THE MALIN FORS SERIES

THE EYE CATCHERS

 

Published 2021
Genre crime
Pages 350

It is a bitingly cold winter in Linköping. An old case of a murdered boy eludes Malin Fors and the other investigators on the homicide unit. Who is the boy? How did he end up alone on a meadow, with every bone in his body crushed? One day, a woman in Algeria makes herself known: I am his mother.

Malin Fors is hunted by her demons, and a recently crashed relationship. When the case of the boy starts to develop, she is drawn into a world where she does not even know who she is anymore, and is forced to realize that even her own gaze can be a deceiver: nothing is what it first seems to be. In THE EYE CATCHERS, which is the fourteenth book in the series about detective Malin Fors, the threat moves ever closer to her personally, and it all boils down to a concrete question of either being the hunter – or the prey.

The series about the police Malin Fors in Linköping is an established classic in Swedish thriller literature.

 
 

REVIEWS

"Kallentoft is one of the best in the country and this is no exception. While solving an old case, the book manages to address philosophical questions about the freedom of art while being nail-bitingly exciting with an impressive insight into the human psyche. A driven language that does not conceal the horrors here at home or out in the world. Engaging from the first page to the last. "
- Björn Stenberg, Uppsala Nya Tidning newspaper 

"Mons Kallentoft is good at creating tension and in Malin Fors he has created a police officer whose footsteps one is happy to follow in – even the times when she treads crookedly."
- Kenth Jönsson, Ölandsbladet newspaper 

"Reading the fourteenth novel about Malin Fors is like entering an old familiar room; first of all the smell, then all the stuff standing in their given places and finally the feeling of harmony and order [...] As usual, Kallentoft has full control over the dialogues and his use of language has not lost its sharpness. "
- C Lundh, Skaraborgs Allehanda newspaper

 

JAWS OF SATAN

It's spring in Linköping. An old man is found murdered on an old battlefield, and someone seems to have eaten parts of his body. The tracks lead Malin Fors and her colleagues in several different directions. The man was gay, and at a time when hate crimes are on the rise, this may have been a motive. Or does the murder have to do with his successful work as a chemist?

When another gay man is found dead, Malin begins to fear that a sadistic serial killer is on the loose. As the unrest spreads in the city, the investigation leads her further and further into a world of ruthless greed. And in the hunt for the killer, she is forced to face her own desires and weaknesses, which she tries in vain to escape from.

JAWS OF SATAN is the thirteenth part in the hugely successful Malin Fors series by Mons Kallentoft.

published 2020
Genre crime
Pages 333

REVIEWS

"In the thirteenth book about Malin Fors, the Linköping police's private life becomes an almost as terribly exciting as the ongoing murder investigation."
- Maria Näslund, journalist and literary critic

"Malin Fors has almost become a friend over the years and her shortcomings in regards to alcohol and relationships are engaging, as well as her skills as a police officer. This also happens in JAWS OF SATAN when a young man is found dead and bitten. Another word and the question arises: is there a sadistic serial killer on the loose? As expected, a dense and intense story with many points of contact with social issues – Kallentoft knows his stuff."
- Björn G Stenberg, Uppsala Nya Tidning newspaper

"A skilfully composed and really exciting thriller. ... Well-constructed plot."
- Nisse Scherman, DAST Magazine

 

CRY FROM HEAVEN

published 2018
Genre crime
Pages 318

On a hot day in August, a little boy is found dead in a car. When Malin Fors arrives at the scene, his mother is sitting in the shade under a tree with her son in her arms. Her desperate screams have turned into a constant heartbroken sound.

The police investigation is closed quickly. By all accounts, the mother has forgotten and left the sleeping boy in the car. She was recently burnt out and can trust neither her senses nor memories.

In the weeks that follow, she is exposed to hatred and threats online by Linköping's residents. Should one be able to cause a child's death without being punished for it? Malin knows that there are no simple answers, that the line between right and wrong can be subtle. And how should one judge the one person who has already received the worst possible punishment? Then a murder takes place that forces her and her colleagues to return to the case.

REVIEWS

"Kallentoft has the ability to balance the text between the police investigation and Malin's not completely uncomplicated private life without letting anything take over. I read as much to get the resolution as to see how everything pans out for one of my favorite police officers." - - Göteborgsposten newspaper 

"As always, Kallentoft is a skilled at portraying environments and moods, and this time he has also created an unpredictable and unusually captivating story where nothing is what it seems to be at first glance."
- Smålandsposten newspaper

 

EXECUTIONER’S KISS

published 2017
Genre crime
Pages 341

In EXECUTIONER’S KISS, Malin Fors is back in Linköping after a grueling time as liaison officer in the metropolis Bangkok. She has managed to stay sober but is restless and needs a complicated case to keep the craving for alcohol at bay.

Then a plane is hijacked at Linköping Airport and Malin and her colleagues are thrown into the biggest hostage drama in Sweden's history. Over forty men, women and children are threatened with death by the hijacker who has decided he has the right to decide over the lives and deaths of others. But can a few lives be sacrificed to save many?

The hijacking will be a tragic event that will have repercussions for a long time to come. When the summer reaches its peak, Linköping explodes in crueler violence than the city has ever seen. Malin must try to stop a killer who is constantly threatening to strike again, and who is constantly one step ahead.

REVIEWS

"The introduction to this book is so exciting that it may be the best piece of writing that Mons Kallentoft has produced so far. I was holding my breath as I read the first hundred pages. With his own style and tone, the author portrays a parent's despair and desperation. It's a very contemporary scenario […] exciting, fast and intense.”
- Johanna's detective corner, crime novel blog

"As usual, the author possesses a language that has a strong presence and creates excitement. The plot is well structured, and it tickles the mind in the best way [...]
Mons Kallentoft is one of our most diligent and at the same time one of our best and most stable writers of police thriller. Maybe he's a little better than usual in this particular book."
- Nisse Scherman, DAST Magazine

 

THE SCENT OF THE DEVIL

published 2016
Genre crime
Pages 348

Malin Fors is on the run. An unsolved case and a personal crisis have caused her to relapse. She has been drinking through the evenings and nights and is approaching the bottom fast. As a last chance, she has been given a leave of absence and offered a temporary position as liaison officer in Bangkok.

Breaking with everything seems to be the only sensible option. But the loneliness in the new city is difficult to deal with and the temptations are everywhere. As usual, work saves Malin, and her hunting instincts are awoken when a Swedish woman is found murdered. Who was the woman? Why was she killed in such a brutal way? And how did she feel about the Thai man who becomes the next victim?

While Malin is fighting against her demons, she is involved in a case that baffles both the Thai and Swedish police. And she has to dig deep into the past to find answers – and the ruthless killer who is looking for retribution and revenge. 

After the success of the season and element series, Mons Kallentoft begins a new suite inspired by the five senses. In the first part, THE SCENT OF THE DEVIL, Detective Malin Fors has left Linköping for the bustling city of millions in Bangkok. A city full of scents, colors, sounds and tastes. But also of corruption, violence and death.

REVIEWS

“Kallentoft has never been so intense and feverish with his language – deeply impressive. While the story is exciting, the character portraits come alive and shimmer brightly."
- Björn G Stenberg, Uppsala Nya Tidning newspaper

"It is realistic, dramatic, sweaty, pulsating, cheeky and hardcore; a bit like the city itself, whose environments are portrayed with a careful eye. In need of a book for a Christmas present? No doubt about this one!"
- C Lundh, Mariestads-Tidningen newspaper

"This is a page-turner that captures you, there is no doubt about it. Kallentoft shows that he is still incredible at cliffhangers and dropping hints before the next book, making you long for the second part of this series."
- David Ekström, Norran newspaper

 

FIRE HUNTERS

published 2015
Genre crime
Pages 311

FIRE HUNTERS is Mons Kallentoft's ninth novel about the nervously intuitive and skilled detective Malin Fors. A story about how the effects of violence can travel the earth and make people commit acts they never thought they were capable of. 

How did I end up here? Malin Fors is petrified. The forest is still dark in the early September morning. The smell of fire and smoke spreads from an industrial area outside Linköping and on the ground in front of her she sees the burnt body of a woman.

The day before, a nine-year-old boy was found dead in a container. Murdered. He came from a broken home, and it turns out that he often ran away in the evenings. But who could have wanted to hurt him so badly? Even though it seems far-fetched, Malin suspects that there is a connection – that somehow, the boy and the woman belong together. For who knows how roads cross, and how people meet?

REVIEWS

"The plot is intelligent: it is mainly about the global slave workers of today who are transported across the earth and found in Sweden. It is also about Swedish society’s inability to save its weakest. The killers are frighteningly credible, which is unusual for the genre."
- Lotta Olsson, Dagens Nyheter newspaper

"He sticks to his Malin Fors, Mons Kallentoft, so much so that one almost suspects that it can be the subject of jealousy back at home. But she is a multifaceted detective, both privately and at work and comes alive in the books. FIRE HUNTERS is the best in the standalone suite inspired by the four elements. Here he deals with current issues in a good way in the story of the burnt corpse found in the forest. It’s exciting and empathetic, giving you a taste for more!"
- Björn G Stenberg, Uppsala Nya Tidning newspaper

"Mons Kallentoft is seldom outspokenly political but often socially critical (or perhaps questioning of society rather), in some sense, in the Malin Fors books. In the previous novel of the series, EARTH STORM, it was for-profit welfare companies that came under scrutiny, but in FIRE HUNTERS the focus is instead on the dirty game and the terrible conditions around the construction of a new football stadium before the World Cup in Qatar that are reflected in everyday life in and around Linköping. And given that the element of the book is fire – people burn; both literally and spiritually."
- Maria Neij, Corren newspaper

 

EARTH STORM

published 2014
Genre crime
Pages 296

One early morning in May, a young man is found dead in a ditch next to the Göta Canal. He is naked, but his body shows no visible traces of violence and when Malin Fors and her colleagues arrive at the scene, there is a strange silence. It is as if all voices have been muted.

The man is soon identified as Peder Åkerlund, former party-member of the Sweden Democrats – he was expelled from the party due to his racist statements, but he later changed his views. It turns out that he has been murdered. And when 16-year-old Nadja Lundin is reported missing that same evening, probably abducted, there are signs that the two cases are connected.

But do the victims have anything in common? Why have they been selected? Gradually, Malin Fors begins to realize that they are dealing with a person who plays with the police, who speaks through murder and does not intend to be silenced. What does he or she want to say? They need to find the answer as soon as possible. Nadja Lundin may still be alive.

REVIEWS

"Mons Kallentoft's admittedly violent detective stories are nicely anchored in their time."
- Staffan Engstrand, Nerikes Allehanda newspaper

"Mons Kallentoft is currently the most exciting Swedish detective story writer, together with the couple Roslund/Hellström. He is gifted with a very special voice in his stories. […] So hats off once again to Kallentoft. If you have the craving for a really exciting book in the autumn darkness, all you have to do is enter Kallentoft's world.”
- Rolf Asmundsson, Östran newspaper

"The story is both energetic and well-written. The characters are fleshed out and emotionally vulnerable, the story is naturally strong ... EARTH STORM is as good as you can get a Swedish detective story right now. Surprisingly good."
- The Dead Zone, blog by crime author Martin Falkman

 

SOULS OF AIR

published 2013
Genre crime
Pages 285

An unusually late summer storm is approaching Linköping and in a neglected nursing home, 79-year-old Konrad Karlsson is found dead, hung from the cord of his alarm buzzer.

Most indications point to suicide, but when Malin Fors and her colleagues talk to people around him, they all testify to a man who, despite his ailments, was full of will to live. Liked by the staff and a kind of extra grandfather for Malin's daughter Tove, who works at the nursing home during the summer.

The suspicions that Konrad did not take his own life are reinforced at the autopsy. An investigation is launched, but nothing seems to make sense. The information is contradictory; the course of events confused. Who has anything to gain from the death of a sick old man, even in a society where capital seems to stand above human dignity?

Recently, Konrad had written several angry submissions about the shortcomings of the nursing home and the greed of the owner Hans Morelia. Maybe someone wanted to silence him now that the company is about to be sold to an American venture capital company. Or is it a mercy killing? Are more old people's lives in danger? Malin tentatively starts to look for a pattern.

REVIEWS

"One of the best books Mons Kallentoft has written".
- Dagens Nyheter newspaper 

"The most poignant detective story to come out this fall."
- SVT TV-channel

"Well-written and engaging."
- Aftonbladet newspaper

"The language is pure and charged, a language of connoisseurs."
- GP newspaper

 

WATER ANGELS

published 2012
Genre crime
Pages 426

On a September day, Malin Fors is called to a villa in one of Linköping's nicer areas. A married couple has been found dead in their jacuzzi. Naked and ice blue in a water that is no longer transparent. Their five-year-old adopted daughter Ella has disappeared, and an intensive search begins. Is the girl alive? Has she been abducted? Or has she tried to escape from the killer and drowned in Stångån?

While heavy rainclouds loom over the city, Malin Fors and her colleagues are drawn into a case where the lines have become blurred. Between dead and living; between good and evil. The investigation forces her to confront her own demons, and in the end, she can no longer resist the urge to allow alcohol to erase her reality. But she knows she must not give up. She cannot disappoint Ella. She must find her and the one who killed her parents.

Detective Malin Fors is the star of the homicide unit. Stubborn and skilled; intuitive and intelligent. Obsessed. Constantly on the run from himself, constantly engrossed in work.

REVIEWS

"Receiving children to love, and take good care of, is good. But what Kallentoft shows is not only the consequences of evil – economic greed for example – but also the blood in the wake of goodness. His story is morality without illusions, where he shows how even the finest, most human intentions are undermined and eroded by their own inner contradictions; not to judge, but to see clearly. A good read – inexorable and full of life."
- Carl Erland Andersson, Göteborgs-Posten newspaper

"It is almost impossible not to continue reading WATER ANGELS because Kallentoft is still linguistically one of the best we have in the country."
- Anders Wennberg, Gefle Dagblad newspaper

"I also get caught up in the author's love for the book's main character – Malin Fors.
She becomes more 'alive' with each book."
- Anders Norin, Dalarnas Tidning newspaper

 

THE FIFTH SEASON

published 2011
Genre crime
Pages 455

It is early in May when the young family with children out on a forest walk outside Linköping find the badly wounded body. It is disgustingly well-preserved and the traces of torture on the female body are just too obvious.

Detective Malin Fors immediately seems to see similarities with the case of Maria Murvall, the young woman who was found raped and brutally beaten in the woods several years ago, and who has since been uncontactable where she is imprisoned at Vadstena Hospital. By chance, Malin meets a psychologist from St. Lars in Lund who tells her of a similar case, and suddenly Maria just seems to be a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. But what is it that is so terrible that it is impossible to talk about?

Malin, who has long been obsessed with finding out what happened to Maria, is determined to find out the truth, no matter where it may lead her.

REVIEWS

"Upper class men entertain themselves with young women whom they humiliate, rape and murder. The bestial deeds unleash a reckless rage within Detective Malin Fors, who puts her own life on the line to reveal the truth. She is one of the most interesting characters in the Swedish detective story literature. "
- Ingalill Mosander, Aftonbladet newspaper

"As usual, it is an extremely well-written book with a high level of tension. The book is hard-boiled at one point, but then so fine-tuned and sad at other times that I feel tears running down my cheeks."
- Anette Wiik, Finnveden newspaper

"Malin Fors at the Linköping Police is probably Swedish crime fiction's most odd investigator: a self-deprecating, stubbornly sober alcoholic with incredible drive, empathy to the point of obsession, and enough spiritual wounds to make her incessantly unpredictable and interesting."
- Bo Lundin, Sydsvenskan newspaper

 

SAVAGE SPRING

published 2010
Genre crime
Pages 431

The spring sun is shining over Linköping and the still winter-pale people who have ventured out to the outdoor cafés around the square. Some swallows circle in the sky, colorful tulips shine from the stalls and a mother with two small children walks towards the ATM. Suddenly the calm is torn apart by a powerful explosion.

Detective Malin Fors stands in front of her mother's coffin in the Chapel of the Resurrection and tries to feel something. Then a low rumble breaks the silence, and soon she is on her way to the square Filbytertorget where is met by a sight she will never forget. Glass shards. Crushed flowers and scattered vegetables. A broken children's shoe. A pigeon pecking at something red in the deafening silence.

REVIEWS

"Someone has appointed Kallentoft Sweden's current detective king. It is no exaggeration."
- Rolf Asmundsson, Östran newspaper

"Mons Kallentoft is fantastic. The relationships at the police station, the difficult interactions between Malin and her teenage daughter, and the longing for love are interspersed with the increasingly twisted fight against evil. A reading party for those of you who like excitement."
- Inger Lundqvist, Northern Västerbotten newspaper

"In a lingering, suggestive prose, which has probably never been better than it is now, human degradation is depicted from several aspects. Fates, images and voices are intertwined and it is extremely rare for a Swedish crime writer to be able to do this as skilfully as Mons Kallentoft. "
- Per Planhammar, GP

 

AUTUMN KILLING

published 2009
Genre crime
Pages 427

The rain is pouring down over the castle Skogså and in the moat floats its owner Jerry Petersson, the lawyer who is known for his ruthlessness. How did he end up in the moat and who left him there? Detective Malin Fors' suspicions are soon directed towards the previous owners of the castle, the noble family Fågelsjö, who reluctantly sold their family property to the upstart Jerry Petersson. But would the sale really be a motive for murder? And who was the man Jerry Petersson, behind all the millions from IT, the expensive suits and the art? Close to Malin, but like a thin film on the other side, he moves like a shadow through what has been his life and the events that would lead to his brutal death.

AUTUMN KILLING is the third part in Mons Kallentoft's acclaimed series about inspector Malin Fors, which began with the critically acclaimed books MIDWINTER SACRIFICE and SUMMERTIME DEATH.

REVIEWS

"Kallentoft is undoubtedly reaching for the title of Sweden's detective king."
-TV4 TV-channel

"Among the best you can read in Swedish literature right now."
-SVT TV-channel

 

SUMMERTIME DEATH

published 2008
Genre crime
Pages 415

It is the hottest summer ever in Östergötland, southeast Sweden. Linköping is shaken by the heat and in the surrounding forests the worst forest fires ever experienced in the area are raging. Early one morning, a fourteen-year-old girl is found naked and raped in the city's largest park. The girl herself remembers nothing and Detective Malin Fors and her colleague Zeke are forced to try to work with the few clues that exist.

Malin, who herself has a daughter of the same age, is very affected by what happened. At the same time, another girl is reported missing by her parents and shortly afterwards a horrific discovery is made at a swimming spot outside the city. The summertime death has come to Linköping, and the dream of a wonderful summer turns into a terrible nightmare during a few days in July.

SUMMERTIME DEATH is the second part in Mons Kallentoft's series about Detective Malin Fors at the Linköping Police, which began with the critically acclaimed book MIDWINTER SACRIFICE. It is a shocking story of abuse, desperate love, and the deepest hatred.

REVIEWS

"A well-written, suggestive story that makes many of Kallentoft's colleagues look like happy amateurs."
- Aftonbladet newspaper

"Mons Kallentoft's second book is just as terrible, as strange and as exciting as the debut. Even a little better."
- Borås Tidning newspaper

 

MIDWINTER SACRIFICE

published 2007
Genre crime
Pages 429

It is the coldest winter in human memory and out on the windy, snow-covered plain Östgötaslätten a man is found hanging from a lonely tree. His frozen body is badly injured. The whole approach is reminiscent of the old pagan tradition asablot. But is it really a human sacrifice? And why has someone gone after Bollbengan, the man who hangs in the tree and who has always been rejected by the rest of society?

Malin Fors sets out in search of the killer. A hunt that takes her deep into the cold darkness of man. She is followed by Bollbengan's spirit that hovers under the cold stars and urges Malin to find out his story…

MIDWINTER SACRIFICE is the first part in a series about Detective Malin Fors at Linköping Police. It's a scarily suggestive story about old injustices, secrets, and the terrible things that people can subject each other to.

REVIEWS

“Kallentoft excels. Exciting, skillfully constructed, brilliant language and elaborate portrayals of the people and the environment. Mons Kallentoft's MIDWINTER SACRIFICE surpasses most in the detective genre. "
- Svenska Dagbladet newspaper

"The story of Malin Fors at the Linköping Police has everything a really good detective story should have."
- Plaza Woman

"Mons Kallentoft has written the best detective story of the year."
- ICA-kuriren newspaper

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