Description

Book Synopsis
Harry Kvist walks out the gates of Langholmen jail into the biting Stockholm winter of 1935. He has nothing to his name but a fiercely burning hope: that he can leave behind his old existence of gutter brawls, bruised fists and broken bones. But the city has other ideas. Nazis are spreading their poison on the freezing streets, and one of Kvist's oldest friends has been murdered. Before he can leave Stockholm's underworld for good, he must track down the killer. As Kvist uncovers a trail of blood leading to the highest echelons of Swedish society, the former boxer finds himself in a fight to the death with his most dangerous opponent yet.

Trade Review
Holmen has Raymond Chandler's rare ability to evoke a character in a few deft strokes Mail on Sunday, best crime reads of 2016 Ferociously noir... If Chandler and Hammett had truly walked on the wild side, it would read like Clinch Val McDermid Atmospheric Scandi retro, but Chandleresque to its core The Sunday Times Crime Club If you're looking for a new addiction, try [Clinch]... it's a tough thriller that packs a punch Daily Star on Sunday A dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I've read in years Lynda La Plante A real tour de force... a fascinating race through 1930s Stockholm -- Kate Rhodes Clinch is a gritty, stylish debut from a Swedish history teacher and in Kvist he has created a brutal anti-hero quite unlike any seen in crime fiction before Express A clever plot woven into prose that depicts 1930s Stockholm in a detailed manner... it punches you in the face like one of Kvist's knockout blows. Definitely not for the faint-hearted Crime Scene Martin Holmen has created a remarkable novel that works well at many levels, ticking all the right boxes for the Scandi crime category Thriller Books Journal Gritty, stylish Scandinavian noir from one of Sweden's hottest emerging authors Booklover A ferociously noir revelation of Stockholm between the wars... the sort of novel Chandler and Hammett would have written if they'd been permitted to include sex! -- Val McDermid Sunday Times Crime Club Clinch is a fabulously classy twist on pulp fiction: it'll be a top-notch summer book for readers looking for something diverting but smart, as long as they don't mind a little blood and bonking Elle Thinks This is noir writing at its best and you won't want to give this book a miss if you are a fan of this genre The Bookbinder's Daughter (blog) A debut that rings of Chandler... Holmen has created a unique, equally idiosyncratic as remarkable, debut crime novel Boras Tidning Scandinavian Crime meets Film Noir, the crime novel of the year -- Alexander Bard A great read Expressen Brutally entertaining M-Magasin Praise for Clinch: -- _ _

Down for the Count

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    £8.99

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 19 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Martin Holmén, Henning Koch

    5 in stock


      View other formats and editions of Down for the Count by Martin Holmén

      Publisher: Pushkin Press
      Publication Date: 06/07/2017
      ISBN13: 9781782272182, 978-1782272182
      ISBN10: 1782272186

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Harry Kvist walks out the gates of Langholmen jail into the biting Stockholm winter of 1935. He has nothing to his name but a fiercely burning hope: that he can leave behind his old existence of gutter brawls, bruised fists and broken bones. But the city has other ideas. Nazis are spreading their poison on the freezing streets, and one of Kvist's oldest friends has been murdered. Before he can leave Stockholm's underworld for good, he must track down the killer. As Kvist uncovers a trail of blood leading to the highest echelons of Swedish society, the former boxer finds himself in a fight to the death with his most dangerous opponent yet.

      Trade Review
      Holmen has Raymond Chandler's rare ability to evoke a character in a few deft strokes Mail on Sunday, best crime reads of 2016 Ferociously noir... If Chandler and Hammett had truly walked on the wild side, it would read like Clinch Val McDermid Atmospheric Scandi retro, but Chandleresque to its core The Sunday Times Crime Club If you're looking for a new addiction, try [Clinch]... it's a tough thriller that packs a punch Daily Star on Sunday A dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I've read in years Lynda La Plante A real tour de force... a fascinating race through 1930s Stockholm -- Kate Rhodes Clinch is a gritty, stylish debut from a Swedish history teacher and in Kvist he has created a brutal anti-hero quite unlike any seen in crime fiction before Express A clever plot woven into prose that depicts 1930s Stockholm in a detailed manner... it punches you in the face like one of Kvist's knockout blows. Definitely not for the faint-hearted Crime Scene Martin Holmen has created a remarkable novel that works well at many levels, ticking all the right boxes for the Scandi crime category Thriller Books Journal Gritty, stylish Scandinavian noir from one of Sweden's hottest emerging authors Booklover A ferociously noir revelation of Stockholm between the wars... the sort of novel Chandler and Hammett would have written if they'd been permitted to include sex! -- Val McDermid Sunday Times Crime Club Clinch is a fabulously classy twist on pulp fiction: it'll be a top-notch summer book for readers looking for something diverting but smart, as long as they don't mind a little blood and bonking Elle Thinks This is noir writing at its best and you won't want to give this book a miss if you are a fan of this genre The Bookbinder's Daughter (blog) A debut that rings of Chandler... Holmen has created a unique, equally idiosyncratic as remarkable, debut crime novel Boras Tidning Scandinavian Crime meets Film Noir, the crime novel of the year -- Alexander Bard A great read Expressen Brutally entertaining M-Magasin Praise for Clinch: -- _ _

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