The Ice Princess [Hardcover]

Now that Scandinavian crime fiction is very firmly on the map (along with much other crime in translation), it has become clear to readers that Henning Mankel -- the Trojan horse for the breakthrough of Swedish crime writers -- was only the tip of the iceberg. Now readers in Britain and America are starting to discover that there are other writers of real accomplishment out there. And a name that will soon be on many lips is that of Camilla Leckberg -- already a very well-known name in her native Sweden, with five novels under her belt. The first to reach these shores, however, is The Ice Princess -- and its phenomenal success in Sweden looks set to be replicated over here. Leckberg has been described as Sweden's new Agatha Christie, and although there is some truth in the description, it doesn't tell the whole story. We have a Christie-like provincial village (here, Fjällbacka, in which Leckberg herself was born) and a variety of suspects for a very unpleasant murder. Also Christie-like is the machine-tooled precision of the plot, but Leckberg is very much a contemporary writer, offering a picture of modern society that is as penetrating as her narrative is involving.

The writer Erica Falck has returned to her home town on the death of her parents, but discovers the community in turmoil. A close childhood friend, Alex, has been found dead. Her wrists have been slashed, and her body is frozen solid in a bath that has turned to ice. Erica decides to write a memoir about the charismatic but withdrawn Alex, more as a means of overcoming her own writer’s block than solving the mystery of Alex's death. But Erica finds that her interest in Alex is becoming almost obsessive. She begins to work with local detective Patrik Hedstrom, and the duo soon find that some unpleasant secrets are buried beneath the comfortable surface of the town.

On the evidence of this first book of Leckberg’s to be translated, we have yet another authoritative crime writer from abroad to add to an ever-growing list. Let's hope translations of her successive novels follow quickly. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Praise for The Ice Princess:

‘Heart-stopping and heart-warming, ‘The Ice Princess’ is a masterclass in Scandinavian crime writing’ Val McDermid

‘Camilla Läckberg is a more than welcome addition to the growing ranks of Scandinavian crime writers translated into English. With its sharp emotional nuances and psychological insight, ‘The Ice Princess’ builds in suspense as the author turns her clear eye on the buried secrets and contemporary relationships of a small, isolated community. I predict that Fjallbacka and its crimes and people will soon be as poplular here as they are in her native Sweden’ Peter Robinson

‘Another top-class Scandinavian crime writer reaches the British market’ The Times

‘A welcome new voice in crime fiction’ Woman & Home

‘Has a brooding quality redolent of its barren Swedish landscapes… intriguing and not a little disturbing’ Irish Times

‘Chilly, deceptive and lucid, just like the icy environment it describes’ Literary Review

European reviews for The Ice Princess:

‘The plot is simply superb, in an almost Agatha Christie-style. The cast of characters emerge with clarity and feel quite genuine… secrets come out in the 331-page book that bring about more things than murder. I read it in one go. A book that you can’t put down’ Sala Allehanda

‘Camilla Läckberg is a Crime Queen’ Bild am Sontag

‘Strong portrayals and ice-cold suspense from Sweden's new Agatha Christie’ My Life

‘Ingenious’ Metropol

'This is unputdownable. Läckberg keeps the thrills coming until the very end' Viva

'Camilla Läckberg was voted Swedish Writer of the Year for 2005. Bring on the next one!' Crimezone.nl

‘An amazingly mature, well thought-out and exciting criminal novel… Läckberg stands out as the best first-time offender of the year’ Jury

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'A more than welcome addition to the growing ranks of Scandinavian crime... I predict that Fjallbacka and its crimes will soon be as popular here as they are in her native Sweden' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Strong portrayals and ice-cold suspense from Sweden's new Agatha Christie' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Ingenious' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'This is unputdownable. Läckberg keeps the thrills coming until the very end' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Another top-class Scandinavian crime writer reaches the British market' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`A welcome new voice in crime fiction' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Chilly, deceptive and lucid, just like the icy environment it describes' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Camilla Läckberg is a more than welcome addition to the growing ranks of Scandinavian crime writers... I predict that Fjallbacka and its crimes and people will soon be as poplular here as they are in her native Sweden' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The psychological thriller debut of No.1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg.

Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life.

Erica conceives a memoir about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their lost friendship. While her interest grows to an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case. But it is only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about the small town with a deeply disturbing past.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Camilla Lackberg's four Patrick Hedstrom novels have all been Number One bestsellers in their native Sweden.

Over 1 million copies of her books have been sold in her homeland, with all four titles occupying the besteller charts at the same time.
For all fans of Minette Walters, Henning Mankell and Karin Fossum --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Your novels begin with visually distinctive crime scenes – a body frozen in a bathtub or a girl arranged on two skeletons. Does imagery inspire your plots?

For me actually, specific images – snapshots – come first, and then the story starts to come together from those bits and pieces. I am very visual when I write, I "see" the story in pictures and writing a book is like having a movie running in my head 24/7.

One of the books’ strengths is the contrast between Erica's warm character and blossoming romance and the viciousness of the crimes. Was this a difficult balance to strike?

My goal when I started writing about my couple Erica and Patrik, was to make them as ordinary people as possible. They are no superheroes, they have the same joys, sorrows and obstacles in life as most of us, and I love writing about them falling in love, and still – after six books in the series, I enjoy so much being able to follow their life. To me they really exist. They have become my closes friends and they are very, very real.

There’s plenty of humour in the book. The character of Mellberg for example is someone who would be detestable if he weren’t so ridiculous, and his pratfalls provide light relief. Few crime writers use humour, other than the gallows kind, so how did this style come about? Do you think it has become part of the books’ success?

I think my own sense of humour is quite goofy, and for example I love to play pranks on people.... But as a writer I am also interested in contrast. It is contrast that creates tension in a story, and it just felt natural to balance the dark parts of the book, with lighter parts. I guess I kind of want to take my readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions, and laughter is a wonderful thing to bring to the table....

Who do you imagine your typical reader to be?

I have thought a lot about who my average reader is. But I have to say that I’m finding it harder and harder to find a specific type. I meet a lot of my readers in signings and reading sessions, and they range for 15-year-old girls to 80-year-old men.

How many books are planned in the series?

In Sweden it has been popular among crime writers to write ten books in a series. But I have always resisted deciding beforehand how many books I will write about Patrik and Erica.

Do you plan to keep all your work in Fjällbacka with Patrik and Erica?

I only focus on one book at a time, and have decided that I will write about Patrik, Erica and Fjällbacka as long as it gives me joy, and excitement. Beyond that, who knows what the future will bring!

Sweden seems to have a particular cultural attachment to crime fiction, where it seems to be taken pretty seriously by writers. Why do you think this is such a Swedish form?

We have a great tradition of crime writing in Sweden, and I think that started with a crime writing couple named Sjöwall & Wahlöö. They wrote great books in a whole new style, and set the bar high for all of us that has followed.

You have featured in Swedish gossip pages while most of our UK newspapers are filled with stories about talentless models. Could you tell us a little about how this happened, and how you feel about it?

For me the interest from the Swedish gossip magazines started when I divorced a few years ago. I was fairly well known in Sweden already, but it really chocked me that my divorce became headline news in Sweden. And after that it was like there was no going back, and the slightest thing in my life seemed to be of public interest.... Then it so happened that I met a new man – who is also very well known in Sweden – he is a policeman who was Sweden’s first winner of "Survivor"- and with that the gossip magazines and the tabloids just went nuts.... And I don’t like that kind of attention in the media. But I try not to let it affect my life too much.

I believe there was a TV film made of the book in Sweden. What did you think of it? Are there plans for any other screen adaptations?

I loved the Swedish TV-series and especially the casting, which was great. They did the two first books and the series had very high ratings when it aired in Sweden, so they will now film the next two books come this fall. As of distribution abroad, I don’t know when and if that will happen, but we are actually in discussions with a French production company who are interested in "The Ice Princess"

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Born in 1974, Camilla Lackberg graduated from Gothenburg University of Economics, before moving to Stockholm where she worked for a few years as an economist. However, a course in creative crime writing became the trigger to a drastic change of career. Her first four novels all became Swedish No 1 bestsellers. She lives in a suburb of Stockholm.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.