åsa Larsson makes it clear on the back of the book that The Sins of our Fathers is the last book about Rebecka. What a shame; the story about a recently discovered body of someone who was murdered a long time ago leaves me wanting for more. Not least because of Larsson’s cast of characters, consisting of people with close connections to the sometimes not so pleasant Martinsson. I would gladly read at least one more book.”
Norrbottens-Kuriren (SE)

“The beginning is fantastic. As is the rest. When Ragnhild Pekkari sets out on skis to end her own life, it is impossible not to become engaged. […] Åsa Larsson’s characters are so human in their weaknesses and strengths. And the dogs are important too. […] It all adds up to a whole that warms. And that is the dominating part. Murder and misery adds suspense, but isn’t what lingers in ones mind. It doesn’t get better than this.”
Norran (SE)

“With her trademark stylistic ease, Åsa Larsson portrays difficult relationships, but she does so with a rare human love. It is tender and brutal, and closely connected to the milieu in Kurravaara.”
Blekinge Läns Tidning (SE)

“Even the most sceptical crime reader will be captured by Åsa Larsson’s books. A fantastic writer who walks in the literary footsteps of Kerstin Ekman.”
M Magasin (SE)

“Åsa Larsson’s language is fantastic and portrays the milieus of the northernmost parts of Sweden spot-on. […] She writes unique character portrayals from this sparsely populated area. It is pure pleasure to read this book. I never want it to end.
Socialpolitik (SE)

“When Åsa Larsson ends the series about prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson she does so with a dense, stylistically elegant crime novel.”
PRO-Pensionären (SE)

“It took nine years, but now prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson is back. Well worth the wait! Åsa Larsson delivers yet another Kiruna classic with lots of Nordic darkness.”
Ica-Kuriren (SE)

“Sure, this is a crime novel but I’ll mention it here among all the romance and feelgood simply because it is one of the best books of the autumn. And because it contains two, or even three, uniquely beautiful love stories that outrival nearly everything published in the romance genre. […] Åsa Larsson is brilliant, she makes me alternately cry and scream out loud after yet another shocking twist. It is action and depth at the same time, and it is so good.”
Tranås Tidning (SE)

“She writes so well. It’s a pleasure to read.”
Leif GW Persson, TV4 Nyhetsmorgon (SE)

“Rebecka Martinsson is back. Magnificent nature, brilliant character portrayals, murder, love, and dogs. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Ingalill Mosander, Aftonbladet (SE)

“I will be extremely surprised if a better crime novel than this one is published in Norwegian in 2022. […] A vast, epic story that reflects life in the Cap of the North in many shapes, with many characters, throughout many decades. […] Åsa Larsson writes at the point of intersection between crime and literary, on a level that not many others come close to. She is exceptionally ambitious.”
Adresseavisen, 6/6 stars (NO)

“Together with the portrayals of the milieu, especially the harsh Kiruna, Larsson’s strength lies in the many warm and humorous character portrayals. […] A diverse, thrilling, well-written, and at times both funny and beautiful book.”
Dagbladet, 5/6 stars (NO)

“Åsa Larsson starts out with a bang and sets the expectations high from the very first sentence. […] Nothing is simple across the novel’s 530 pages that are filled with complex, convincing characters and a great suspense arc. […] Current topics like trafficking and fraud in the construction industry are also central in this novel, which is impressive precisely because it spans so widely yet lands in credible solutions. Moreover, the book is as crowded as a Russian 19th century novel. Everyone is delicately chiselled out by Larsson’s sharp pen. […] It is the meticulous, at times loving, portrayals of people in vulnerable positions with difficult lives that make the lasting impression in this highly topical new novel from Åsa Larsson. She entertains with bravura and writes with great style and precision.”
Dagsavisen (NO)

“Here, we’re dealing with high quality crime through and through. […] Åsa Larsson diligently lets her narrative threads converge at the end, and ties together a finale that in all its richness of imagination hangs in the balance. […] Larsson also knows how to write well about as diverse topics as boxing, rafting, and sex! And she’s obviously very fond of dogs. Most importantly, The Sins of Our Fathers is both original and thrilling.”
Verdens Gang, 5/6 stars (NO)

“It must be tempting for a crime writer to milk a successful and bestselling series as far as possible. Åsa Larsson is of another mind. After six books about prosecutor and Kiruna-resident Rebecka Martinsson, she simply says thank you and bids farewell. And: she does so with a book that may very well be her best one. […] The Sins of Our Fathers stretches across 530 pages, yet there is literally no dull moment. […] There’s family, old people, friends, complex love, and dogs. Add a cold case murder that gives Larsson a reason to write with insight about Swedish and Finnish boxing in the sixties and seventies, other murders that involve a lot of money, snowmobiles and Russian mobsters, and it’s complete. Everything is written in an authentic and credible way, and with great linguistic verve.”
NRK (NO)