Shortly before midsummer in Växjö in Småland, the corpse of a teacher is found on the banks of a lake in the woods. The body has been pierced by arrows and the circumstances of his death are reminiscent of representations of the Early Christian martyrs.
Commissioner Ingrid Nyström and her young, impulsive colleague Stina Forss take on the case. Shortly thereafter, strange drawings start to appear on the wall of the cathedral. Are they dealing with a religious ritual killing? The German-Swede Stina Forss soon begins to have her doubts. When another body is discovered, the two very different women are subjected to even more pressure from their superiors, the press and the general public.
While Ingrid Nyström battles family problems, the investigation, with all its twists and turns, leads Forss to northern Sweden, Berlin and deep into the past. Nyström and Forss’ second case is a highly political, psychologically complex crime novel that holds readers in suspense up until the last page.
“A surprisingly fabulous piece of work.” Die Welt (on Später Frost)
