'Gripping, endearing, dark, and funny ... Highly recommended' Harlan Coben

A pulse-pounding Scandinavian noir about secrets, buried truths, and what happens when we go digging into the past

When Jan Frischof, a dying elderly man, gives a deathbed confession too unbelievable to be true, journalist Heloise Kaldan immediately knows there’s a deeper story to uncover. Her gut soon proves to be right - Jan immediately backtracks and warns her that they will both be in danger if she asks any more questions. Could this kind and elderly man really be a cold-blooded killer?

Heloise quickly realizes that this is a darker, and far more complicated, investigation. Jan is clearly afraid of something, but who or what he’s afraid of could be a dangerous question for Heloise to find the answer to. As she digs deeper, Heloise begins to see that Jan's confession is connected to a string decades-old disappearances. But next of kin and police are lying to her at every turn, and she has no idea what else Jan could be hiding.

Enlisting her friend, detective inspector Erik Schäfer, Heloise begins her descent into the past, unsure of what she will unearth.

Rave Reader Reviews

‘Thrilling and suspenseful’

‘Well-paced and full of surprises. The final twist was a shocker’

‘This was tense, atmospheric, and a twisty end that I was not expecting’

‘Dark and addictive’

‘Many twists and turns in this one!’

‘Deceptions and twists that reveal a sinister plot in an idyllic Scandinavian setting’

‘That ending just blew my mind’

‘A mindblowing twist … great Scandi Noir read’

Anne Mette Hancock lives in Copenhagen with her two children. Her debut The Corpse Flower introduced readers to journalist Heloise Kaldan and police officer Erik Schäfer, and was longlisted for a CWA Award and shortlisted for the Petrona Award. The sequel, The Collector, led to her being named Author of the Year in Denmark; Ruthless is the third in the series.