For anyone who enjoys a good Swedish thriller, Fredrik T Olsson is a new name to add to your list. Swedish fiction has come in for a lot of attention since the runaway success of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Readers who like a fast-paced thriller are unlikely to be disappointed by Chain of Events. That said, the plot reminded me more of The DaVinci Code than it did of Larsson’s book.
Cryptography
Olsson grabs attention quickly and maintains suspense throughout. Journalist Christina Sandberg’s ex-husband disappears from hospital while being treated for a suicide attempt. A cryptologist with expertise in military code breaking, William Sandberg has special skills. Those skills are urgently required by a top secret international organisation. But who is behind the organisation? Why are they intent on withholding information that might help William crack the code? And how is William Sandberg’s experience linked to the killing of a homeless man in a fake ambulance in Berlin?
Meanwhile, Janine Haynes a student specialising in Sumerian symbols has also disappeared. She, too has skills and knowledge that are valuable to the organisation.
Time is short and it becomes clear that William and Janine are working on a code that could have drastic consequences for humanity.
The tension never lets up as the stakes get higher and higher in this fast-paced thriller. Chain of Events is an exciting and entertaining read and an impressive debut novel for Swedish screenwriter Fredrik T Olsson.
Chain of Events by Fredrik T Olsson is published by Little, Brown Book Group UK. ISBN: 9780751556853. [Disclosure: An Advance Readers Copy was made available free of charge via Netgalley for the purpose of this review]