Description

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the Year

From the bestselling, award-winning Swedish author Håkan Nesser, The Living and the Dead in Winsford is a gripping and deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set on Exmoor.

There is nobody in the world who knows that we are here . . .

A woman arrives in the village of Winsford on Exmoor. She has travelled a long way and chosen her secluded cottage carefully. Maria's sole intention is to outlive her beloved dog Castor. And to survive the torrent of memories that threaten to overwhelm her.

Weeks before, Maria and her husband Martin fled Stockholm under a cloud. The couple were bound for Morocco, where Martin planned to write an explosive novel; one that would reveal the truth behind dark events within his commune of writers decades before. But the couple never made it to their destination.

As Maria settles into her lonely new life, walking the wild, desola

Trade Review

One of the pleasures of The Living and the Dead in Winsford is the drip feed of vital information that hurtles you through its 471 pages as it probes deeper into its heroine's demons.

Nesser lives in Gotland but spends part of each year in the UK and he obviously knows his Winsford - and better still his Exmoor. The claustrophobia and comfort of village life, the terror of darkness on an exposed and desolate landscape; proximity with a natural world as beautiful as it is harsh: every detail seems etched into Nesser's viscerally descriptive writing.

. . . A ripping yarn

* The Times *
The smooth, silky prose holds the reader's attention from start to finish, and it's no surprise to discover that this book won the Palle Rosencrantz Prize for best thriller of the year * Literary Review *
A tense, psychological exploration of betrayal and revenge, deservedly winning the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the Year in 2013.' * Sydney Morning Herald *
The book is part thriller but also reads like literary fiction. This is no surprise as Nesser is an excellent writer . . . A great read * Crimepieces.com *
A haunting, masterly unravelling of a dreadful crime, in The Living and the Dead in Winsford, Hakan Nesser, the bestselling, award-winning author of the Van Veeteren series, tightens the tension like a noose . . . * fantasticfiction.co.uk *

The Living and the Dead in Winsford

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    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Tue 16 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Håkan Nesser, Laurie Thompson

    7 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Living and the Dead in Winsford by Håkan Nesser

      Publisher: Pan Macmillan
      Publication Date: 11/02/2016
      ISBN13: 9781447271949, 978-1447271949
      ISBN10: 1447271947

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Winner of the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the Year

      From the bestselling, award-winning Swedish author Håkan Nesser, The Living and the Dead in Winsford is a gripping and deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set on Exmoor.

      There is nobody in the world who knows that we are here . . .

      A woman arrives in the village of Winsford on Exmoor. She has travelled a long way and chosen her secluded cottage carefully. Maria's sole intention is to outlive her beloved dog Castor. And to survive the torrent of memories that threaten to overwhelm her.

      Weeks before, Maria and her husband Martin fled Stockholm under a cloud. The couple were bound for Morocco, where Martin planned to write an explosive novel; one that would reveal the truth behind dark events within his commune of writers decades before. But the couple never made it to their destination.

      As Maria settles into her lonely new life, walking the wild, desola

      Trade Review

      One of the pleasures of The Living and the Dead in Winsford is the drip feed of vital information that hurtles you through its 471 pages as it probes deeper into its heroine's demons.

      Nesser lives in Gotland but spends part of each year in the UK and he obviously knows his Winsford - and better still his Exmoor. The claustrophobia and comfort of village life, the terror of darkness on an exposed and desolate landscape; proximity with a natural world as beautiful as it is harsh: every detail seems etched into Nesser's viscerally descriptive writing.

      . . . A ripping yarn

      * The Times *
      The smooth, silky prose holds the reader's attention from start to finish, and it's no surprise to discover that this book won the Palle Rosencrantz Prize for best thriller of the year * Literary Review *
      A tense, psychological exploration of betrayal and revenge, deservedly winning the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the Year in 2013.' * Sydney Morning Herald *
      The book is part thriller but also reads like literary fiction. This is no surprise as Nesser is an excellent writer . . . A great read * Crimepieces.com *
      A haunting, masterly unravelling of a dreadful crime, in The Living and the Dead in Winsford, Hakan Nesser, the bestselling, award-winning author of the Van Veeteren series, tightens the tension like a noose . . . * fantasticfiction.co.uk *

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