Camilla Läckberg
 

It’s always been my life’s dream to write detective novels. It first came true in 2003 when my first book The Ice Princess was published in Sweden and now, my seventh book, The Lighthouse Keeper has reached the shelves in Sweden at the same time as the rights to my books have been sold to over 30 countries worldwide. Here on my website you can find out about me, my books, and Fjällbacka, the place where I grew up and the scene of all my murders. Most of the characters in my books are fictional, but some are real people living in the area, and I’ll be telling you more about them in these pages. Happy reading! Camilla Läckberg

Camilla’s books are set in Fjällbacka, the coastal village where Camilla was born and raised. In northern Bohuslän, about 140 km north of Göteborg, lies the little community of Fjällbacka. Already a fishing village in the 17th century, Fjällbacka is now an idyll that’s steeped in history. Its name derives from the imposing rocky outcrop that the village encircles. Thousands of tourists visit Fjällbacka in the summer. For the rest of the year, there’s about 1,000 permanent residents. Fjällbacka might be small, but there are still hotels, cafés and shops. The best way to get to Fjällbacka without a car is by train to Uddevalla. You can also take a train to Dingle and from there take a bus to Fjällbacka, or alternatively fly to Trollhättan and make your way from there.

Crime-writers’ school – the seven steps I get lots of questions about my writing, many of them asking for advice. Unfortunately there are no miracle tips I can give. The most important thing is to make sure that you sit down and start writing, not that each sentence is perfectly composed. A wise person once said that writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, and I can personally vouch for the truth of that! So don’t get in a stew over how the words fall – just make sure THAT they fall. Let the words just flow. In other words: write, write, write! Here, I’d like to present my own seven-part crime-writers’ school. Each part contains tips and exercises as well as some pointers for books that you might find inspiring. Good luck!

Predikanten

 

An early summer morning, a little boy sets off to play at King's Crevice in Fjällbacka. His games come to an abrupt end when he finds the body of a naked young woman staring up at him. The police are called to the scene. They soon realise that the woman has been murdered. The mystery becomes even more perplexing when they find out what lies underneath the woman's body, namely the skeletons of two other women who have been reported missing since the late 1970s…
Predikanten (The Preacher) is a superb crime novel that skilfully weaves the past together with the present. The characters are shaped with great psychological insight, the Free Church milieu is thrillingly described and highly topical, and the excellent plot is full of surprises.

 

In summer of 2004, when THE PREACHER arrived in Swedish bookstores Camilla had begun her climb to the top. With Forum as her new publishing house she stepped on to the Swedish crime-writers scene, head held high. Without a doubt, this novel, selling almost 500 000 copies in Sweden alone, is an impressive work. It has already been featured as a two part mini-series on TV and continues to find readers all over the world. If you want to learn more about the book, please visit Camilla’s Swedish publishing house Forum: www.forum.se

With Predikanten (The Preacher), Läckberg not only takes a giant step forwards - it is one of the best Swedish crime novels of the year. Läckberg has a completely new approach, mainly in that the motive for murder is as original as it is surprising - and actually believable from a psychological point of view. On that particular point her second novel maintains international class. Predikanten (The Preacher) is an unusually powerful mystery and I am impressed with the maturity and self-assurance that Läckberg already displays. One more novel of this quality and she will be counted among the top ranks of female Swedish crime authors.

JOHAN WOPENKA, JURY

This is Camilla´s second book and she already seems to be a fully-fledged crime writer, at least on a par with Liza Marklund. It is excellent excitement and above all, excellent character portrayals in which the policemen also have families and domestic situations. A real mystery gem.

VECKO-REVYN

Predikanten (The Preacher) is a superb detective novel, an intelligent book about people and relationships ­ and hopefully the start of a very promising new Swedish detective novel series.

BO LUNDIN, SYDSVENSKA DAGBLADET

An entertaining storyteller [who] keeps us guessing

INDEPENDENT

It’s worth keeping an eye on Camilla Läckberg, whose second novel, The Preacher, is a cracker … the plotting is immaculate and the villain proves to be thoroughly and inventively unpleasant

INDEPENDENT

Both chilling and thrilling

SUN

Läckberg is an expert at mixing scenes of domestic cosiness with blood-curdling horror … a must for white-knuckle junkies

GUARDIAN

A welcome addition to the swelling ranks of Scandinavian crime writers … a good, solid read

IRISH INDEPENDENT

 


Please address all queries about Camilla Läckberg and her books to Nordin Agency for further assistance. E-mail: info@nordinagency.se Phone: +46-8-571 685 25 Address: Nordin Agency, P.O. Box 4244, 203 13 Malmö, Sweden For questions regarding sponsoring and press, please contact Christina Saliba at Weber Shandwick. E-mail: christina.saliba@webershandwick.se Phone: +46-70-341 46 54. For more information in Swedish about Camilla Läckberg please visit Camilla's Swedish website: www.camillalackberg.se .