Scars of Silence

Johana Gustawsson

Orenda Books

Scars of Silence

Johana Gustawsson

Orenda Books

Twenty-three years ago, a young woman was murdered on the Swedish island of Lidingö.

The island has kept its silence.

Until now…

As autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenaged boys are murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles on their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia.

Maïa Rehn has fled Paris for Lidingö after a family tragedy. But when the murders shake the island community, the former police commissioner is drawn into the heart of the investigation, joining Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery as chilling as the Nordic winter.

As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman.

But what if the victims weren’t who they seemed? What if those long silenced have finally found a way to strike back?

How far would they go to make their tormentors pay?

And you – how far would you go?

photo of Johana Gustawsson
Born in Marseille, Johana Gustawsson's Roy & Castells series – Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song – won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards and is published in 26 countries. The Bleeding was a No. 1 bestseller in France and Yule Island won Book of the Year with France’s biggest retailer, Cultura. Scars of Silence won the prestigious Maison de la Press Award in 2025, and the same year Johana teamed up with Norwegian crime-writer Thomas Enger, to write the international bestselling mystery, SON.

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