Death in Summer

When murder comes to a secluded island, the ghosts of the past will resurface.

As a young boy, Fredrik Fröding survived one of Europe's worst ferry disasters. The tragedy haunts him, and decades later Fredrik refuses to give up hope that his brother Nikolas also lived. It's become an obsession that cost him a career in the police, and his relentless quest for answers leads him from Stockholm to the island of Ulvön.

In the remote north on Sweden's High Coast, the island community is tiny, but bolstered by a bustling tourist industry. It's where Detective Sofia Hjortén retreated to after her personal life fell apart. When a man is murdered at the local hotel, she gathers evidence, and is shocked to see Fredrik in the area: his departure from police training also signalled the end of their brief intimacy.

Sofia's work leads her to unravel secrets from forty years ago. What does a summer camp have to do with the dead man? This mystery Sofia must solve, a job made harder when the key suspect in the crime turns out to be Fredrik. Has his fragile mental state led to violence, or is there someone else out there whose demons have led to bloodshed?

A compulsive Scandinavian crime thriller with a vivid and atmospheric setting. Perfect for police procedural fans who love the novels of Maria Adolfsson, Anders de la Motte and Håkan Nesser.

Lina Areklew was born in Stockholm in 1979 and grew up on the High Coast. Today she divides her time between a house northwest of Stockholm and a croft outside Örnsköldsvik. After a career as a project manager within telecommunications, she studied literature and now works as a freelance copy editor. Her debut novel is set in Stockholm and on the island Ulvön outside Örnsköldsvik.

© 2026 Lina Areklew (P) 2026 DK Audio