The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson: Book Review

The Living and the Dead is the most recent book by Swedish author Christoffer Carlsson to be translated into English. Initially released in April 2023 in Swedish, it will be released in English on December 2, 2025. It takes readers to a small town, where everyone seems to have secrets and no one wants to share them. But what happens when a body is discovered in the trunk of a car after a night of partying?

I want to thank Random House, Hogarth, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Living and the Dead. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Small towns sometimes have a voice of their own.

On a snowy winter night in 1999, Sander and Killian leave a house party together outside a small town in rural Sweden. The very best of friends, the two seventeen-year-olds imagine they will remain so forever. But by the next morning, a corpse is found in the trunk of a car, and each boy is a suspect in the murder. Each has something they want to conceal from the police. And from the other.

The hunt for the killer will take more than twenty years. It will see the lead detective leave the force forever. And it won’t end until a second body turns up in similar circumstances, and the tight-knit community’s secrets are finally brought to light.

My Opinions

The Living and the Dead is the first book I’ve read from Christoffer Carlsson, but it won’t be the last! I was drawn to this book by its setting, which is something I’m always on the lookout for. But the story also drew me in.

Before I get too into my opinions, I have a few things to say. One: Don’t be intimidated by the book’s length. Yes, it’s around 450 pages, but it doesn’t feel like it. Two: Don’t be intimidated by the number of chapters in the book. While there are over 100 chapters, several are only a few pages long, which makes it so easy to tell yourself, or others, that you’re just going to read one more chapter.

The cast of characters is interesting. And they only get more interesting as they get older. Oh, that’s right, the book starts in December 1999, but jumps to 2022 around the halfway mark. And then near the end, we jump back to 1999. Along the way, there is a brief stop in 2002. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to tell you when you’re jumping between times, especially in the beginning when we go from 1999 to 2002 and then back to 1999.

The author includes a list of characters, which is rather short. This helps to keep the story moving along. And serves a a reminder of the relationships between them.

A map can be found at the beginning of the book. It highlights the overall layout of the county the story is set in. I just wish there was a map of the town itself, to help us keep track of where everyone was at when the events were all happening.

As for the story telling itself, it is wonderful! There are twists and turns throughout the story. I had my suspicions about who was behind all of the events, but I was very wrong. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the ending.

The Living and the Dead is a wonderful mystery and thriller! You will find it hard to put down until the end!

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.