“Lars Kepler … [has] a taste for the macabre and a surefire recipe for the lurid serial-killer thriller. … This is not a book for anyone on heart medication. Kepler is a virtuoso at delivering scenes of suspense.” —Marilyn Stasio,  The New York Times Book Review The internationally bestselling authors of The Sandman and The Hypnotist return with a terrifying new thriller: Detective Joona Linna--recently returned from compassionate leave--reunites with hypnotist Erik Maria Bark in a search for a seemingly unassailable sadistic killer.     The Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a young woman in her home, clearly unaware that she's being watched. Soon after the tape is received, the woman's body is found horrifically mutilated. With the arrival of the next, similar video, the police understand that the killer is toying with them, warning of a new victim, knowing there's nothing they can do. Detective Margot Silverman is put in charge of the investigation, and soon asks Detective Joona Linna for help. Linna, in turn, recruits Erik Maria Bark, the hypnotist and expert in trauma, with whom Linna's worked before. Bark is leery of forcing people to give up their secrets. But this time, Bark is the one hiding things.      Years before, he had put a man away for an eerily similar crime, and now he's beginning to think that an innocent man may be behind bars--and a serial killer still on the loose. . . Praise for Stalker: “[G]ripping . . . the fast-paced chapters and devious plot twists left me hypnotized and eager to find out the stalker’s identity.” —Jonathan Elderfield, Associated Press “This is fast-paced, readable fare—the type of writing that makes the hours disappear. Clean and consumable, Kepler’s unflinching prose gives lucid rendering to scenes of suspense, graphic violence, and hand-to-hand combat, elevating the sense of unease or excitement they produce.” —Charles Perry,  Mystery Tribune "As in the other books in the superb Joona Linna series, credited to Lars Kepler, a pseudonym of the wife-and-husband team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, there's not an ounce of flab on Stalker despite its heft, which accommodates both scrupulous character development and elaborate scenes of derring-do." —Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness “ Stalker by Lars Kepler is the most frightening novel I have encountered in years . . . The final showdown with the perpetrator is utterly ingenious and is guaranteed to induce nightmares. Don’t read this book late at night.” —Vick Mickunas, Dayton Daily News   “Lars Kepler, the pseudonym for the seamless collaboration of spouses Alexandra and Alexander Ahndoril, brings—with a sparkling translation by Neil Smith—the same elements to this novel that they have to their previous four featuring Stockholm Detective Inspector Joona Linna: short chapters, nightmarish murders and a tantalizing, suspenseful mystery . . . These books are the best legal drug you could possibly ask for.” —Joe Hartlaub,  BookReporter “Well-written . . . One can’t wait to see what happens next in this remarkable series.” —Michael J. McCann,  New York Journal of Books “ The Sandman  no doubt prepared a great many readers for the basics of literary aerobics Lars Kepler provides in thriller fiction. Those readers, and the newcomers  Stalker  will likely attract, will find the same nail-gun precision in these pages. The good news is that the reading will be hypnotically easy. The bad news is that thrillers by other writers might begin to look a bit sedate.” —Steve Donoghue,  Open Letters Review “ Stalker keeps up the pace with super short chapters that build a sense of urgency. Plus, the premise is super creepy.” — CrimeReads “One of the most engrossing crime fiction reads of the year so far.” —BOLO Books “The reveal of the stalker’s identity is a genuine gut-punch. . . . Kepler (the pen name for the husband-and-wife writing team of Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril) does a masterly job of elevating the serial killer thriller beyond genre clichés and tropes.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Kepler delivers a page-turning hunt for an expertly camouflaged killer that draws shocking connections between the hallowed halls of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm’s prostitution and drug scene, and Sweden’s rural churches. The author’s dark, complex procedurals are must-reads for readers drawn to Stieg Larsson, Mons Kallentoft, and Michael Connelly.” – Booklist (starred review)   “An intricate plot and escalating tension set the stage for this tense, clever, pulse-pounding thriller. A must for fans of Stieg Larsson.” —J.D. Barker, international best-selling author of The Fourth Monkey “Dark, complex, and chillingly intelligent, Stalker hooks you on page one and never relents. Lars Kepler’s vivid, visceral thriller had me holding my breath to the last page.” —Meg Gardiner, Edgar-winning author of UNSUB and Into the Black Nowhere Praise for  The Sa