Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2016
592 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
How does a child become a criminal? How does a father lose a son?
An epic crime novel with the excitement of Jo Nesbo's Headhunters and the narrative depth of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Father is inspired by the extraordinary true story of three brothers who committed ten audacious bank robberies in Sweden over the course of just two years.
None had committed a crime before. All were under twenty-four years old. When their incredible spree had come to an end amid the glare of the international media, all of them would be changed forever as individuals and as a family.
This intoxicating, heartbreaking thriller tells the story of how three boys are transformed over the course of their lives from innocent children to the most wanted criminals in Sweden. And of the man who made them that way: their father.
"Starred Review. Svensson highlights one of Scandinavia's darkest secrets - the brutal, all-too-frequent domestic violence that inspired the Swedish title, Men Who Hate Women, for Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Readers will be eager to see how it all plays out in the sequel." - Publishers Weekly
"A powerful real-life story." - The Guardian (UK)
"Superior .... builds to a breathless climax." - The Sun (UK)
"Unbelievably exciting and authentic ... one of the year's best crime stories." - Östran (Sweden)
"A flawlessly constructed thriller." - Femina (Sweden)
"A technically wonderful novel crafted with breathtaking cleverness." - Corriere della Sera (Italy)
"A book of great depth ... so plausible and convincing on the psychological mechanisms that lead to crime." - Diversioni (Italy)
"An exciting story about family, brotherhood, guilt, the relationship between a father and his children, the sense of belonging, and about loyalty." - Culturamas (Spain)
"An action-packed page turner - not for the faint of heart." - Elle (Germany)
"A remarkable blend of fact and fiction." - Skanska Dagladet (Sweden)
"A powerful and riveting reading experience." - Deckarbloggen (Sweden)
"The Father is captivating" - LiteraturMagazinet (Sweden)
"The Father is a book that will elect a lot of response, a must-read for every crime lover. Actually, a must for anyone who likes to read." - Hebban (The Netherlands)
"An incredible crime novel." - Brabants Dagblad (The Netherlands)
"It's extremely well written, thrilling, gripping, gruesome, cheerful, anguished, heartwarming, and ice cold - spectacular in all ways. The Father is a world-class piece of fiction." - Fredericia Dagblad (Denmark)
"Totally crazy, totally reckless, and totally brilliant...the best crime thriller of the year." - Nordjyske Stiftstidende (Denmark)
This information about The Father was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anton Svensson is a pseudonym for Stefan Thunberg and Anders Roslund.
Stefan Thunberg is one of Scandinavia's most celebrated screenwriters. His body of work spans popular TV-series such as Henning Mankell's Wallander and Håkan Nesser's Van Veeteren. The Father is Stefan Thunberg's debut novel.
Anders Roslund is an award-winning investigative journalist. Roslund is part of the New York Times bestselling author duo Roslund & Hellström, who are recipients of many prestigious awards, including the CWA International Dagger, the Glass Key and the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award. Films and TV series based on Roslund & Hellström's novels are in the works, both in Hollywood and Europe.
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