The Swede

Title:

The Swede

Author:

Karjel, Robert, 1965- author.

Summary:

"Jo Nesbo meets Homeland in this sophisticated debut literary thriller about a Swedish security force agent sent to the U.S. for a special assignment, which delivers a breathtaking global twist on the darkly riveting (and commercially appealing) narrative tradition of Nordic noir. "-- Provided by publisher.

General Note:

Also released as "My Name is N"

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Physical Description:

341 pages ; 24 cm

Genre:

Thrillers (Fiction)

Action and adventure fiction.

Subject Term:

Intelligence service -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Harper,

Electronic Access:

Cover image

Publication Date:

2015

ISBN:

9780062339584

9780062339607

Publication Information:

2015

New York : Harper, 2015.

Call Number:

KARJEL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003077982	Adult Fiction	KARJEL	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

A sophisticated debut novel about a Swedish security force agent on a mysterious special assignment to the U.S., The Swede fuses the psychological tension of Jo Nesb#65533;'s thrillers with the gripping international intrigue of I Am Pilgrim and Red Sparrow.

Ernst Grip of the Swedish security police has no idea why he's been dispatched to a remote American military base in the Indian Ocean. Met by FBI agent Shauna Friedman, he learns that the U.S. wants him to determine whether a prisoner they're holding is a Swedish citizen.

The detainee, known only as "N.," is a suspect in an Islamist-inspired terror attack in the U.S. heartland. Tortured by the CIA, he refuses to talk. Yet all the evidence points to a cabal of survivors from the devastating 2004 tsunami that struck Thailand: a ruthless American arms dealer, a Czech hit man, a mysterious nurse from Kansas, a heartbreakingly na#65533;ve Pakistani--and a Swede.

But the prisoner is not the only one harboring dangerous secrets. Grip hides a double life that will lead him into terra incognita, and Friedman, too, is not who she appears to be. In a world ruled by fear, mistrust, and deadly betrayal, these unlikely partners must learn to trust one another if they hope to stay alive.

Drawing on his military and diplomatic experience, Robert Karjel explores the uneasy repercussions of 9/11, illuminating the moral compromises that people--and nations--make in the name of security and survival.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In the first of Swedish author Karjel's novels to appear in English, Ernst Grip, of Sweden's security police, is sent on a mission to an American military base in Diego Garcia, a coral reef in the Indian Ocean, in 2008. His assignment is to interview a recalcitrant detainee known only as N and determine if he is a Swedish citizen. As Grip's FBI contact, agent Shauna Friedman, explains, N is suspected of being conscripted by a wealthy American named Adderloy to rob a bank in Topeka, Kansas. Though the plot is unusually complex, reader Harding's clear, appropriately dramatic rendition adds mightily to its accessibility and enjoyment. His presentation of the main characters is just as helpful. Ernst's over-enunciated English mirrors his need for caution. Shauna's voice, like the agent herself, is authoritative, uncompromising and unflappable. N, for good reason, sounds a bit like Ernst, though more taciturn, cynical, and hopeless. And Adderloy, the mastermind behind the robbery and its aftermath, apparently hails from the American Southwest. He is loud, arrogant, and demanding, and not the novel's only example of America at its worst. A Harper hardcover. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

This intriguing, complicated thriller concerns a suspected terrorist detained on Diego Garcia, a remote military outpost in the Indian Ocean, by U.S. authorities, who suspect the detainee to be Swedish. Ernst Grip of the Swedish security police is summoned to try to discern this person's identity. While listeners follow Ernst's journey, they also follow the fate of the detainee from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to his encounters with displaced people in the aftermath of the catastrophe to Topeka, KS, and then to Diego Garcia. Jeff Harding gives an animated and expressive reading of this tale. His pronunciation is clear, and he creates a distinct, melodic reading of the narrative, giving each character distinct voices that he performs consistently throughout. VERDICT Public libraries and those collections in which action thrillers are popular should consider this work.--Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.