Tom Egeland
The King

They’ve taken what is dearest to him. But can he afford to buy their freedom? Lives are at stake in a relentless kidnapping drama.

When the wife and daughter of financier Christian Collett Archer are kidnapped, police detective Siri Schau and former policeman Richard Skøyen must work together to narrow down the culprit. Richard Skøyen is Archer’s security chief, and despite advising his boss to involve the police from the outset, Archer refuses out of fear that the kidnappers will harm Monica and their daughter. Skøyen is a man who is uncomfortable with authority and is inclined to use unorthodox investigative methods, but in this dangerous case, he would prefer to collaborate with the police, and after a near-fatal shooting incident in Maridalen, he does so. The mismatched investigators face a formidable task. Schau and Skøyen search for the kidnappers in Oslo’s underworld, in the Italian mafia, and in shady financial conglomerates. Is the motive money, or is the solution hidden somewhere else entirely?

Tom Egeland writes effortlessly exciting crime about what hurts the most: losing the ones you love. One small mistake can mean you never see them again. No matter how much money you have…

Tom Egeland

Fredrik Arff

Tom Egeland (b. 1959) is the author of the bestselling series about archaeologist Bjørn Beltø and a number of standalone crime novels. He is translated into 25 languages and has received numerous Norwegian literary prizes, including Rivertonprisen for best crime novel (Gospel of Lucifer) and Riksmålsforbundets Literary Award (The Devil’s Mask). His novel Night of the Wolf became both a movie and a TV series. Egeland has been president of the Norwegian Crime Writers’ Association (Rivertonklubben) and a board member of the Norwegian Authors’ Union for ten years. He has also been a book critic for the Norwegian newspaper VG.