The Wolf and the Watchman: A Novel - Niklas Natt och Dag Audiobook

Written by Niklas Natt och Dag
Read by Matt Addis, Caspar Rundegren, Clara Andersson
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
Categories: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF 2019

“It’s early to be pegging the year’s best books, but The Wolf and the Watchman, Niklas Natt och Dag’s stunning debut, is sure to be one of them.” - The Washington Post

“What’s better than an ornate period piece with style to spare? One that includes a murder mystery. Oh, and boy is it a riveting mystery….A bit of Patrick Suskind’s Perfume and a bit of Sherlock Holmes, this wolf has some bite to it.” - NPR

“Reads like a season of ‘True Detective’…anchored by a powerful sense of place and a memorable cast of characters….You won’t soon forget it.” - USA TODAY

Named Best Debut Novel of 2017 by the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers

Publisher’s Summary

In this breathtakingly bold, intricately constructed novel set in 18th-century Stockholm, a dying man searches among the city’s teeming streets, dark corners, and intriguing inhabitants to unmask a ruthless murderer - perfect for fans of Perfume and The Alienist.

It is 1793. Four years after the storming of the Bastille in France and more than a year after the death of King Gustav III of Sweden, paranoia and whispered conspiracies are Stockholm’s daily bread. A promise of violence crackles in the air as ordinary citizens feel increasingly vulnerable to the whims of those in power.

When Mickel Cardell, a crippled ex-soldier and former night watchman, finds a mutilated body floating in the city’s malodorous lake, he feels compelled to give the unidentifiable man a proper burial. For Cecil Winge, a brilliant lawyer turned consulting detective to the Stockholm police, a body with no arms, legs, or eyes is a formidable puzzle and one last chance to set things right before he loses his battle to consumption. Together, Winge and Cardell scour Stockholm to discover the body’s identity, encountering the sordid underbelly of the city’s elite.

Meanwhile, Kristofer Blix - the handsome son of a farmer - leaves rural life for the alluring charms of the capital and ambitions of becoming a doctor. His letters to his sister chronicle his wild good times and terrible misfortunes, which lead him down a treacherous path.

In another corner of the city, a young woman - Anna-Stina - is consigned to the workhouse after she upsets her parish priest. Her unlikely escape plan takes on new urgency when a sadistic guard marks her as his next victim.

Over the course of the novel, these extraordinary characters cross paths and collide in shocking and unforgettable ways. Niklas Natt och Dag paints a deliciously dark portrait of late 18th-century Stockholm, and the frightful yet fascinating reality lurking behind the powdered and painted veneer of the era.