Hope and Destiny

Natt Och Dag (The Order of the Furies) turns his focus from the 18th century to the 15th in this immersive historical thriller inspired by one of Sweden’s most notorious murders. In the 1430s, Swedish nobles are eager to wrest power back from King Eric. Their efforts spark a peasant rebellion led by Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, a nobleman with a reputation as a valiant warrior. The uprising attracts the interest of Sir Bengt Stensson, who believes that an alliance with Engelbrektsson could work to his advantage. That attempted alliance leads Magnus, Sir Bengt’s son, to try and gain the trust of the rebel leader—an effort that ends in copious bloodshed on all sides. Those expecting a murder mystery along the lines of Natt Och Dag’s previous novels should be warned: the central killing occurs late in the narrative, and there’s more focus on plunging readers in the era’s political conflicts and shedding light on the killer’s motives than on concealing their identity. Though less accessible than the author’s previous books, this swashbuckling slice of historical fiction has its charms. Agent: Federico Ambrosini, Salomonsson Agency. (Dec.)