A dark Scandinavian Noir; two girls go missing on the same day in Stockholm. however, there are no leads and the girls disappearance is left as a cold case until Detective Grens takes a look at the case.; determined to solve the crime. This was a dark and thrilling crime novel; a 4 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund is the 9th book in the Ewert Grens series, however, it’s the first book I’ve read in this series and I now look forward to catching up on the previous books!
In short, two little girls go missing on the same day in Stockholm, their disappearances are never explained and investigations abandoned. A chance discovery puts Detective Ewert Grens back on the trail five years later to endeavour the worst assignment he’d had in his forty years as a police officer.
It’s a heart thumpingly tense and harrowing Scandi thriller with a gritty, hard hitting storyline…not an easy read yet it draws you in, probably because it’s so well written that you are invested in the characters and praying for a good conclusion. Definitely a dark Scandi Noir which will tug at your heart strings.
Big thanks to Anders Roslund, Random House UK and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Detective Ewert Grens is visiting his wife's grave one morning when he meets a mysterious woman who tells him the harrowing story of her daughter's abduction. With no body found but also no leads, she regularly visits an empty grave and is desperate to find out what happened to her daughter. Grens immediately looks into the case and discovers that another girl went missing on the same day in very similar circumstances. He is so determined to find answers for both of the missing girls families and requests that the cases are reopened. The problem is that Grens is nearing the end of his career and is suffering from stress and possibly other physical illnesses which he continues to ignore. His boss, Erik Wilson, can see Grens heading for some kind of breakdown and/or burnout and insists he takes involuntary leave. Not wanting to take no for an answer he calls upon some old colleagues and a new contact in the Danish Police to continue investigating, which leads to their dark discovery of a large paedophile ring and the consequences are far more disturbing that any of them could have imagined.

I love Scandi Crime and detective fiction, and I usually say 'the darker the better' but this story was difficult even for me to read at some points. The subject matter was especially troubling, and with daughters myself it was a storyline I struggled with having to think about. Having said that, the writing, the plot and the characters were absolutely solid. I never doubted them for a second, and the added confusion around Grens' mental state made the developments really intriguing, never being quite sure which way things would turn.

I read through the second half of this book with my heart in my mouth. I can't remember that last book I read with this level of tension built around a case. I won't give any more details because I don't want to give any spoilers but my advice would be to remember to breath while you read these scenes!

Sweet Dreams is the latest of many novels featuring Detective Ewert Grens. I thought he was a really interesting character so I do wish I had read some of the other books first to get a better idea of how he ended up in his current mental state, but I am looking forward to going back and reading through the whole series now.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no large gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book therefore a star is lost for this.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was an interesting book I struggled with the place names and the names of the people but, on the whole this was a good one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I haven’t read any books by the author in the past. The description of this book was intriguing to me because, while it is a complicated topic to read about, I’m always seeking that special touch of a writer to bring light in a dark subject; here, is child pornography.

An older detective, who is showing signs of his long-term career, is up to investigate a new case and bring behind bars various culprits.

The writing is interesting, especially if you have read Nordic authors and are used to the style. The story overall is handling many complicated scenes, but in a good way of disclosing what goes behind closed doors when an investigation like this occurs.

The main character is a man of honour and won’t let himself strayed away from his promise to bring justice to the ones in need.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

A gripping read with a difficult subject matter. Great characterisation and pacing could not put it down. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go even after you've finished the book.
I received this book from Random House UK and Netgalley for a review.

Swedish crime writer Anders Roslund returns with Detective Ewert Grens for the 10th instalment of his gritty crime series set in Stockholm. Grens, now 65, is as depressed and gloomy as ever, and the psychological scars of years of police work are beginning to show. When he inadvertently stumbles across a child pornography ring, he finds the much needed motivation to keep going.

Continue to read this review on the Crime Fiction Lover website where it was originally published: https://crimefictionlover.com/2022/10/sweet-dreams-by-anders-roslund/

Heartbreaking novel exposing the hours of investigative police work to secure evidence against international peadophile rings. An ageing police officer, crippled by grief becomes obsessed by a missing child’s case which leads him into the darkest reaches of the internet. Not always easy reading but beautifully & sensitively written - I finished this novel in 36 hours. Highly recommended. Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

In Stockholm, Alva, Jenny's daughter went missing when she was four. Detective Ewert Grens meets Jenny who is sitting on a bench in the cemetery where Alva's empty grave is and learns of the vanishing of another 4yo at the same time. The cases from five years ago were closed but Grens decides to find out what happened. He is unofficially helped by the Danish police. A disturbing, brutal, white-knuckle, extremely emotional tale with some excellent characterisation.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Vintage via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Ewert Grens is a detective who is nearing the end of his career and is haunted by events in his past. This has caused him to shun most human interaction and friendship.
On a visit to the cemetery, he comes across a woman sitting on "his" bench. She tells him that the grave she is tending doesn't have a body in it as it is for her daughter who was abducted several years ago and she had her declared dead after all avenues of investigation had been exhausted. This was to give her closure. Back at the Police station he looks into the case and finds very little in the case notes. He is also told by a colleague about another little girl, abducted on the same day, whose family are just about to go through the same process.
After an argument with the family, he is told by his boss to take all the holiday he has accrued and stay away. He cannot let it go and his private investigation leads him to Denmark and a very dark, dark world.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this because of the subject matter, but actually this book drew me inand I was really rooting for the investigation to get positive results.

This was the first time that I read an Anders Roslund book and to say I liked it is an understatement!

The plot is straightforward but well written. The suspense is real and will have you sitting at the edge of your seat.

There are scenes that are really rough and difficult due to child abuse and violence but this makes the read more chilling and builds anticipation for the conclusion.

The characters are well developed and have traits that makes them relatable but without going over the top. The author really worked on their psychology and goes deep into past experiences to justify the way they react in the book.

It’s such a gripping, atmospheric thriller AND it’s a series! I just can’t recommend it enough!

First off I’d like to post a trigger warning as there is a lot of sexual abuse involving children in this book which some readers may not want to read about.

On the same day 2 young girls go missing. The police are called it after a while the trail goes cold and over time the cases are stopped with no new leads to follow there is little choice.

Soon Detective Ewert Greens is out on this case when by chance a new lead is found. Ewert is determined to find out what happened to the 2 missing girls and is driven by something that happened in his past making him determined not to fail.

This book turned out to be darker and more thrilling than I expected. It is a very hard core read so if you’re a little faint hearted I’d avoid this one bit personally I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review. I’m very much looking forward to reading the previous books in this series.

Sweet Dreams is Scandi noir at its finest. It's not cosy crime by any stretch of the imagination, and certainly won't be adapted for a BBC2 mini series.

The story starts with a pretty horrendous situation of two four year old girls who went missing, separately, on the same day and have never been found. A chance encounter sparks the interest of washed up, worn out detective Ewert Grens, who begins his own unauthorised search for answers.

What this turns into is even more horrifying, and carries a massive trigger warning of child sexual abuse for readers. Grens uncovers an international paedophile ring and will stop at nothing to stop the abuse and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sweet Dreams is not a comfortable read, but the quality of the writing is so high that you become utterly absorbed. You desperately want the team to succeed, by any means necessary, not just for the victims but for themselves too.

A dark, page-turning Swedish police procedural, tackling head-on a topic that is not often addressed in such depth and could easily become very grim and depressing - but done with sensitivity and a delicate touch to keep it in the realms of readable whodunnit. It took me a while to get into the story as it starts in quite a slow way with the hero detective in a bit of a rut and with health issues, but once the core mystery gets going and with the introduction of various hacker characters and the infiltrator role it was an exciting read. I found the twist at the end a little confusing but may have just been a result of e-book formatting! Overall enjoyable.

A four-year-old girl is caught on CCTV, just as a hand from off screen takes her’s. Another disappears elsewhere about the same time. Both vanish without trace. Three years later both are officially declared dead – two small graves holding empty white coffins. Aging Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens of the Stockholm Police, still mourning the death of his wife, Anni, and unborn child thirty years ago is at his wife’s grave when he meets Jenny, the mother of the second child. Curious about the case (or perhaps just because Jenny looks a bit like Anni) he tries to find details of the case but is side-tracked by the “Missing Person’s” officer into looking at the other case, where there is the CCTV and other clues. However, he is behaving erratically, suffers dizzy spells, and appears stressed so is put on a month’s sick leave. Like all troubled and damaged cops in fiction, he continues working on the case in secret. With some cunning deductive thinking and old fashioned techniques he traces a paedophile based in Denmark. Working, completely unofficially, with a Danish cyber cop and a free-lance computing wonder kid he discovers an international paedophile network centered around an inner ring. Determined to break the ring and round up the network they conceive a plan – identify all the participants and arrest them all, wherever in the world they may be. For this they need someone to go undercover and Grens turns to an old associate who is both a supreme expert in infiltrating criminal gangs and persona non grata with all police forces.
This is the latest book to feature Grens (two overlapping series totalling, I think, eighteen books counting this one), but doesn’t rely on any pre-knowledge. The story is often challenging because of the subject, but the quality of the writing is very high so, although nothing is described in any detail, the reader may feel horrified, even disgusted, but the text is never actually gruesome. The overall plot is well done, with nice sequences particularly around the computer based investigation and the creation and deployment of the undercover agent. The final resolution is surprising and I didn’t fully work it out until Grens did. I count that as a big plus. There are some sections which seem a bit overstretched, but I’ve met that with Scandinavian books before so it may just be stylistic. I think it’s worth 4 and a bit, but that final twist pushes it easily to 5.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Sweet Dreams is a Swedish police procedural revolving around paedophilia and the abuse of children. It's extremely dark and doesn't always make for an easy read. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for an arc.

A gripping novel about the investigation into two missing girls declared dead after several years. The unofficial investigation leads to the discovery of an international paedophilia ring and the detectives efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. This is apparently the latest in a series but works as a stand-alone story. Extremely graphic and you need a strong stomach for what is a fine and ultimately satisfying tale. Excellent!

Scandi noir at its best and a new author I am doing the happy dance!!!!
A very dark read and a tour de force of storytelling. Swedish detective Ewart Grens is a broken and tortured man. With his career coming to an end and still managing to be a thorn in the side of his peers and colleagues. He is sat on a bench in the cemetery talking to a stranger, she is visiting an empty grave. Her daughter went missing 5 years earlier and has now been declared dead. On the same day another little girl was abducted while shopping with her family. He goes to his bosses and they refuse to reopen these cases. Greens is forced to take leave but unbeknownst to his superiors he secretly mounts his own investigation. Little does he realise that this is only the tip of an iceberg which includes, trafficking, kidnapping children to order, the dark web and worldwide hunt for a notorious peodaphile ring that has tentacles world wide. A dark, intense grim read that I could not put down. Well written with plenty of action and many heart in your mouth moments and a few surprises. After reading this rollercoaster I have found out that there is a whole series of Ewart Gren thrillers off to Amazon I gone.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

So this is not the first book in a series which I hadn’t realised and it has made me want to look at the back catalogue. Was very good and well worth the read.