In October of 2010, twenty-four year old Angelica Reyes is found murdered in Stockholm. The police investigation that follows is a failure, and eventually the case trails off and goes cold.
Five years later, in November 2015, Leo Junker receives a letter with a photo of Angelica. Two words are written on the back of the photo: help me.
For Leo Junker, these are new times. A year and a half has passed since the crescendo of Master, Liar, Traitor, Friend, and Leo Junker is finally free of his drug addiction. He’s moved in with Sam and is slowly beginning to get his life in order – a life that does not include John Grim Grimberg, the prisoner who escaped and disappeared without a trace. As far as anyone knows, Grim is still on the run somewhere, while Leo is on his way home. They’re far away from each other, but then the thing with the letter happens. And so it begins: their paths must cross one last time.
A few days after Leo received the peculiar letter, the unthinkable happens. Terror strikes Paris, and the names that are now so well known echo across the world: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Bataclan. It’s horrible, but it won’t end there. There are signs indicating that a suspected terrorist has entered Sweden and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack somewhere in the country. While Sweden collectively holds its breath and the police are on the hunt for the suspected terrorist, Leo Junker and his colleague Gabriel Birck are searching for the truth about a five year old murder that no one longer cares about.
The attacks in Paris and the murder of Angelica Reyes aren’t entirely unrelated. Both events lead to aftershocks, and in a defining moment they both converge. The truth about the murder of Angelica Reyes’ forces Leo Junker to face a final test.
The Thin Blue Line is a novel about a crime. Leo, Gabriel, Sam, Grim: in this final installment about Leo Junker they’re all here, together.
But not everyone will make it to the end alive.
Author
Reviews
“It’s very rare in a crime novel to find that the author is so rooted in regular police work. […] There are great relationships between characters, psychological depth and an incredible drive. […] The style is effortless, there’s not a sentence out of place.”
Magnus Utvik, SVT Gomorron Sverige (SE)
“In a thrilling, revealing, and intimate way we become aware of Leo Junker’s underlying motives, his qualms, and his constantly ongoing internal moral dialogue in a way that’s reminiscent of classics like Beck or Wallander. The book has an effortless style, and the portrayal of vulnerable women sticks with you, something that’s recurring in the previous books about Junker.”
BTJ (SE)
“Read it. This is a series that is set to become a future classic. Non-stop enjoyment from The Invisible Man From Salem (2013) until now, the final book.”
Borås Tidning (SE)
“As always with Christoffer Carlsson, this is a really, really, great crime novel. […] The Thin Blue Line offers a brilliant and not at all predictable plot, and a beautifully portrayed cast of characters. Furthermore, with this novel Christoffer Carlsson achieves the most perfect completion of a crime series one can imagine. Without giving too much away, I can say he’s written the ultimate final sentence.”
Skånska Dagbladet (SE)
“One of Sweden’s sharpest crime writers.”
Marianne Rundström, SVT Gomorron Sverige (SE)
“This is a police novel in the true sense of the word, where the police are portrayed as officials following fixed routines rather than as action heroes. […] The terrorist threat is hovering in the background throughout the story, but it’s quite toned down. Instead the story is dominated by the toil of the investigators working with the cold case murder of Angelica Reyes. […] The character portrayals, especially when it comes to the main character, are remarkably deep.”
Dast Magazine (SE)
“The brilliant and initiated storyteller Carlsson has previously written three books about Leo Junker. Sadly, The Thin Blue Line is the last one. The reasoning, contemplating, and at times poetic style of this book could be followed by yet another Junker story, but I’m sorry to say it comes to an end here.”
Skaraborgs Allehanda (SE)
“The Thin Blue Line is a very well-written, modern Swedish crime novel. What impresses me the most with Christoffer Carlsson in all the books I’ve read is his handle on language. It’s as if every word bears meaning. He never falls into the trap of being over-explicit, but rather lets you read between the lines, while at the same time saying a lot. […] Christoffer Carlsson is an amazing portrayer of milieu. The Thin Blue Line contains remarkable portrayals of Stockholm, dressed in various costumes. It’s a true declaration of love to the city. It’s always sad to see a favorite series come to an end, but with The Thin Blue Line the whole series is tied together in an elegant way.”
Lottens Bokblogg, 5/5 Blog (SE)
“Thrilling, moving, and well-written!”
Jennies Boklista, 5/5 Blog (SE)