You are using a browser that is not supported by this website may not work correctly. Please try using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge or Opera.
We use cookies to ensure the website functions properly. These, for example, will keep you logged in, will track performance and can be used for marketing purposes. Read more about our cookies or choose which cookies you accept on this page.
Best Debut, The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award 2017
'Thrilling, unnerving, clever and beautiful' Fredrik Backman
The year is 1793, Stockholm. King Gustav of Sweden has been assassinated, years of foreign wars have emptied the treasuries, and the realm is governed by a self-interested elite, leaving its citizens to suffer. On the streets, malcontent and paranoia abound.
A body is found in the city's swamp by a watchman, Mickel Cardell, and the case is handed over to investigator Cecil Winge, who is dying of consumption. Together, Winge and Cardell become embroiled in a brutal world of guttersnipes and thieves, mercenaries and madams, and one death will expose a city rotten with corruption beneath its powdered and painted veneer.
The Wolf and the Watchman depicts the capacity for cruelty in the name of survival or greed - but also the capacity for love, friendship, and the desire for a better world.
(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited