Påfågelmannen

Påfågelmannen The Peacock Man

Mara's Children #1

Everything can be bought for money – except the truth.

The historic Villa Caledonia in Djursholm has burned down, and its owner, Miriam de Brenner, is found dead. At the scene, Inspector Claes Ståhl and his colleagues make strange discoveries – in the basement, there is a vast collection of antique dolls, a ceramic kiln, and bone remains. The will also reveals an unexpected heir to the family’s great fortune…

Behind the fire lies a tangled web of lies and bizarre relationships, family trauma, and crimes beyond anything one could imagine.

The Peacock Man is the first part of the trilogy Mara’s Children. A story about how abundance, trauma, and lovelessness can affect a family for generations – and create people who are dangerous to everyone, even themselves.

Reviews

  • “Those who have read and appreciated The Crow Girl trilogy will find the same creeping sense of unease in The Peacock Man. Erik Axl Sund excels at creating that unsettling atmosphere. The authors also have a remarkable talent for portraying wounded, broken individuals in a way that feels authentic. /…/ The greatest reward lies in the depiction of Mauritz Möller—pitiful, even repulsive, yet utterly fascinating to follow.”

    Gefle Dagblad, Sweden

  • “They are fantastic authors; in terms of language and creativity, they surpass most of what exists in the genre. /…/ This time, they’ve actually managed to rein in their tendency to overcomplicate and deliver a text with intelligent complexity without exaggeration. A wonderful read that also made me reflect quite a bit on lies and manipulation. /…/ The language is absolutely amazing (…) This is a wonderful read—some readers might be irritated by the ending, but I love it. I find it hard to imagine this title not being included when the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy nominates the best Swedish suspense novels of the year.”

    Kapprakt, Sweden

Author
Photo: Christian Schneider Erik Axl Sund
Published
2025
Genre
  • Crime
Pages
320
Reading material

Swedish edition

English translation

Rights sold

Croatia, Znanje

France, Actes Sud

Germany, Goldmann

Slovakia, IKAR

Sweden, HarperCollins Nordic

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