Not Even the Past

A secret from the past. A storm in the present. A killer with an invitation. Thirty years ago, two children found a pirate's map hidden in a damp Visby prison tower, swearing a blood oath to find a shipwreck looter's treasure on the desolate island of Gotska Sandön. But secrets that begin in the dark rarely stay there. Now, just before Christmas, one of those children, Erik Hansson, is found frozen to death in his car. The official ruling is suicide by rare plant poison - but the truth is far more sinister. Detective Inspector Maria Wern is at her breaking point. Caught in a bitter divorce and facing death threats for her testimony against a criminal kingpin, she needs to disappear. When an opportunity arises to join a getaway to the remote Gotska Sandön, she takes it - unaware she is walking into a trap designed decades ago. As a winter storm cuts the island off from the world and the electricity fails, Maria's sanctuary becomes a slaughterhouse. Trapped with six other women - including her own distraught best friend - Maria realizes with horrific clarity that they haven't been brought here to heal. They have been brought here to die. In this chilling ninth installment of the Maria Wern series, Anna Jansson delivers a masterful 'And Then There Were None' for the modern age. On Gotska Sandön, the only thing more dangerous than the storm is the person standing next to you. 'If you dare to risk your night's sleep, 'Not Even the Past' is highly recommended.' - Hallands Posten Sweden