The Lover
A twisty scandi thriller about a woman caught in her own web of lies
Published on 23. June 2022
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-1-5294-0611-5 (ISBN)
Description
"An absolutely prime slice of Scandicrime . . . the writer channels her professional expertise into a noteworthy domestic thriller" Barry Forshaw, FT
"Having hit a bull's-eye with . . . The Therapist . . . Helene Flood repeats the trick with another twisty tale of domestic goings-on . . . teasing and pleasing the reader till the very last page" Sunday Times Crime Club
"The Lover is taut, clever and irresistible" Anna Bailey
"A wonderful storyteller" Chris Whitaker
Is it worse to deceive to your husband or the police?
Rikke is lying to them both.
But how many lies can she get away with?
When her upstairs neighbour Jorgen is found murdered, she's questioned alongside her husband. How can she admit that she and Jorgen were having an affair? Or explain to the police the complexity of her feelings? The hint of relief that he's dead. And what would they say if they knew she used a spare key to enter his apartment the morning after he was killed?
Rikke knows she can't hide the evidence of the affair from the police. And if she's caught in her lie, suspicion will turn to her.
With her perfect family life threatening to unravel, Rikke realises that finding the killer is the only way to put herself in the clear. So long as the killer doesn't get to her first.
Praise for The Therapist
"Creepy, compelling and very well written" Harriet Tyce
"Wonderfully creepy, twisty and compelling" Karen Hamilton
"Masterfully paced and hauntingly written" Anna Bailey
"Gets under your skin" Jo Spain
"I couldn't put it down" Sarah Ward
"A marvellously assured debut thriller" Irish Times.
"A striking debut" Spectator
Translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough
"Having hit a bull's-eye with . . . The Therapist . . . Helene Flood repeats the trick with another twisty tale of domestic goings-on . . . teasing and pleasing the reader till the very last page" Sunday Times Crime Club
"The Lover is taut, clever and irresistible" Anna Bailey
"A wonderful storyteller" Chris Whitaker
Is it worse to deceive to your husband or the police?
Rikke is lying to them both.
But how many lies can she get away with?
When her upstairs neighbour Jorgen is found murdered, she's questioned alongside her husband. How can she admit that she and Jorgen were having an affair? Or explain to the police the complexity of her feelings? The hint of relief that he's dead. And what would they say if they knew she used a spare key to enter his apartment the morning after he was killed?
Rikke knows she can't hide the evidence of the affair from the police. And if she's caught in her lie, suspicion will turn to her.
With her perfect family life threatening to unravel, Rikke realises that finding the killer is the only way to put herself in the clear. So long as the killer doesn't get to her first.
Praise for The Therapist
"Creepy, compelling and very well written" Harriet Tyce
"Wonderfully creepy, twisty and compelling" Karen Hamilton
"Masterfully paced and hauntingly written" Anna Bailey
"Gets under your skin" Jo Spain
"I couldn't put it down" Sarah Ward
"A marvellously assured debut thriller" Irish Times.
"A striking debut" Spectator
Translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough
Reviews / Votes
An absolutely prime slice of Scandicrime . . . the writer channels her professional expertise into a noteworthy domestic thriller -- Barry Forshaw * FT * Having hit a bull's-eye with . . . The Therapist . . . Helene Flood repeats the trick with another twisty tale of domestic goings-on . . . teasing and pleasing the reader till the very last page * Sunday Times Crime Club * The joy of the book is the vivid variety of characters, and the cynicism with which Flood dissects the sad illusions of married life -- A.N. WilsonMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 46 mm
Weight
670 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5294-0611-5 (9781529406115)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Helene Flood is a psychologist who obtained her doctoral degree on violence, revictimization and trauma-related shame and guilt in 2016. She now works as a psychologist and researcher at the National Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress. She lives in Oslo with her husband and two children. The Therapist was her first adult novel; it has now been bought for film by Anonymous Content, and rights have been sold to 28 countries. It was followed by The Lover and The Widow.