Thomas Quick has been convicted of eight murders and confessed to an additional twenty-five. He is generally considered the most rutheless murderer, rapist and cannibal in Scandinavian history.
In the spring of 2008 the investigative journalist Hannes Råstam traveled to Säter, the mental institution where Thomas Quick is serving a life sentence, to meet Sweden's most abominable serial killer in person. It was a meeting that would have far-reaching consequences for both of them.
After that first, apprehensive meeting, Råstam proceeded to inspect all the documents from the murder investigations, scrutinize each and every interrogation, and examine Thomas Quick’s own accounts. He read and reread the verdicts and repeatedly watched the police reenactments. He managed to get access to heaps of material that was previously unaccounted for: medical journals from Säter, personal logs of police officers, and unseen police reports. Soon, a haunting uncertainty started to grow within Råstam, and by patiently laying a complex puzzle, he reconstructed the story of how Scandinavia’s worst serial killer was created. The answer to the mystery of Thomas Quick turned out to be more terrifying than the man himself.
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer is a real-life thriller about a bizarre personal destiny and a tragic legal case. Step by step, it is revealed how Thomas Quick was transformed into a serial killer and how six unanimous trial courts convicted him of eight murders he didn’t commit. The true perpetrators will never be caught, much less tried in court. Hannes Råstam's debut as an author is so convincing that it is sure to lead to radical upheavals within the Swedish judiciary.
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer won the 2012 Per Wendel Prize, awarded by daily newspaper Expressen for outstanding achievements in investigative journalism; the 2012 Golden Spade for Book of the Year in the field of investigative journalism; and the 2012 Carnegie Institute Journalism Award, given by The Swedish Carnegie Institute, a non-profit foundation with the purpose of promoting research on drug abuse, criminality and other major contemporary social problems.
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer was a
No. 1 National Bestseller in Sweden, and was the best selling book – across all genres and categories – in August 2012.
"It's appalling, it's true, and it's utterly phenomenal reading."
––Leif GW Persson
"The case of convicted serial killer Thomas Quick is an absolutely amazing story, which if it weren't true, you would not believe. In his gripping account, Hannes Rastam reveals the most extraordinary series of failures and credulity on the part of the so-called criminal justice experts. Piece by piece, Rastam strips away the evidence against Quick until there is nothing left but the awful question of how he was ever convicted of murder, not just once but eight times."
––Alex McBride, author of
Defending the Guilty
REVIEWS
"A meticulous dissection of a spectacular legal case, where Råstam exposes astonishing investigative and judicial errors, a cynical pill-providing psychiatric 'treatment', and a problematic uniformity in the media reports. /.../ As journalistic legacy this is a masterpiece. But it leaves a bitter aftertaste. Many can be blamed in the Quick case – not least the media. But it was ultimately the Swedish state of justice that created the myth surrounding Quick and ensured that he was sentenced. After this monumental exposé, where the state of justice stands completely bared, someone within the judiciary should be prepared to demand accountability."
Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)"
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer is a journalistic and documentarian masterpiece. In depth, critical, accountable… The author has done the work that the police never did. /…/ The book can be read as a crime novel. What's most shaking is that it is true… This book is a thriller. From real life."
Verdens Gang (Norway)"For those of us who have followed Thomas Quick and his wild journey through the justice system and psychiatry over the past ten years,
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer is nonetheless the best document that has been written so far in this tragedy that has turned into a farce. Råstam's ardent work will shake the Swedish psychiatry care and judicial system for years to come. For the ordinary reader
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer is a solid experience: the book is well-written and accountable, surprising and shocking, and you will think about it for days after having finished the last page. Because the world is not done with Thomas Quick. Nor with Store Bergwall."
Dagens Næringsliv (Norway)"I you want to read a truly rattling book this autumn you should get a copy of Hannes Råstam's
Thomas Quick – The Making of a Serial Killer. /…/ It must be one of the most elaborately executed and documented thrillers in history."
Dagbladet (Norway)"Hannes Råstam virtually pulverizes every confession, every verdict, every investigation... It's an alarming read from page one. /.../ Hannes Råstam's arguments are not founded on hearsay; not one stone has been left unturned. With an almost manic energy he goes through page after page, interrogation after interrogation, witnesses, re-enactments, and autopsy protocols. /.../ Unfortunately [Råstam's] voice is lost, but his reportage lives on, his book will be read by many, and hopefully will inspire others to follow in his footsteps. The demanding and arduous footsteps. In search of the truth."
Dagens Nyheter (Sweden) AUTHOR
Hannes Råstam PUBLISHED
2012
PAGES
401
SERIES
-
GENRE
Non-fiction
READING MATERIAL
Swedish edition
English edition
RIGHTS SOLD
Brazil, Record
Denmark, Information
Finland, Johnny Kniga
France, Denoël
Germany, Heyne
Italy, Rizzoli
Japan, Hayakawa
Netherlands, Meulenhoff Boekerij
Norway, Aschehoug
Poland, Prószyński
Romania, RAO
Russia, Eksmo
Spain, Ático de los Libros
Sweden, Ordfront
Thailand, Matichon
UK, Canongate (World English)
FILM RIGHTS
Sweden, Scandinavian Lovers/Tre Vänner
UK, Century Films (Feature Documentary)
