Born into a life of privilege, Sybilla has spent many years opting instead to live on the streets of Stockholm, cadging a bed, a bath, a meal, where she can. Her favorite technique?one she permits herself only as a special treat?plays out at the Grand Hotel, where with luck she can usually charm a lonely visiting businessman into buying her dinner and a room for the night. But then she picks the wrong businessman. When his dead body is found the next morning, Sybilla becomes the prime suspect. For years, her anonymity has sheltered her; she has found a kind of home in the invisibility of homeless life. But with her anonymity shattered, Sybilla is forced into the one course of action that might allow her to go home again.
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### From Booklist
*Starred Review* Sybilla may have been born to wealthy parents, but her home life was never easy, and she ran away at 17. Ever since, Sybilla has been homeless and living off the grid. Her peaceful existence comes to a sudden end when she is accused of murder and goes on the run, too scared to go to the police and clear herself but frantic to regain her carefully built life. Both a mystery (Who is really doing the murders?) and a psychological study (Why did Sybilla run from her family?), Missing heralds the arrival in the U.S. of another outstanding Scandinavian crime writer. Winner of the Glass Key Award in Sweden, this is a taut, riveting, and impossible-to-put-down story of a young woman caught up in a bad situation. Recommend to readers who enjoyed Petra Hammesfahr’s The Sinner (2007), for the similarly tormented female main character, and fans of Asa Larsson’s Rebecca Martinsson series (Blood Split, 2007), for a Swedish woman who must solve a crime that requires facing her painful past. Highly recommended for all crime-fiction collections. --Jessica Moyer
### Review
"If anyone is to be called a queen of crime writing it is Karin Alvtegen" --**Folkbladet Norrkoping** (Sweden)
"A gripping, multi-faceted thriller that centers not only on brutal murder, but also on an individual's road to awareness about her own value. Alvtegen delivers this brilliantly, while the police hunt becomes more intense and Sybilla's chances of escaping rapidly decrease. Missing demonstrates clearly that Alvtegen is one of the best of Swedish crime writers." --**Folkbladet Jonkoping** (Sweden)
"Relentless, compassionate, and gritty" --**The Guardian** (UK)
Description:
Born into a life of privilege, Sybilla has spent many years opting instead to live on the streets of Stockholm, cadging a bed, a bath, a meal, where she can. Her favorite technique?one she permits herself only as a special treat?plays out at the Grand Hotel, where with luck she can usually charm a lonely visiting businessman into buying her dinner and a room for the night. But then she picks the wrong businessman. When his dead body is found the next morning, Sybilla becomes the prime suspect. For years, her anonymity has sheltered her; she has found a kind of home in the invisibility of homeless life. But with her anonymity shattered, Sybilla is forced into the one course of action that might allow her to go home again. ** ### From Booklist *Starred Review* Sybilla may have been born to wealthy parents, but her home life was never easy, and she ran away at 17. Ever since, Sybilla has been homeless and living off the grid. Her peaceful existence comes to a sudden end when she is accused of murder and goes on the run, too scared to go to the police and clear herself but frantic to regain her carefully built life. Both a mystery (Who is really doing the murders?) and a psychological study (Why did Sybilla run from her family?), Missing heralds the arrival in the U.S. of another outstanding Scandinavian crime writer. Winner of the Glass Key Award in Sweden, this is a taut, riveting, and impossible-to-put-down story of a young woman caught up in a bad situation. Recommend to readers who enjoyed Petra Hammesfahr’s The Sinner (2007), for the similarly tormented female main character, and fans of Asa Larsson’s Rebecca Martinsson series (Blood Split, 2007), for a Swedish woman who must solve a crime that requires facing her painful past. Highly recommended for all crime-fiction collections. --Jessica Moyer ### Review "If anyone is to be called a queen of crime writing it is Karin Alvtegen" --**Folkbladet Norrkoping** (Sweden) "A gripping, multi-faceted thriller that centers not only on brutal murder, but also on an individual's road to awareness about her own value. Alvtegen delivers this brilliantly, while the police hunt becomes more intense and Sybilla's chances of escaping rapidly decrease. Missing demonstrates clearly that Alvtegen is one of the best of Swedish crime writers." --**Folkbladet Jonkoping** (Sweden) "Relentless, compassionate, and gritty" --**The Guardian** (UK)