Lars Kepler – the pseudonym that aspires to be the next Stieg Larsson

December 9, 2009 by · 4 Comments
Filed under: About books, crime book, Lars Kepler, Swedish writer 

The Hypnotist (Hypnotisören) is the latest huge crime novel in Sweden. The first novel by a new and unknown author, Lars Kepler. Big hype, huge expectations about a new series of novels featuring a new interesting heroine, Detective Inspector Joona Linna. The book was an instant best seller in Sweden. The rights to the book has been sold internationally to  more than 30 countries worldwide, including the U.S.

The plot is interesting. A father, wife and daughter are all brutally murdered as part of an attempt to wipe out an entire family. The police have to race against time to find the one surviving daughter before the killer does. The only way they can achieve this, is to convince a doctor, against his better judgment, to hypnotize the son who barely survived the killer’s attack.

Then it was revealed by the media that there is no Lars Kepler. Lars Kepler does not exist. Huge sensation. Lars Kepler turned out to be a pseudonym for two literary authors, husband-and-wife Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, now writing under the pseudonym Lars Kepler. They have so far barely been able to sustain themselves economically by their writing. Now they wanted to make money. And in Sweden, crime fiction writers make big money. And, of course, when in Sweden, do as the Swedes. So they decided to write crime fiction, using a cool name.

According to Jan Guillou, they have achieved their goal already: the book and rights have so far netted them 15-20 million SKR. Not bad. Or?

PS: The Hynotist by Lars Kepler is now finally available for preorder at amazon UK: The Hypnotist

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Coq Rouge, by Jan Guillou

February 12, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Carn Hamilton Coq Rouge, Fiction, Jan Guillou, Main character, Swedish writer, Thriller 

Jan (Oscar Sverre Lucien Henri) Guillou is one of Sweden’s most famous current authors. His Coq Rouge-novels, a series of books about the Swedish secret agent Carl Gustaf Gilbert Hamilton, the Scandinavian James Bond, have been translated into some 15 languages. This is the first book in the series about Hamilton.

Carl Hamilton has been given special training by FBI and US Navy, even though he comes from neutral Sweden. He comes from the Swedish aristocracy, but he is also a former leftist, opposed the Vietnam war in the 1960s, and was a member of the Maoist Clarté group. Almost like Jan Guillou himself?

Coq Rouge, by Jan GuillouCoq Rouge starts with a bang. A high ranking officer in the Swedish Secret police is shot in Stockholm. The authorities are confused. Things like this just doesn’t happen in Sweden. Who is behind the execution?

Carl Hamilton, who has officially studied political science in California, but has in reality been trained as a Navy Seal, and a spy, is assigned the case. His is assigned the code name Coq Rouge. This is his first big case, with a trail that goes to Oslo, Beirut, Lillehammer, Israel, and Iran.

Coq Rouge is a great read, with an interesting and international plot, and it is a wonderful start on the fabulous series of books about Count Hamilton. This is one of the best international spy series in modern time, in the same class as LeCarrè and Daniel Silva, but considerably more action packed. All of the books, and this one as well, are extremely exciting, with lots of action and rapidly unfolding plots. Carl Hamilton is a likeable and skilled operator, and a great character. Coq Rogue is a wonderful read.

For some or other reason, the books in this series are hard to find in English, and a number of them are currently selling for USD 100 or more from private sellers on various internet sites.

Also by Jan Guillou: The Knight Templar (Crusades Trilogy), (historical novels) another great series!

Order from amazon UK: Coq Rouge., The Road to Jerusalem (Crusades Trilogy), and The Knight Templar (Crusades Trilogy).

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