Lou Berg is the nom de plume of authors Tiina Nevala and Henrik Karlsson. Their first novel People Like Us came out in 2018. In 2021, the first instalment in their new suspense trilogy was published. Dawn. False. is a new take on Scandinavian Noir, with art forgery and extortion at the centre.

The sequel, And the Shadow Falls, was published in September 2022, with the third and final instalment in the trilogy, Circles of Darkness, published in April 2024.

Tiina and Henrik live in Gustavsberg, just outside Stockholm, and have both worked in the publishing industry for many years.

Agents: Erik Larsson & Martina Österling

When a criminal hangout in a Stockholm suburb is raided by the police, a valuable painting is found. Dawn. False. by the Russian artist Ivan Botkin is thought to be valued at 30 million dollars – unless it’s a forgery, of course. The dubious detective Roger Forsén believes the painting is a fake and asks Nea Hallgren, professor at the Stockholm University of Arts, to consult on the matter. His question is: who could be the forger?

Art student Nadezhda Volkova, who came to Sweden from Ukraine at the age of twelve, wants to use her talent to create her own art, but her skill in reproducing the works of other artists have landed her in deep waters. With her grandparents still living back in her homeland, depending on her to send them money to make ends meet, Nadezhda has no choice but to get in bed with some shady characters.

Nea and Nadezhda’s fates are joined when Nea has to save her family from her husband’s gambling debts, and Nadezhda is left out in the cold by her contact in the art world after setting demands for the first time. Together they plot to create yet another forged Botkin to sell as an original.

But the dark waters of the black market in the art world are deep indeed, and soon Nea and Nadezhda find themselves in life-threatening situations.

Dawn. False. is a suspense novel set in the Stockholm art world, and centres on two female characters whose love for their family makes their moral boundaries to shift.

REVIEWS

“At the centre, we find art professor Nea Hallgren and skilful art student Nadezhda Volkova. It's a thrilling insight to the art of forging, and interesting characters in a cunning affair. I even believed that the Russian artist was real for a while.”
- Uppsala Nya Tidning

“Dawn. False. is a thriller with a difference and, for a fan of Swedish ‘noir’, an exciting and welcome departure from the usual crime novel format: there are almost no bodies or detectives! Instead, we enter a thrilling world where fine art and art forgery meet organised crime. Intermingled with this is a sad love story now facing new challenges. […] Like all excellent thrillers, Dawn. False. contains an interesting twist in the tale. An alternative title could have been Suspense. Absolutely.”
- Swedish Book Review

PUBLISHED piratförlaget, september 2022
Genre suspense
Pages 330

RIGHTS SOLD
german - dumont

Nea Hallgren, mother of two, is struggling with the guilt of having killed someone and is dragged even deeper into the dangerous world of art forgery that has suddenly become her new reality. The only question is how long she can persuade her former student Nadezhda Volkova to continue producing counterfeits for her to sell. The forgeries may be Nea's rescue from an impossible situation, but Nadezhda feels torn between the money and staying true to her own art.

When the police start asking questions about Nadezhda's missing stepfather, they keep their cool. But when a Russian friend turns up on the same case, the net is tightened, and the truth risks being revealed. At the same time, they have decided to deceive one of the world's most reputable auction houses – their biggest and most risky coup to date...

And the Shadow Falls is the sequel to Dawn. False.

REVIEWS

“Exciting, easy to read, funny, intelligent suspense novel that almost gives feel good vibes even though criminal activities are depicted. […] Eagerly one waits for the next part.”
- BTJ

CIRCLES OF DARKNESS