Roy and Castells
3 primary works
Book 1
The hunt for a serial killer takes criminal profiler Emily Roys and true-crime writer Alexis Castells from London to Sweden, and back into the past, to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, in the first instalment an addictive, award-winning new series from the Queen of French Noir
***Winner of Balai de la Découverte and Nouvelle Plume d’Argent Awards***
***International Number One Bestseller***
‘Dark, oppressive and bloody, but it’s also thought-provoking, compelling and very moving’ Metro
‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling’ Peter James
‘A bold and intelligent read’ Laura Wilson, Guardian
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Evil remembers…
Falkenberg, Sweden. The mutilated body of talented young jewellery designer, Linnea Blix, is found in a snow-swept marina.
Hampstead Heath, London. The body of a young boy is discovered with similar wounds to Linnea's.
Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 1944. In the midst of the hell of the Holocaust, Erich Hebner will do anything to see himself as a human again.
Are the two murders the work of a serial killer, and how are they connected to shocking events at Buchenwald?
Emily Roy, a profiler on loan to Scotland Yard from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, joins up with Linnea's friend, French true-crime writer Alexis Castells, to investigate the puzzling case. They travel between Sweden and London, and then deep into the past, as a startling and terrifying connection comes to light.
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‘A terrific, original duo’ The Times
‘Multi-layered, superbly plotted, brimming with mystery, tension and bone-chilling violence, and with two very different – but equally fascinating – lead female characters, Block 46 is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted … this is a book that has the power to shock and the artistry to impress long after the last page has turned’ Lancashire Post
‘Utterly compelling’ Woman’s Own
‘A bold and audacious debut from a very talented writer. Heralds the beginning of a thrilling new series’ R J Ellory
‘Viscerally brutal yet delicately beautiful, like blood spatter on fresh snow. An unbelievable debut’ Matt Wesolowski
‘A truly unique and chilling blend of Nordic Noir’s dark atmosphere … gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed’ Crime by the Book
‘A real page-turner, I loved it’ Martina Cole
’A great serial-killer thriller with a nice twist … first rate’ James Oswald
‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent’ Ragnar Jónasson
‘A must-read’ Daily Express
‘There’s a touch of Hannibal Lector in this one, and the final plot twists are harsh and sudden. You’ll want to double check the door locks and keep a few extra lights on, as you read … the suspense is brutal’ Kingdom Books
Book 2
An abduction in London and the discovery of a body on the west coast of Sweden lead criminal profiler Emily Roys and true-crime writer Alexis Castells back to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel, as they hunt a serial killer. Book two in the explosive, award-winning Roy & Castells series.
‘A terrific, original duo’ Marcel Berlins, The Times
‘Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed’ Crime by the Book
‘A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece, filled with nightmarish situations that will keep you awake long into the dark nights of winter’ New York Journal of Books
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Whitechapel, 1888: London is bowed under Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror.
London 2015: Actress Julianne Bell is abducted in a case similar to the terrible Tower Hamlets murders of some ten years earlier, and harking back to the Ripper killings of a century before.
Falkenberg, Sweden, 2015: A woman’s body is found mutilated in a forest, her wounds identical to those of the Tower Hamlets victims.
With the man arrested for the Tower Hamlets crimes already locked up, do the new killings mean he has a dangerous accomplice, or is a copy-cat serial killer on the loose?
Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells again find themselves drawn into an intriguing case, with personal links that turn their world upside down.
Following the highly acclaimed Block 46 and guaranteed to disturb and enthral, Keeper is a breathless thriller from the new queen of French Noir.
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‘A bold and intelligent read’ Guardian
‘A satisfying, full-fat mystery’ The Times
‘Assured telling of a complex story’ Sunday Times
‘Dark, oppressive and bloody but also thought-provoking, compelling and very moving’ Metro
‘A real page-turner, I loved it’ Martina Cole
‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent’ Ragnar Jónasson
‘A must-read’ Daily Express
‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling’ Peter James
‘Bold and audacious’ R. J. Ellory
‘A great serial-killer thriller with a nice twist … first rate’ James Oswald
‘Thought-provoking, challenging, and an absolute knock-out … I’m still in shock’ LoveReading
‘A great addition to the world of noir novels, and lives alongside the best...’ TripFiction
Book 3
The action swings from London to Sweden, and then back into the past, to Franco’s Spain, as Roy & Castells hunt a monstrous killer … in the latest instalment of Johana Gustawsson’s award-winning, international bestselling series.
***Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger***
‘Historical sections highlight, in distressing detail, the atrocious treatment of mothers-to-be in Franco’s Spain … A satisfying, full-fat mystery’ The Times
‘Assured telling of a complex story’ Sunday Times
‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling’ Peter James
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Spain, 1938: The country is wracked by civil war, and as Valencia falls to Franco’s brutal dictatorship, Republican Therese witnesses the murders of her family. Captured and sent to the notorious Las Ventas women’s prison, Therese gives birth to a daughter who is forcibly taken from her.
Falkenberg, Sweden, 2016: A wealthy family is found savagely murdered in their luxurious home. Discovering that her parents have been slaughtered, Aliénor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK’s Scotland Yard, rushes back to Sweden and finds her hometown rocked by the massacre.
Profiler Emily Roy joins forces with Aliénor and soon finds herself on the trail of a monstrous and prolific killer. Little does she realise that this killer is about to change the life of her colleague, true-crime writer Alexis Castells. Joining forces once again, Roy and Castells’ investigation takes them from the Swedish fertility clinics of the present day back to the terror of Franco’s rule, and the horrifying events that took place in Spanish orphanages under its rule.
Terrifying, vivid and recounted at breakneck speed, Blood Song is not only a riveting thriller and an examination of corruption in the fertility industry, but a shocking reminder of the atrocities of Spain’s dictatorship, in the latest, stunning instalment in the award-winning Roy & Castells series.
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‘French novelist Johana Gustawsson writes novels of startling originality. Blood Song [is] truly horrifying’ Sunday Times
‘Her sleuths tracking a monstrous killer, transporting us from modern-day fertility clinics in Sweden to the abuses of Spanish orphanages under the brutal rule of General Franco … a truly European thriller’ Financial Times
‘Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed’ Crime by the Book
‘A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece, filled with nightmarish situations that will keep you awake long into the dark nights of winter’ New York Journal of Books
‘Emotional and atmospheric’ New Books Magazine
‘Intricately plotted, visceral and emotional the author ramps up the tension and the unfolding keeps the reader guessing to the very end. Scenes are raw, vivid and gripping’ Promoting Crime
‘I don’t think there’s a crime writer who writes with such intelligence, darkness and deep sadness as Johana Gustawsson. This was extraordinary’ Louise Beech
‘Blood Song caught and has held onto my thoughts, it is clever, provocative, and a seriously good read’ LoveReading
‘A fascinating and engrossing read, but also one that I found intensely harrowing, deeply intimate and which made me cry’ Live & Deadly
‘A real page-turner, I loved it’ Martina Cole
‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent’ Ragnar Jónasson
‘A must-read’ Daily Express
‘Bold and audacious’ R. J. Ellory