Håkan Nesser’s newest thriller, The Inspector and Silence, is “expertly crafted” and an “absolute must.” Fourteen years after its original publication, it has now been translated to English to tell the story of Chief Inspector Van Veeteren’s investigation of the rape and murder of an adolescent member of a cultlike religious sect.
Clearly a man of few words, Nesser chatted with us ever-so-briefly about great books and his life as a writer.
Describe your book in one sentence.
Not a book for everybody, but probably four out of ten.
Name one book you think everyone should read.
Atonement by Ian McEwan.
What book are you embarassed NOT to have read?
One Hundred Years of Solitude.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
There are no rules.
If you weren’t a writer, how would you earn a living?
Most likely I wouldn’t be earning a living.
What is your proudest moment as a writer?
Still to come. I don’t do pride.
What are you working on now?
Trying to keep my tomato plants alive.
