THE NIGHTMARE LARS KEPLER Translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith This is entirely a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental. HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2012 1 Copyright © Lars Kepler 2010 Translation copyright © Neil Smith 2018 All rights reserved Originally published in 2010 by Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden, as Paganinikontraktet Lars Kepler asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018 Cover photography © Jill Battaglia/Trevillion Images Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to reprint excerpts from the following previously published material: ‘Starman,’ ‘Life on Mars,’ and ‘Ziggy Stardust,’ written by David Bowie, reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation and Tintoretto Music admin. By RZO Music, Inc.; Pablo Neruda, ‘Soneto XLV,’ Cien sonetos de amor, © Fundación Pablo Neruda, 2012 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication Ebook Edition © APRIL 2018 ISBN: 9780007488087 SOURCE ISBN: 9780008241827 Version: 2019-03-04
International Praise for Lars Kepler:
‘A terrifying and original read’ Sun ‘A rollercoaster ride of a thriller full of striking twists’ Mail on Sunday ‘Sensational’ Lee Child ‘An international book written for an international audience’ Huffington Post ‘Ferocious, visceral storytelling that wraps you in a cloak of darkness. It’s stunning’ Daily Mail ‘One of the best – if not the best – Scandinavian crime thrillers I’ve read’ Sam Baker, Red ‘A creepy and compulsive crime thriller’ Mo Hayder ‘Intelligent, original and chilling’ Simon Beckett ‘Mesmerizing … a bad dream that takes hold and won’t let go’ Wall Street Journal ‘One of the most hair-raising crime novels published this year’ Sunday Times ‘Grips you round the throat until the final twist’ Woman & Home ‘A serious, disturbing, highly readable novel that is finally a meditation on evil’ Washington Post ‘A genuine chiller … deeply scarifying stuff’ Independent ‘Far above your average thriller … you’ll be terrified’ Evening Standard ‘A pulse-pounding debut that is already a native smash’ Financial Times ‘The cracking pace and absorbing story mean it cannot be missed’ Courier Mail ‘Utterly outstanding’ Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Denmark ‘Disturbing, dark and twisted’ Easy Living ‘Creepy and addictive’ She ‘Brilliant, well written and very satisfying. A superb thriller’ De Telegraaf, Netherlands Table of Contents
International Praise for Lars Kepler:
Chapter 3: A boat is left adrift in Jungfrufjärden
Chapter 5: National Homicide Commission
