MemoRandom

Starred review from October 12, 2015
In this turbocharged thriller from the author of the Game trilogy (Bubble, etc.), half of Stockholm is desperate to find out exactly what David Sarac knows—including David Sarac himself. That’s because the stroke that Sarac, an Intelligence Unit officer, suffers after a suspicious car crash leaves him, at least temporarily, barely able to remember much about his own identity, let alone his 24-kt. confidential informant, Janus. Or the myriad enemies who would like nothing better than to see both of them dead. Meanwhile, Atif, an Iraqi military policeman, returns to Sweden and his old criminal gang to find out who murdered his younger brother; Natalie, a health care worker, turns to fraud to cobble together a living; and newly appointed Minister of Justice Jesper Stenberg prepares to do just about anything to preserve his power. With the breakneck pace of the trilogy but a more mature narrative command, de la Motte deftly spins out these divergent strands, until the intricate outlines of a deadly spider’s web finally becomes visible—and inescapable. Agent: Federico Ambrosini, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden).

November 1, 2015
His memory erased by a stroke and a violent car crash, Stockholm police intelligence officer David Sarac is pressured from all sides--not all of them as friendly as they appear--to dredge up information pointing to the whereabouts of his top informant. Janus, as the informant is called, holds the key to bringing down the Swedish mob. And he may have the goods on some dirty cops as well, which makes him doubly targeted. During the two years since Sarac's stroke, four other informants have turned up dead. As he slowly regains his memory, he is tormented by not knowing what is at stake--or, as disturbing facts about his past deeds come to light, who he was and what he did. "Everyone Is Lying Don't Trust Anyone," someone has scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper. Does that include himself? In a parallel plot, a former mob hit man, Atif, returns to Sweden from his home in Iraq to bury his younger brother, who he discovers was murdered. Someone close betrayed him. Risking his life, Atif goes after the killer, ultimately joining forces with Sarac in pursuit of Janus. For all the book's twists and turns, de la Motte is completely at ease in thickening and expanding the plot. He never forces the action, which is rare in a spy thriller, instead tightening the web in which Sarac seems to be caught. The cast of characters is nicely varied; part of the pleasure is seeing through the bad guys before the protagonist does. Following up his popular Game Trilogy (Bubble, 2014, etc.), de la Motte keeps the reader guessing in this tale of an amnesiac cop and an informant whose very existence we sometimes doubt.

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April 1, 2016

David Sarac is a member of the Intelligence Unit of the Stockholm police force and has been charged with recruiting and managing organized crime informants. One of these informants seems to be linked to some very scary situations and high-level people. His identity is top secret; Sarac is the only one who knows the informant's code name. This makes crime-solving very tricky because Sarac is currently recovering from a coma and has lost most of his memory. As he struggles to regain his health and memory, he must also stay alive and work his way through a complicated web of corrupt lawmakers and the powerful organized crime syndicate of Sweden. This thriller is full of unforgettable characters, such as Atif, an Iraqi policeman who came back for his brother's funeral only to discover his brother may have been murdered by the mob he had left behind, and Jesper, the smooth-talking lawyer who is trying to cover up his own crime while embroiled in the prosecution of others. Readers will devour the intricacies of this thrilling crime novel and will hurriedly turn the pages until its denouement. VERDICT For teen fans of Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" series and de la Motte's "Game Trilogy."-Jake Pettit, Enka Schools, Istanbul, Turkey.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Stockholm PD's premier intelligence officer, David Sarac, has significant memory loss from head injuries he suffered after a stroke caused him to crash his car. A few hazy flashes of memory suggesting a violent encounter have David concerned that he's done something terrible. When he learns that he violated protocol by failing to provide backup information on his confidential informants, David knows he put something big into play before the accident. Everyone from his best friend to a threatening stranger lurking in his hospital room is demanding the identity of his star informant, Janus, who has built David's reputation with information that's secured arrests throughout Stockholm's underworld. With outlaw bikers, Russian mobsters, and a slick Iraqi gangster after Janus, the secrets trapped in David's uncooperative mind are in high demand, and his life depends on unmasking his own buried plot. An action-filled thriller that makes good use of an unreliable narratorin this case, a man desperate to root out his own misdeeds. An intriguing premise and a compelling lead character.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)