Author:Leif G W Persson,Neil Smith
DS Evert Bäckström is in charge of a rare kind of case. Finding a suspect for the murder of Thomas Eriksson – gangster lawyer and renowned defender of the guilty – isn’t difficult, but narrowing down the long list of people who wanted him dead is almost impossible. Certainly the only thing the detective is mourning is his obligation to process the paperwork.
Fortunately, Bäckström has spent his years cultivating a group of questionable acquaintances. His colleagues don’t know that he only closes his cases with the help of these friends. Nor that Bäckström owes them a few favours. But this time they’re all in for a surprise because even the dirtiest cop couldn’t have predicted where this trail would lead or how far from comfortable Bäckström might be at its end.
Unquestionably among the most entertaining you can find in the season's crop of Swedish crime fiction.
—— Expressen (Sweden)Leif GW Persson is a highly intelligent entertainer, able to make the reader writhe with laughter on one hand and flinch over the sharp and critical depictions of contemporary society on the other ... To put it simply, I haven't had this much fun reading a crime novel in a long time.
—— Skanska Dagbladet ( Sweden)Leif GW Persson undoubtedly writes the most entertaining crime literature in Sweden right now, not least because of the priceless police detective Bäckström - a con man whom we love to hate.
—— Dala-Demokraten (Sweden)Despite - or thanks to - Bäckström's asinine character the plot strands are elegantly woven together into a powerful whole that satisfies the readers' desire for a titillating cast of characters, strange coincidences, and a waft of history.
—— Aftonbladet (Sweden)All the ingredients are in this book...You're in safe hands with Searle's elegant writing
—— The TimesAn incredibly dark, taut thriller...it deserves to be a bestseller. Think of Ruth Rendell morphing into John le Carré
—— Daily ExpressSearle shows a gift for complex plotting. The Good Liar is packed with secrets and surprises, bluffs and double-bluffs
—— Daily TelegraphA perfectly entertaining way to spend a few hours
—— Sunday TimesA confident debut...an easy page-turner
—— GraziaA cracking read
—— Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2What a clever and menacing novel The Good Liar is. I was gripped and horrified in equal measure and the ending knocked me sideways! I can't wait for everyone to read the book so I can talk about it
—— Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of 'Love, Nina' and 'Man at the Helm'Precise and speedy prose, with good old-fashioned romantic adventure spiced up with deadpan authorial irony
—— GuardianFast-paced and chock-full of twists, Last Seen Alive is both absorbing and gripping. After reading it you'll never dream of a house swap again
—— Paula DalyThrilling . . . superb plotting. I could hardly catch my breath between twists!
—— Jenny BlackhurstIt's so twisty, turning and grippy. Highly recommend it!
—— Gilly MacmillanI love stories where you're not quite sure who is telling the truth! This one kept me guessing
—— Jane Corry