Lotus blues

Lotus blues Buried Lies

Martin Benner #1

Bobby T brought the bad weather. Strong winds and heavy July showers across the Swedish capital, with temperatures belying the season even by Scandinavian standards. When Bobby barges into the law offices of Benner & Miller, things begin to deteriorate further: Unbeknownst to Martin Benner, a defense attorney at the very top of his profession and the social sphere, this unexpected and somewhat frustrating visitor will come to change everything with a deceptively straightforward case…

Kristina Ohlsson is back with a thrilling series that ventures into the darkest depths of society. In Buried Lies, Ohlsson turns her eye to the sleek but venomous world of lawyering, where some of Sweden’s sharpest women and men vie for prestige, money, and power. Life spells posh and sexy – but for Martin Benner, the polished exterior is about to buckle under the case brought by the mysterious Bobby T, who needs help locating his missing nephew and vindicating his sister Sara. The only problem is, Sara “Texas” Tell is a self-confessed killer who recently took her own life after escaping custody. But as Martin starts pulling at loose ends, the narrative given by the police and the media quickly unravels. He’s soon dragged headlong into a nefarious game where no one seems to be willing – or able – to tell the truth.

Reviews

  • “Entertaining!”

    Allas, Sweden

  • “Fast-paced with few slow sections”

    Hallands Nyheter, Sweden

  • Buried Lies is a truly entertaining read. Its laid-back, ironic and hardboiled style charms me completely – just like Ohlsson’s previous books. Maybe even just a bit more because there's a humorous distance here that makes everything that’s unlikely immensely appealing and that makes you accept the, to say the least, unfinished ending just because you want more.”

    Skånska Dagbladet, Sweden

  • “An exciting story. Kristina Ohlsson has a tremendous drive in her writing and knows how to get the reader to keep on turning pages. /…/ Smart and well written.”

    Alba, Sweden

  • “One gets vibes of Dennis Lehane’s Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro… This (wonderfully politically incorrect) hardboiled omelet is seasoned with orphans, prostitution and south state gangsters. /…/ It is really entertaining.”

    Amelia, Sweden

  • “These 430 pages will surely ruin your night’s sleep. Not from a nightmare perspective, but more because you do not want to go to sleep before you’ve reached the last page. That’s how it was for me.”

    Mariestads-Tidningen, Sweden

  • “A new book series – and Kristina Ohlsson almost outperforms herself. I write ‘almost’ because she always writes real page turners. /…/ Lotus Blues is a full speed thriller, skilfully narrated with tricky plot threads and characters I want to know more and more about. The second and final installment is called Mios Blues and will be published in the spring. I can’t wait.”

    Aftonbladet, Sweden

  • “The plot, the language, the suspense and the rich charachter portrayals. Everything just fits perfectly. Buried Lies is an extremely well-composed thriller about lawyer Martin Benner. /…/ Kristina Ohlsson has an amazing ability to constantly change the scenario in her story. Nothing is what it appears to be from the beginning. There are also elements of the Greek tragedy in the story. /…/ Kristina Ohlsson is thus anything but superficial. For those who normally avoid crime novels and thrillers, this is a reason to still visit the genre. Buried Lies is not the end of the story. Part two comes out in April 2015; Mio’s Blues. I sigh resignedly; April is just too far ahead!”

    Östgöta Correspondenten, Sweden

  • Buried Lies is a tough thriller with fast turns and abrupt stops – it feels almost like an american action movie.”

    Skaraborgs Allehanda, Sweden

  • “Ohlsson succeeds in her reorientation. The hardboiled style is entertaining, Benner is intriguing and the story is fast-paced.”

    Borås Tidning, Sweden

  • “One of the best crime novels of 2014. /…/ Kristina Ohlsson succeeds exceptionally well in making the whole story uncertain; again and again I find myself thinking ‘This girl is probably in fact guilty. Or, maybe she's not.’”

    Dagens Nyheter, Sweden

  • “The story is hardboiled and tricky – but not at all difficult to follow. Kristina Ohlsson writes with skill, in a straight and uncomplicated manner. /…/ A tremendous thriller.”

    Norran, Sweden

  • Buried Lies is a hardboiled story, told in a significantly higher tempo than what we are used to from Ohlsson. It’s a real page-turner – and how incredible the plot may seem, if one were to attempt to retell it to someone, it feels absolutely obvious when you read it.”

    BTJ, Sweden

  • “In Buried Lies she has created an unforgettable protagonist and a hard-boiled crime novel inspired by American crime; quite reminiscent of Raymond Chandlers’ hero Philip Marlowe. /…/ The story is elegant, giving a tongue-in-cheek boot to the genre, and very suspenseful.”

    Tara, Norway

  • “This is a suspense novel that will bowl you over. /…/ [Buried Lies] is more than fast paced. Kristina Ohlsson pushes the reader around the arena, and just as you think you’ll be able to make out the bad guys and conclusion, your view is once more clouded. It’s a clever detective story where you are confronted with a number of moral dilemmas. /…/ All in all, Kristina Ohlsson, who has a background in the Swedish Security Service, appears to be the perhaps strongest card in our neighboring country’s deck of crime authors. There is nothing cutesy-naïve about her novels: they are strong, grim, dark, and unpredictable. And so very, very human.”

    Politiken, Denmark

  • “A splendidly composed legal thriller where the language sparkles.”

    Jyllands-Posten, Denmark

  • “A labyrinthine treat about failure, betrayal and revenge. /…/ [Mio’s Blues and Buried Lies] are all-together terrific, their narrative form innovative, and with them Kristina Ohlsson positions herself as one of Swedish crime fiction's most interesting names right now.”

    ★★★★★

    Berlingske, Denmark

  • “A great new thriller from Sweden. /…/ Kristina Ohlsson knows how to tell an exciting story, without losing sight of her characters’ humanity.”

    Ruhr-Nachrichten, Germany

  • “A promising start to a new thriller diptych.”

    Gong, Germany

  • “Ohlsson [succeeds in] turning the suspense-screw again and again.”

    Bücher, Germany

  • “The Swedish author Kristina Ohlsson has with Buried Lies written an intricate page-turner with complex characters.”

    Die Presse, Germany

  • “High voltage [suspense] at its finest! /…/ Kristina Ohlsson has put together a thrilling set of characters and let them work together in a remarkable plot.”

    Huffington Post, Germany

  • “Before Kristina Ohlsson turned to thrillers, she was a terrorism expert. Perhaps that is why the prosecutor, Martin Benner […] feels as if he’s fetched from real life.”

    Emotion, Germany

  • Buried Lies is a fast-paced thriller that surprises with ever new twists.”

    NDR, Germany

  • “Nerve-rackingly thrilling Swedish crime fiction.”

    Myself, Germany

  • Buried Lies is the dynamic start of a thriller diptych.”

    Münchner Merkur, Germany

  • “A majestic page-turner! Kristina Ohlsson surpasses herself with this thrilling story.”

    Lebensart im Norden, Germany

  • “[Kristina Ohlsson] once again proves her talent for crafting unique characters and unbelievably gripping action.”

    Bonner Krimi Archiv, Germany

  • “Intense suspense from Sweden.”

    Oberhessische Presse, Germany

  • Sunday Times

Author
Photo: Anna-Lena Lundqvist Kristina Ohlsson
Published
2014
Genre
  • Crime
Pages
435
Reading material

Swedish edition

English edition

Rights sold

Denmark, Modtryk

Finland, WSOY

Germany, Blanvalet

Iceland, Forlagid

Italy, Salani

Korea, Bookrecipe

Latvia, Janis Roze

Norway, Gyldendal

Russia, Corpus

Sweden, Piratförlaget

UK & Commonwealth, Simon & Schuster

More From Kristina Ohlsson

The Ghost Detectives

The Bohus Coast Trilogy

August Strindberg

Martin Benner

The Monster Trilogy

Fredrika Bergman

The Glass Children Trilogy

Stand-alone