At fifty-nine years old, Valdemar Roos is tired of life. Working a job he hates and with a wife he barely talks to, he doesn't have much of a future. Then, one day, a winning lottery ticket gives him an opportunity to start afresh.

Without telling a soul, he quits his job and buys a hut in the remote Swedish countryside. Every day he travels down to this man-made oasis, returning each evening to his unsuspecting wife. Life couldn't be better, until a young woman arrives in paradise . . .

Anna Gambowska is a twenty-one-year-old recovering drug addict. On the run from a rehab centre and an abusive relationship, all Anna's prayers are answered when she comes across a seemingly vacant hut in the Swedish woodland. But it's not long before Anna's ex discovers her location, and an incident occurs that will mar the lives of both Anna and Valdemar forever.

Inspector Barbarotti doesn't take much interest when a woman reports her husband as missing. That is, until a dead body is found near the missing man's newly bought hut, and Mr Roos becomes the number one murder suspect . . .

'A master of suspense'
Sunday Times

'Told with wry humour and compassion, Nesser has four
more Barbarotti stories to come - cherish them all'
Daily Mail

'The Godfather of Swedish crime'
Metro