Southern Sweden: Beautiful countryside, endless forests, coastal walks, dark days - and even darker nights. But beneath the beauty lies a dark heart . . .
Skåne, 1986: On the night of Walpurgis, the eve of May Day, where bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and preparations are made to celebrate the renewal of spring, a sixteen-year-old girl is ritualistically murdered in the woods beside a castle. Her stepbrother is convicted of the terrible deed and shortly after, the entire family vanishes without a trace.
Spring, 2019: Dr Thea Lind moves into the castle. After making a strange discovery in an ancient oak tree on the grounds, her fascination with the old tragedy deepens. As she uncovers more and more similarities between her own troubled past and the murdered girl, she begins to believe that the real truth of the killing was never uncovered.
What if the spring of 1986 claimed more than one victim? Anders de la Motte is the bestselling author of the Seasons Quartet; the first three books of which - End of Summer, Deeds of Autumn and Dead of Winter - have all been number one bestsellers in Sweden and have been shortlisted for the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year. Anders, a former police officer, also won a Swedish Academy Crime Award for his debut, Game, in 2010 and for his second standalone novel, The Silenced, in 2015.
To date, the first three books in the Seasons Quartet have published over half a million copies. Set in southern Sweden, all four books can be read independently. The first thrilling standalone mystery from Sweden's answer to Val McDermid set in southern Sweden. A MASTER STORYTELLER: This is upmarket, literary crime - like a Scandinavian Val McDermid. Anders de la Motte is at the top of his game and is the natural successor to Henning Mankell. A NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER: Anders de la Motte is a #1 bestselling author in his native Sweden. The 'Seasons Quartet' series has sold over 500,000 copies and all have been shortlisted for the prestigious Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award (Best Swedish Crime Novel). A SERIES WITH A UNIQUE SETTING: The first book in a standalone series of four books, each set in a different season in Southern Sweden.
