2025
The Norwegian environmental and human rights activist Sofie Christensen is determined to uncover the consequences of oil operations carried out by a Norwegian-owned company in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the same time, a defector from a notorious rebel group asks Christensen’s Swedish colleague, Anna Hagberg, for help in finding his sons. Shortly afterwards, the women are attacked in their apartment in Kinshasa. The defector and a stranger are killed. The women are arrested for murder.
Chief Inspector Tom Grayston and his partner Chris Møller from Kripos are assigned to travel to Congo. It becomes the beginning of a case they will never forget.
The Kleptocracy</i> is a crime novel with international crime and environmental issues as its themes.
The novel was published in 2024 by Liv Forlag and is the third in the crime series. The Kleptocracy was nominated for the Norwegian Silver Dagger Award (Sølvkniven) for Best Crime Novel of 2022.
Book reviewer Tor Hammerø in the newspaper Nettavisen reviewed The Kleptocracy and wrote: “Espen Skjerven has taken a giant step up into the Norwegian crime literature elite.”
The Kleptocracy is nothing less than brilliant...a page-turner of the rare kind (rating 5/6).
Kleptocracy gives the reader the nagging unease that a good crime novel should have.
Espen Skjerven has written a thriller of international proportions (rating 6/6)
The story is packed with action—almost to the point where it’s hard to catch your breath (rating 6/6).
The Kleptocracy is a quality crime novel (rating 6/6).
With the Kleptocracy, Skjerven cements his solid position among my top three Norwegian favorites who write cracking good crime with meaning.
Espen Skjerven cements his position as a truly excellent crime writer (rating 5/6).
Espen Skjerven undoubtedly belongs to the elite of crime writers in Norway, and the Kleptocracy fully confirms it (rating 6/6).
Skjerven shows that he is on par with the very best. I warmly recommend the book (rating 6/6).
Espen Skjerven is a name to remember. I’ve enjoyed all of his books (rating 6/6).
The Kleptocracy by Espen Skjerven is a fantastic, eventful, and well-written crime novel with a fast pace and great suspense curves (rating 5+/6).
Skjerven to the people! (rating 5/6).
Top quality, plain and simple.
“…an incredibly exciting crime story, intense and action-packed. Tom Grayston appears as a thoughtful and sympathetic investigator, with a strong sense of justice, and I am happy to follow him both in his work and private life.”
Espen Skjerven
Kjetil Birkedal Pedersen
