Motive X
May 2019 · Bloomsbury Publishing
star
1 review
Ebook
608
Pages
About this ebook
He strikes at random. His motive unknown. No one is safe...
Helsingborg police must solve the unsolveable. A wave of apparently random homicides is sweeping through their idyllic seaside town. The murders have no pattern, no order, no reason. The perpetrator is immune to psychological profiling; forensically untraceable; utterly invulnerable to modern police techniques.
The body count is growing. But lead investigator Fabian Risk is distracted by his mission to expose a corrupt colleague, and his boss Astrid is spiralling back into addiction. As the hunt for the solution becoming ever more desperate, their tight-knit team begins to unravel...
Motive X is both an explosive, multi-layered thriller and a fearless exploration of the darkest side of human nature. To enter Stefan Ahnhem's world, with its interwoven plotlines and sprawling cast of characters, is to put yourself in the hands of a master storyteller.
The story continues in X Ways to Die, available May 2020.
REVIEWS FOR STEFAN AHNHEM:
'Atmospheric and complicated [...] with great cop characters and some imaginatively grisly perps' Sunday Times (star pick).
'More gripping than Jo Nesbo, blacker than Stieg Larsson and more bleakly human than Henning Mankell' Tony Parsons.
'Epic in scale and ambition' Daily Mail.
'An intense journey, with an intricate plot... Ahnhem has mastered atmosphere, pacing and intrigue' Crime Review.
'Masterly plotting, grisly murders and chilling suspense: Stefan Ahnhem keeps the threads of this complex, two-country narrative pulled tense' Better Reading.
Helsingborg police must solve the unsolveable. A wave of apparently random homicides is sweeping through their idyllic seaside town. The murders have no pattern, no order, no reason. The perpetrator is immune to psychological profiling; forensically untraceable; utterly invulnerable to modern police techniques.
The body count is growing. But lead investigator Fabian Risk is distracted by his mission to expose a corrupt colleague, and his boss Astrid is spiralling back into addiction. As the hunt for the solution becoming ever more desperate, their tight-knit team begins to unravel...
Motive X is both an explosive, multi-layered thriller and a fearless exploration of the darkest side of human nature. To enter Stefan Ahnhem's world, with its interwoven plotlines and sprawling cast of characters, is to put yourself in the hands of a master storyteller.
The story continues in X Ways to Die, available May 2020.
REVIEWS FOR STEFAN AHNHEM:
'Atmospheric and complicated [...] with great cop characters and some imaginatively grisly perps' Sunday Times (star pick).
'More gripping than Jo Nesbo, blacker than Stieg Larsson and more bleakly human than Henning Mankell' Tony Parsons.
'Epic in scale and ambition' Daily Mail.
'An intense journey, with an intricate plot... Ahnhem has mastered atmosphere, pacing and intrigue' Crime Review.
'Masterly plotting, grisly murders and chilling suspense: Stefan Ahnhem keeps the threads of this complex, two-country narrative pulled tense' Better Reading.
He strikes at random. His motive unknown. No one is safe...
Helsingborg police must solve the unsolveable. A wave of apparently random homicides is sweeping through their idyllic seaside town. The murders have no pattern, no order, no reason. The perpetrator is immune to psychological profiling;...
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Ratings and reviews
1 review
Ann Forsyth
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April 9, 2026
a very good book, couldn't put it down
About the author
Stefan Ahnhem is the internationally bestselling author of the Fabian Risk thrillers. He has worked as a screenwriter on Mankell's Kurt Wallander series and serves on the board of the Swedish Writers Guild. He lives in Copenhagen. Follow him @StefanAhnhem.
Stefan Ahnhem is the internationally bestselling author of the Fabian Risk thrillers. He has worked as a screenwriter on Mankell's Kurt Wallander series and serves on the board of the Swedish Writers Guild. He lives in Copenhagen. Follow him @StefanAhnhem.
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