Reviews

• “Ekman’s story is perhaps really a crime fiction farce. But that doesn’t stop it from drawing a series of very precise psychological portraits of people in stressful situations. /…/ With Thomas Vinterberg in the movie Another Round, it’s about what happens when everything is experienced with a blood alcohol content of half a per mille more. For Ekman, it is a matter of letting go of the inhibitions traditionally set by the Swedish welfare-state. This results in a tragicomic thriller farce wherein the feel-bad potential is realized through the reader’s feel-good reactions of pure relief over not having to share a fate with the people whose relationships undergo such fundamental changes in the Swedish suburban environment.”

• “Capable People is a story with nerve, from the beginning till the end, and you’re immediately drawn into the narrative. Klas Ekman […] succeeds in elegantly balancing the elements of suspense and relationship drama, and as a reader you’re hooked and wondering how everything will play out.”

• “An impressive thriller debut that goes its own way as it lays down a twisted and dark story about two seemingly ordinary people. Brutal, captivating and entertaining. /…/ Entertains and makes your nerves tremble.”

• “Feelbad at its best.”

• “A real nail-biter of a book is what it is, elevated by pitch-black comedy. And a relationship drama that makes the worst of your worst relationship dramas seem like Zen-Buddhistic mindfulness. /…/ A thriller for those who aren’t fond of thrillers: funny, original and terribly exciting.”

• “Wild and mad – an insane relationship drama that kept me up until midnight. /…/ The diabolical suspense will give you butterflies. And then add a dark sense of humor and cute children. It’s as if it was tailor-made for Netflix.”

• “[A] twisted everyday thriller. The prosperous Stockholm middle class with their consulting businesses and yoga interest make great material for romantic feelgoods. With his debut novel, experienced biography writer Klas Ekman uses that same soil to create a cynical feelbad; a small misadventure in infidelity leads to someone’s death and from there it takes off. It would be surprising if the production companies aren’t already fighting for the film rights.”

• “An effective and suspense-filled plot.”

• “The narrative is straight-forward, without any fuss, and the characters are credibly portrayed. The story feels so intimate it’s harrowing. /…/ Capable People is a thriller that will give you goosebumps.”

• “Klas Ekman has written a spine-tingling thriller of people painting themselves into a corner. /…/ An awe-inspiring debut. I’m sure that we will read more from Klas Ekman’s pen.”