Espen Skjerven

Traitors

Detective Tom Grayston has been called back to his home region in Sandnes and Stavanger to assist in a case where the body of a deceased business leader has been dug up and disappeared. He was no ordinary man, but the CEO of an oil company that had been involved in a corruption and environmental scandal.

Tom and his colleagues face an intense hunt for the culprits, who will stop at nothing in carrying out their plan to save the world.

Traitors (Svikere) is an environmental thriller that touches on themes such as conspiracy theories, the environment, and extremism.

The novel was published in 2024 by Liv Forlag and is the fourth in the crime series.

Traitors won the Norwegian Silver Dagger Award (Sølvkniven) for Best Crime Novel of 2024. The jury wrote in its statement:

“It is rock solid and has a well-composed plot. Skjerven writes convincingly and manages to engage on absolutely every level. The environmental issues addressed are more topical than ever, making the publication highly relevant. And it is exceedingly entertaining. We in the jury could not have found a more worthy winner, who spices his work with both fact and fiction. Traitors has all the ingredients to succeed in the book market, and we believe it can reach far beyond Norway’s borders, for the language, plot, and story are of the highest quality.”