Advanced Reader copy - Enjoyed this book, really opened my eyes and made me seek out other similar books to read.

Wow. I’ve finally finished this book nearly a year after starting it. I can’t really remember why I stopped reading but the series finally being on Netflix is what has inspired me to pick it back up and finish.

When I started reading again I was on 60 odd percent. Let me tell you the last 40-ish percent was where it was at.

I wasn’t sure which side of the fence I sat about Maja and right up until the closing pages I was biting my nails about what the verdict would be. I was thrilled with the result though so maybe I did always know?

I can’t wait to see the characters come to life on the screen now. This book has inspired me to seek out more books with court room scenes. Especially YA ones.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Quicksand – Highly Addictive Scandi Noir

Quicksand was the winner of Sweden’s Best Crime Novel 2016, and has been given a billing in the English language of being a cross between The Secret History meets We Need to Talk about Kevin, and that fans of Serial and Making a Murderer will enjoy this book. I would like to add that any love of Scandi Noir will find Quicksilver highly addictive and completely engrossing.

Maja Norberg is 18 years old and is standing trial for murder, or correctly put for a number of murders and incitement of others, at her school and the death of her boyfriend’s father in his home. She has spent the last nine months in prison awaiting trial and has been found guilty in the court of public opinion and the newspapers before a word has been spoken in court.

There are two very clear narratives in this thriller both from the point of view of Maja, one of the ongoing court case and her incarceration awaiting trial, and the other is the relationship to her family, boyfriend and her best friend Amanda. All she can remember from the day is being carried out of the classroom with only a bruise surrounded by blood and death. Both narratives give Maja a voice for both good and evil while being provocative at the same time.

We see Maja’s relationships with all the other characters, and at times she can be both annoying while being child-like while explaining what happened. Typical of all dark Sandi thrillers there is some lighter moments to make Maja seem stronger than she comes across in court. You are alone with her cell as she thinks back to her interpersonal relationships, could she or should she have done things differently. She knows she killed her boyfriend and her best friend but did she mean it, she cannot remember or does not want to remember.

As the prosecution sets out its case, Maja sits silently as she listens to the evidence and her thoughts run wild as she does so. Is the prosecutor correct or is her defence lawyer, she questions both in her mind as the case continues, she certainly does not want to turn around and see her parents or anyone else that has packed in to the court room.

As you read Quicksand you will want to know more you will want to get ahead and find out what the verdict of the court is. This is a mystery suspense thriller that is totally seductive, in that you want Maja to be found not guilty but you cannot guarantee that would be the right verdict. This is a wonderful narrative between good and evil, and you will be provoked by the subject matter, a classroom full of dead teenagers and teachers. There is a tension throughout the novel and you do not get any release until the very last sentence, Quicksand is utterly brilliant, and one of the finest thrillers I have read in a while.

(I am the administrator for the Petrona award).

The 2018 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year

On 19 May 2018, at the Gala Dinner at CrimeFest, Bristol, Petrona Award judges Barry Forshaw and Sarah Ward announced the winner of the 2018 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.

The winner is QUICKSAND by Malin Persson Giolito, translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles and published by Simon & Schuster.

Ms Persson Giolito was unable to collect the trophy in person, but she sent an acceptance speech which was read out by last year's winner Gunnar Staalesen:

“Quicksand is a story about justice and fundamental human values, and I understand that Maxine Clarke – who inspired the Petrona Award – was someone who appreciated the social and political awareness of Scandinavian crime literature. We have that in common, and that is one of the many reasons why I am particularly proud that Quicksand has received the award.

My warmest thanks to the members of the jury whose expert knowledge and passion helps Nordic Noir travel far. I also want to thank my publisher Suzanne Baboneau, and it is a special honour to share the prize with my excellent translator Rachel Willson-Broyles.”

As well as the trophy, Malin Persson Giolito receives a pass to and a guaranteed panel at next year's CrimeFest.

Malin Persson Giolito and Rachel Willson-Broyles will also receive a cash prize.

The judges' statement on QUICKSAND:

“In a strong year for entries to the Petrona Award, the judges were impressed by Quicksand’s nuanced approach to the subject of school shootings and the motives behind them. Persson Giolito refuses to fall back on cliché, expertly drawing readers into the teenage world of Maja Norberg, who faces trial for her involvement in the killings of a teacher and fellow classmates. The court scenes, often tricky to make both realistic and compelling, are deftly written, inviting readers to consider not just the truth of Maja’s role, but the influence of class, parenting and misplaced loyalty in shaping the tragedy. Rachel Willson-Broyles’s excellent translation perfectly captures Maja’s voice – by turns vulnerable and defiant – as she struggles to deal with events. Gripping and thought-provoking, Quicksand is an outstanding Scandinavian crime novel and the highly worthy winner of the 2018 Petrona Award.”

The Petrona team would like to thank our sponsor, David Hicks, for his generous support of the 2018 Petrona Award.

Maja is eighteen years old and has led a privileged life so far as one of the popular members of a rich high school clique. Scratch beneath the surface and all isn't as rosy as it seems which becomes all too clear when Maja's boyfriend carries out a school shooting. Now Maja stands trial accused of shooting him and her best friend.

Maja is your typical cynical teenager, but that's not to say her character veers into cliche. The teenagers seem to be left to their own devices by their parents. Maja is expected to deal with her boyfriend's very public and obvious nervous breakdown even though she is clearly out of her depth. She and her friends talk casually of private jets and trips aboard yachts but struggle to take care of each other. With her boyfriend, Sebastian dead, Maja is left to carry the blame for what happened.

The book switches between the court case and the build up to the shooting. The story becomes less about whether Maja was involved and more about the inevitability of the path Sebastian was taking. Maja is a fascinating narrator and while the voice of a teenager comes through on the page, this is far from a YA novel (obviously this isn't meant as a slight on YA novels) It's a book of many facets, it's parts unsettling and disturbing and at times you also feel angry on Maja's behalf. If you enjoy Nordic fiction and want something different from a detective driven crime novel, I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

I am not enjoying this novel at all.
I severely dislike the main character Maja. She is cold, distant and critical of EVERYTHING!
I understand the nature of the themes and have loved novels with loathsome characters previously. But there is something about Maja, that I just grow disinterested in, the more I read on.


There are some clever shocking one liners, that work very well with the nature of her internal thoughts. But overall it just doesn't work for me.

Must confess that I got a little bored with this one, and didn't actually finish it. However, I lent it to a fellow bookseller who loved it, and said it felt more suitable for the young adult market.

The hard-hitting opening had me going back over it a couple of times to make sure the images it was creating in my mind were accurate. Then as I started to make my way through Maja's bleak story, I tried to work out exactly what had happened in that classroom. I had so many questions. Did Maja actually do what she was being accused of? What was her relationship with the victims? Why did she seem so calm? Who was Sebastian and how was he involved?

The writing style was beautifully expressive, it pulled me in and made me want to understand the characters and the situation better. Covering Maja's time in court made the story feel even more real, I found it very easy to visualise the scenes in front of me. It was absolutely believable.

Amongst the darkness of a murder trial were some amusing moments, little comments from Maja that made me laugh. Her sarcasm surprised me in a good way and I really enjoyed coming across those lighthearted sentences! This also brings me to the fact that I couldn't help but like Maja. I felt as though I was supposed to despise her but for some reason I just couldn't. In fact, I felt quite sad for her, for the situation she had found herself in. I definitely had some motherly feelings towards this girl who had so spectacularly lost her way.

The further I read, the more engrossed I became. Maja's life completely fascinated me and, as the mystery was pieced together, I realised I was holding my breath waiting for the outcome.

Quicksand is a suspenseful treat of a thriller that will have you flipping the pages in anticipation. An utterly captivating 5 star read.

I have never read a book by a Swedish author so when Quicksand became available I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try. I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was curious from the start as to how the storyline was going to unfold, Malin wrote about Maja in the first person and I was engaged with the characters and storyline from the beginning. The fact that the act of writing through the eyes of Maja defines the story I could feel that I was being pulled into Maja's world, wanting to delve deeper and find out how Maja came to be in prison awaiting trial.

Maja was a normal eighteen year old with a seemingly normal life, a loving family, excelled at school, has friends and a boyfriend. Her life takes an unexpected turn where a tragedy occurs and takes the lives of her friend and boyfriend. Maja portrays the events which lead up to the fateful day, how she met her boyfriend Sebastian and how there lives become intertwined with drugs and partying. Maja loves Sebastian and would do everything she could to please him, her family are really pleased she has met Sebastian, Maja's father even looks to the possibility of a client deal with Sebastian's father. Things change when Maja sees a side of Sebastian which she doesn't like, by this point its too late, their relationship breaks down and Maja sees the dark side of Sebastian.

This book was a fascinating, often uncomfortable, but thoroughly engrossing read.

There are so many talking points raised throughout the book ; trial by media, social media and its impact, wealth and moral corruption, women in a patriarchal society, Economics and immigrants,
Petty rivalries and deep seated prejudices, but never to the detriment of the story.
Maja is a precocious teenager and whilst not initially likeable, as a reader I started to understand her life and all the supposed freedom that wealth and privilege has brought her, but also the weight of expectation on her shoulders.
Her boyfriend Sebastian is never really given a voice in the book, and this cleverly shows how no one really wants him to have a voice. He has been put on a pedestal by both his peers and the parents of his peers and simultaneously has been dismissed by his father. We as the reader are complicit in this by the very nature of the book.

Nothing is straightforward or black and white in this book and it is sure to be a hit with book clubs for that very reason.

There are no happy endings and Maja herself acknowledges that the results of the trial are in some way immaterial.; she will always be remembered by what the press has reported about her.

A really powerful book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

A fast-paced and intriguing mystery that was easy to read and kept me turning the pages. With a teenage protagonist, I think this has crossover appeal and I would recommend it to older YA readers as well as lovers of psychological thrillers.

The opening chapter of this book caught the scene well for me. Maja is there in the classroom, the only uninjured person, with her boyfriend and best friend lying dead after a mass shooting. The main part of the book starts when Maja, having been in prison for 9 months, appears in the courtroom charged with murder and inciting murder. The story deals with the time before the shooting and the time after as well as the court case.

The question is what really happened in that classroom. Various aspects about the case and surrounding it are gradually revealed. Initially I found Maja's voice (and it is all told in her voice) rather "matter of fact" story telling which I initially liked. It was somewhat understated and equally had a feel of being uninvolved. A combination of that and the rather disjointed nature of the chapter content did make the book feel it lacked pace in the first half.

For me the story became more interesting/compelling around half way through. The courtroom drama once it got going was good. Around this time the peripheral narrative dealing with Maja's life leading up to the shooting seemed far more alive and relevant than earlier on.

This is certainly not a book I would have given up on. Other than the pace early sadly none of the characters really appealed to me in any way and some really didn't get me interested at all with the exception of Samir. 3.5/5 I think

mystery and intrigue in its purest form. Great book, recommended to all