Under the Storm

A Novel

By: Christoffer Carlsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles - translator

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A farmhouse mysteriously goes up in flames with someone trapped inside and a community is never the same in the aftermath—both a page-turning whodunit and a deeply touching coming-of-age story by one of Sweden’s top criminologists and “a rising star in Scandinavian crime fiction” (Kirkus Reviews)

“The quintessential crime novel—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Angie Kim, author of Happiness Falls

On a cold November night, a farmhouse burns to the ground. Inside a young woman is found dead—not from the fire but murdered. To the people in the rural community of Marbäck, this becomes a reference point: a before and after. For ten-year-old Isak Nyqvist, it sets in motion something he cannot control, igniting his future into an unpredictable inferno.

The police focus their attention on Edvard Christensson, the boyfriend of the murdered woman and Isak’s beloved uncle. After a quick investigation, Edvard is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison and Marbäck believes it can return to its innocence. Vidar Jörgensson, the rookie officer who first responded to the fire, prides himself on helping solved the murder. Little does he know this will become the defining case of his career and that it will drive him to the brink of professional and personal disaster—and link his fate to young Isak's.

A celebrated author and professor of criminology, Christoffer Carlsson digs deep into the psyches of ordinary people and shows how one crime can haunt a community for decades. A #1 international bestseller, Under the Storm is already a modern classic of Scandinavian crime fiction and demonstrates why many regard Carlsson as one of the great crime writers of his generation.

©2024 Christoffer Carlsson (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"“When the body of a young woman was discovered in an incinerated farmhouse in 1994, resolution was swift—it was murder, her boyfriend did it, case closed. But for the boyfriend’s nephew, Isak; the arresting officer, Vidar Jörgensson; and the entire community of Marbäck, closure is a myth about to be shattered. The character trajectories (and tragedies) of Isak and Vidar have real narrative heft, but Carlsson also makes room to explore bigotry, misogyny and nativism . . . wonderfully translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles.”—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

“A tense police procedural.”—Wall Street Journal

“A brilliantly woven, unsettling crime novel . . . Boasting the psychological intensity of a Hitchcock film . . . this is a gripping, utterly distinctive mystery by a newly established Swedish master. As in Blaze Me a Sun, Carlsson explores the nature of grief and generational trauma, all while keeping readers unsure of what’s going to happen next.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Thoughtful, Philosophical and Highly Intelligent

Under the Storm continues the story in Blaze Me a Sun, the first book. However, this book can stand easily on its own. I love the thoughtful, philosophical and highly intelligent writing in both of these books. I read a lot of Swedish noir and I would say this is the best of the best. It actually blends noir with good literature. I learned about Swedish rural life and police culture. I got a feel of what it is like to grow up in Sweden as the stories deal with all aspects of life, childhood through old age and even the afterlife. The characters are all so real and sympathetic. The writing is mature. I hope there will be more of these books to come. They are among my favorite reads of all time.