The secret life of a star chef.

Recently divorced and disillusioned by life, freelance journalist Desiree Swahn is handed a job by her new boss: to write a portrait of legendary star chef, Pierre Bernard. It’s an assignment far from the prestigious one she’d been promised. But Desiree and Pierre’s meeting will come to be more transformative than she could have ever imagined.

Pierre Bernard’s life hasn’t only been filled with culinary accomplishments, but also passionate love and heart-rending sorrow. He takes Desiree on a journey through time, from the Grand Hotel in Stockholm in the 1920s, to Paris and a war-torn London, to a Budapest in upheaval, and the most iconic wedding of the century. In Pierre’s stories, history is given scent, texture, taste. Desiree comes to know a man who has dedicated his life to discovering new culinary sensations, but has likewise sacrificed much. By the time the interview is over, everything has changed.

Salted Pearls is the debut fiction title of Michelin-starred chef Niklas Ekstedt and author Katarina Ekstedt.

Adam Berg is a Swedish director known for his striking storytelling and meticulous visual style, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden’s most prominent commercial directors.

Berg has made commercials for brands including Volvo, Apple, IKEA, Nike, Playstation, Mercedes-Benz, Delta, and Lexus as well as Philips, for which he created the multi-award-winning Carousel. He is one of the industry’s most celebrated filmmakers, with honors from every major awards body, including multiple Cannes Lions, D&AD Awards, Clio Awards, British Arrows, as well as numerous AICP and Ciclope wins.

Berg made his feature film debut with Black Crab, which premiered on Netflix in 2022 and quickly became one of the world’s most-watched non-English-language films, topping the charts in over 90 countries. Black Crab is a dystopian thriller set in a frozen, war-torn landscape. The film, starring Noomi Rapace, highlights Berg’s ability to translate his visual sensibility into long-form storytelling, combining stark, atmospheric imagery with tense, character-driven drama.

Currently, Berg is working on a feature film project, soon to be made official.

The same night that actor Mauritz Möller drinks himself into oblivion in a hotel room in Stockholm, a young woman is found murdered in his apartment. The next morning, his memories are clouded by alcohol as he stands outside Hotel Diplomat, staring at a newly refurbished Saab for which he has just received the keys.

Unaware that he is wanted for murder, Mauritz leaves Stockholm. Through a series of text messages, he is given instructions that send him north along the coast of the Bay of Bothnia, and soon he realizes that he is not only on the run from the police. Someone else is following him on the roads.

Meanwhile, Inspector Claes Ståhl and his colleague Janina Ekström are leading a rigorous investigation into multiple murders. Could the missing Miriam de Brenner’s secrets hold the key to solving the case?

The Serpent Woman is the second part of the closely connected trilogy Maras 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.

Thomas Enger and Johana Gustawsson’s hit novel SON is nominated for Prix Babelio 2026 in France. The award includes ten categories, and SON is included in the “Crime and thriller” category along with nine other titles. The Prix Babelio is awarded yearly and each of the ten categories includes a selection of the ten highest ranking and most popular titles among Babelio’s over 2 million members.

Voting is open until May 26 and winners will be announced June 10. To vote, click “Read More” below.

Tiril, Oliver and Grandpa Franz have travelled to Mongolia to collect a valuable statue called the Blue Dragon. The journey unfolds like a carefully planned puzzle. Along the way, they discover that a man disguised as Grandpa Franz has arrived before them.

A thrilling race begins, through villages, over fields and mountains, past hidden signs, secret symbols and strange riddles. The reader follows along every step of the way.

The Search for The Blue Dragon is the sixteenth activity book in the Detective Agency No. 2 series. Find the traces, solve the codes and follow the clues. The solution is hidden in the texts and illustrations!

Actor Anders Baasmo has won the award for Best Leading Actor at this year’s Gullruten Awards for his acclaimed performance in A Better Man (Ølhunden Berit).

The series also took home the award for Best Drama Series, and the creator Thomas Torjussen was honored with awards for both Best Directing and Best Screenplay.

Kristina Ohlsson’s debut in literary fiction, Beyond the Bridges, rockets to No. 1 on the official bestseller list this week. Anne Holt’s Diamonds and Rust, the thirteenth Hanne Wilhelmsen novel, also jumps the list, to No. 5.

In non-fiction, Anders Hansen’s The Achilles Heels of Your Brain reprises last week’s feat and stays put at No. 2.