The Father: Made in Sweden, Part I - Tapa blanda

Named by Publishers Weekly, A Best Book of 2016, Mystery/Thriller

"An exciting, yet tear-jerking thriller . . . As the reader watches these young lads turn into the 'Most Wanted' the action races, along with the crushing emotions of lives turned bad by a hideous parent."--Suspense Magazine

"Svensson heartbreakingly blurs the line between criminal and victim in this stunning first of a two-novel series . . . Readers will be eager to see how it all plays out in the sequel."
--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)


"The Father is a heck of a story, skillfully written and . . . darkly told, perfect for sociologists and criminologists, and virtually anyone who has ever cracked open a crime fiction novel and been spellbound."--Bookreporter

"A powerful real-life story."
--Guardian


"Superior . . . builds to a breathless climax."
--The Sun

"The writing is spare and lean, reminiscent of Richard Stark's Parker novels, but the sweep and scope are epic. The drama often lies in what isn't said, and the family dynamics are at once familiar and terrifyingly alien."
--The Herald


"A flawlessly constructed thriller."
--Femina (Sweden)


"A technically wonderful novel crafted with breathtaking cleverness."
--Corriere della Sera (Italy)


"A book of great depth . . . so plausible and convincing on the psychological mechanisms that lead to crime."
--Diversioni (Italy)

How does a child become a criminal? How does a father lose a son?

An epic crime novel with the excitement of Jo Nesbo's Headhunters and the narrative depth of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Father is inspired by the extraordinary true story of three brothers who committed ten audacious bank robberies in Sweden over the course of just two years.

None had committed a crime before. All were under twenty-four years old. When their incredible spree had come to an end amid the glare of the international media, all of them would be changed forever as individuals and as a family.

This intoxicating, heartbreaking thriller tells the story of how three boys are transformed over the course of their lives from innocent children to the most wanted criminals in Sweden. And of the man who made them that way: their father.