The Last Word

The Last Word is a novel about family, honour and keeping up appearances – at any cost

During the Helsinki Book Fair, author David Berglund is found dead in the Helsinki harbour – the same day he was set to receive a literary prize. His wife Aurora is almost due to have their first child, and the family idyll he always dreamed of would finally become a reality.

Philip Koski, a national hockey hero whose career was cut short by an injury, just joined the Helsinki Police Department and is assigned to the case. Philip struggles to cope with his new job, along with the fact people see him as nothing more than a has-been.

At the same time, cultural journalist Tilde Björkqvist digs into David’s story. The last person to interview him, encountering a man whose words of joy and gratitude did not match his desperate appereance. At work, Tilde struggles against antiquated hierarchies – why are they impeding her investigation of the young writer?

Meanwhile, Åsa Stråhle, head of the Bohre Foundation, is beside herself with grief. After years of trying to conceive, she is still childless. David and his twin brother Adam are the closest thing to a family she has, but she lost contact with Adam after he immersed himself in society’s dark underbelly. Åsa tries to keep up her façade while everything around her is falling apart.

PRAISE:

THE LAST WORD is a crime novel that grabs the reader from the very first page and never lets go. You can really feel that the authors had fun writing it! And Tilde and Philip are perfect as the main characters, a match made in heaven, just like the book’s authors.

– Martin Welander, publisher, Schildts & Söderströms, Finland