The Night Singer

Description

The #1 international crime series from Sweden!

An island never forgets — especially if you’re the daughter of a murderer

Police detective Hannah Duncker didn’t expect to return to her native Öland. She fled after her father’s murder conviction and returns to make peace with her shame. She has a new job with the local police and a nosy new partner. A fifteen-year-old’s death catapults her into a murder investigation that resurrects ghosts from her previous life. As she hunts for the truth, she must confront the people she abandoned. Not all are pleased to see her back home, and she soon learns that digging through the past comes with consequences.

Author Johanna Mo crafts a breakneck island noir where secrets linger, guilt stains, and collective memory is long and unforgiving. Propulsive and poignant, The Night Singer explores the fallout of when good people do bad things.“…readers will readily engage with Hanna, a no-nonsense, dogged, and thoughtful investigator. Mo is off to a strong start.”—Publishers Weekly

“Author Johanna Mo crafts a breakneck island noir where secrets linger, guilt stains, and collective memory is long and unforgiving. Propulsive and poignant, The Night Singer explores the fallout of when good people do bad things.”— Author Stories Podcast

“The start of Mo’s series makes you want to read more.” - Börsenblatt (Frankfurt)

“Highly suspenseful until the tragic case is solved.”- Westfalen-Blatt (Germany)

“This book sucks you right in.” - Delmenhorster Kreisblatt (Germany)

“Immensely thrilling psychological suspense.” - Fränkische Nachrichten (Germany)
 

“Johanna Mo has established herself as one of Sweden’s most reliable crime writers. Quality is guaranteed when you get one of her books in your hands. […] The characters are brimming with life and are of flesh and blood, it feels like they come straight out of real life. […] Johanna Mo really delivers. She’s written good books before, but The Night Singer is her best one so far.”
– Dast Magazine (Sweden)
 
“Johanna Mo wants more than to write a crime novel, she wants to examine atonement and forgiveness. She asks questions about what it’s like to live with guilt and the crimes committed by someone else. […] This is a captivating journey into the minds and psyches of both victims and perpetrators, and it’s so much more than just a clever crime mystery.”
– SVT Sommaröppet (Sweden)
 
“Mo explores themes of bullying, infidelity, familial violence, discrimination based on sexuality and gender—in short, many of the bugbears that plague 21st-century Western culture. The Night Singer is just excellent and the perfect setup for a sequel, which I hope is in the offing imminently.”—BookPage

“I’m extremely taken by how intimate this book is. Never before have I read a fictional novel that feels so real. […] It’s also a page turner and I was urged to devour it in one sitting – just the right book to get me in holiday mood.” – Kalmarposten (Sweden)
 
“The Night Singer centers around a trauma that is charged with anxiety. […] The intensity is gruesome and consistent throughout the novel. From the beginning to the very last page, Hanna’s thoughts are continuously centered on the crimes of her father. After sixteen years it’s still ever present, with both her and the reader. It’s distressing and thought-provoking. […] Hanna Duncker is a sombre police protagonist who will be interesting to follow.” – Kristianstadsbladet (Sweden)
 
“The Night Singer is the first part in The Island Murders series. It centers on prejudices and relationships, and follows both the victim and the perpetrator closely. The characters are complex, and the setting is gorgeous. […] A crime novel about not being able to cut the ties to your hometown and past.” – Sveriges Radio (Sweden)

“A very realistic crime story packed with engaging psychological aspects such as the relationship between spouses, infidelity, parents and children, the relationship between siblings, teenage life, he/she/they, the past versus the present”
– Findals Krimiside, 5/5 (Denmark)
 
“The plot is solid and extremely well thought-out. It is one those crime novels where the pages nearly turn themselves, that are impossible to put down.”
– Litteratursiden (Denmark)
 
Johanna Mo was born in Kalmar, Sweden, and now lives with her family in Stockholm. She has spent the last twenty years working as a literary critic, translator, and freelance editor. The Night Singer is her English-language debut.

1. This story takes place over two timelines: Hanna working on the case and a flashback of Joel’s last day alive. Why do you think the author structured the narrative like this? How did it affect your investment in the mystery?

2. How did the setting, the island of Öland, affect your reading of the story? What do you think the setting added to the story’s tone?

3. What do you think of Hanna’s decision to move back to Öland after all that happened there? Can you relate to the importance this place holds for her?

4. What did you think about the dynamic between Hanna and her police detective partner, Erik? How does their rapport change over the course of the story? Would you describe their relationship as a good one?

5. An ongoing thread of tension in the story is Rebecka’s frustration with Hanna for not readily sharing details of the investigation, despite their history as close friends. Do you believe Rebecka’s reactions are justified? Do you think you’d react in a similar manner if faced with the same situation?

6. Being a teenager is hard for most kids, but Joel really struggles. What are your thoughts on what Joel is going through in the novel?

7. Were you surprised by the ending? Did you expect the case to have a different conclusion?

8. As a crime thriller, this story centers around investigating a victim’s cause of death. Would you say there are other victims, of one kind or another, in this story? Who and why?

9. A running theme in The Night Singer is guilt and how shameful feelings close us off from people even when we would benefit from being open. Reflect on a moment in your life when you felt guilty. How did you handle that? Are there things you read in The Night Singer that might lead you to confront guilt differently?

10. The novel’s title comes from a phrase used to indicate a nocturnal bird (a night singing bird). Reading this story, what do you believe the significance of the title is?

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