The Black Path

A frozen lake in northern Sweden gives up a woman's body, and the marks on it show she was tortured. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella, who handles the investigation, notices that the victim wore athletic clothing over lacy underwear. The woman turns out to have been a central figure at a mining firm with operations around the world, so Mella decides she needs a lawyer who can explain the business side of the case.

The lawyer she turns to is Rebecka Martinsson. Still recovering from a previous case that left her badly shaken, Rebecka is eager to return to work and feel like herself again. She starts digging into the life of the dead woman's employer, the founder of Kallis Mining, whose ties to his top employee were intense and disturbing. As the two women look deeper, they find a web of hidden relationships, sexual deviance and criminal conduct.

The story follows a man's obsession, a woman's isolated death and a killer whose cruelty is chilling. It is a dark, suspenseful crime novel for adult readers who want a bleak northern setting and a plot driven by secrets.