The Final Word (35 page)

Berit and Annika’s discussion about identity was inspired by an article by Håkan Lindgren in
Svenska Dagbladet
, published 13 June 2014.

Thank you to:

Matilda Johansson, a detective inspector at the NOA (Nationella Operativa Avdelningen, National Operational Department, formerly the National Crime Unit) in Stockholm, for help with police scenarios, regulations and interview routines.

Varg Gyllander, head of information at Stockholm Police, Christina Ullsten, a detective inspector at the NOA, and Lars Byström, a superintendent for the Stockholm Regional Crime Unit, for help with routines and facts about investigations into missing people.

Håkan Kvarnström, head of security at Telia Sonera, for technical details about tracing mobile phones.

Agneta Johansson, population registrar with the Tax Office, for help with historical information held in public databases in Sweden.

Dr Katarina Görts Öberg, psychologist, for help with descriptions of panic attacks and their treatment.

Mikael Aspeborg, Axel Aspeborg, Amanda Aspeborg for suggestions and proofreading. Annika Marklund and Ronnie Sandahl for conversations about the digital future of the media.

Everyone at my publishers in Sweden, Piratförlaget.

Thomas Bodström, lawyer, for editorial advice, fact-checking and discussions about plausible police and legal scenarios, government inquiries, and more.

And finally: Tove Alsterdal, author and dramatist, who has been my editor and mainstay throughout the entire series of novels about Annika Bengtzon. I am so incredibly pleased and grateful that you’ve wanted to come with me on this eighteen-year-long journey.

Any errors are entirely intentional.

Liza Marklund's
crime novels featuring the relentless reporter Annika Bengtzon instantly became an international hit, and Marklund’s books have sold fifteen million copies in thirty languages to date. She has achieved the unique feat of being a number one bestseller in all five Nordic countries, as well as the USA.

She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the inaugural Petrona award for best Scandinavian crime novel of the year 2013 for
Last Will
, as well as a nomination for the Glass Key for best Scandinavian crime novel.

Visit her website at
www.lizamarklund.com

Neil Smith
studied Scandinavian Studies at University College London, and lived in Stockholm for several years. He now lives in Norfolk.

WITHOUT A TRACE

BORDERLINE

THE LONG SHADOW

LIFETIME

LAST WILL

RED WOLF

PRIME TIME

VANISHED

EXPOSED

THE BOMBER

POSTCARD KILLERS

TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS

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Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at
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Originally published in Swedish by Piratförlaget in 2015 as
Järnblod

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Corgi Books

an imprint of Transworld Publishers

Copyright © Liza Marklund 2015
English translation copyright © Neil Smith 2016
Cover photograph © Lisa Howard/ Arcangel Images

Liza Marklund has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473508811

ISBN 9780552170970

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

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