The Mountain King: A Novel

This atmospheric and sinister mystery will have you “hooked from the very first page” (Kyle Mills, #1 New York Times bestselling author) as it follows a brilliant female detective investigating the darkest side of humanity.

Detective Leonore Asker seems to have the leading position at Malmö’s Major Crime Division within reach. But things go awry when, in the middle of a high profile kidnapping case, management relegates her to the so-called Department of Lost Souls—the unit for odd, cold cases banished to the basement of the police station.

Despite the humiliation, Asker is drawn into one of the more peculiar cases. Someone is secretly placing small ominous figures in a huge model train displays and one of the figures seems to represent the missing woman from the kidnapping case. As Asker’s investigation leads her into the world of the abandoned and forgotten, she reaches out to her old friend and urban explorer Martin Hill. Together they discover that an unusual kind of evil lurks—at the heart of a mountain, deep down in the darkness.

“Absorbing, deftly plotted, bone-chilling” (Andrew Gross, New York Times bestselling author), The Mountain King will twist its way under your skin.

Anders de la Motte, a former police officer, made his debut in 2010 with the award-winning thriller Game and has since then been one of Sweden’s most beloved and popular crime writers. He is the author of several acclaimed and bestselling crime fiction series, among them the suspenseful Skåne Quartet. Published in 2022, The Mountain King is the first bestselling installment in his new Leo Asker series.

ISBN: 9781668030813
Format: Hardback
Pages: 464
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Published: January 30, 2024

“Superb…De la Motte nimbly juggles a substantial cast as his plot grows increasingly intricate, ratcheting suspense to near-unbearable heights. This crackerjack page-turner will keep readers up late."“Unsettling. De la Motte had me hooked from the very first page.”“A masterful thriller that succeeds on all levels: absorbing, deftly-plotted, bone-chilling. Leonore Asker takes her place at the front of the line of Swedish crime solvers: awkward, headstrong, unstoppable. I honestly read the last 100 pages with the hair on my arms standing on edge.”“THE MOUNTAIN KING is Nordic crime fiction at its best : addictive, eerie and hauntingly atmospheric (fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will devour it). Leonore Asker, and the wonderfully named ‘Department of Lost Souls’, are fascinating and unpredictable. This is the new series you need in your life. EXCEPTIONAL.”"The twisty, spine-tingling mystery that unfolds is creepy and sinister, laced with a touch of dark Scandinavian folklore."