Life Deluxe (Stockholm Noir Trilogy 3) - Softcover

Jens Lapidus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447256433 ISBN 13: 9781447256434

Publisher: Pan, 2015

Synopsis

Drug dealer jorge is just out of prison but already bored with his new existence selling lattes and cappuccinos at a cafe. Who wouldn't be? but big money looms, if he can pull off an audacious last heist. What he doesn't know is that the police are already closing in: an undercover investigator has wormed his way deep into stockholm's criminal circles, close to jorge. And also close to jw, the part-time student, part-time cab driver who turned to crime - and got in over his head - in order to keep himself in with a rich party crowd. At the same time, someone is trying to take down the godfather himself, radovan kranjic. What would stockholm be like with radovan gone? who would be stockholm's new king - or queen - of crime? as the novel unfurls answers will be found amid the voracious hunt for money, power, and a carefree life. The goal is easy - and the life deluxe

About this title

About the Author

JENS LAPIDUSis the man behind the most talked about Swedish first novel in a decade:Easy Money- the first of the internationally bestselling Stockholm Noir Trilogy - is a dark and brutal account of the Stockholm underworld. A young and highly successful criminal defense lawyer, Lapidus' professional experience of representing some of the most notorious criminals in the country has given him unique insights into a world that most people would rather not acknowledge. Jens Lapidus lives in Stockholm with his wife.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue
 
It was the second time in my life that I visited Stockholm for a job.
 
The first time I was here for a wedding, as a bodyguard for one of the guests. That was seventeen years ago, and I was young then. I remember how I looked forward to the day after, when I could party in Stockholm and bed some blondes. The wedding itself was a large affair compared to the ones in my home country. They said it was considered big even for Sweden—there were maybe three hundred guests. And sure, it was grand. The newlyweds emerged from the church dressed in winter furs. They had a small child too, a pretty girl, who was also wearing a fur. The bridal couple were driven from the church in a sled pulled by four white horses. Their little girl stood with her nanny on the church steps and waved. The air was clean, the snow glittered, and the sky was clear. I remember what I thought at the time: that Sweden must be the cleanest country in the world. Then I saw the guests’ faces. Some showed joy and others admiration. But they all expressed one thing: respect.
 
#
 
The man who was married then was the person I was here to take care of now: Radovan Kranjic. Fateful irony, to have seen the beginning of the new life that I was now going to end.
 
I usually don’t let myself feel. No, I kill myself before every mission. I am hired, paid, independent—there is nothing personal about what I do. But to come to Stockholm this time around gave me a sense of completion, somehow.
 
The circle would be closed. A kind of balance would be restored.
 
#
 
And then something happened.
 
I’d been staking out in the Volvo all day. When I returned to my room, I decided to clean my handguns. I’d purchased them in Denmark, where I have connections—after the Americans’ so-called war on terrorism, I don’t pack heat when traveling into the EU anymore.
 
I had an Accuracy International L96AI—a finer-grade sniper rifle—and a Makarov gun. I took them apart and laid them on a cover on the bed, clean and gleaming. I was holding the final weapon, a revolver, in my hand.
 
That was when the door opened.
 
I realized that I’d forgotten to lock it, like I normally always do.
 
It was a housekeeper. I wondered what kind of crap hotel I was staying at, anyway, where the staff didn’t knock before entering.
 
She stared at my weapons for a few seconds. Then she apologized and began to back out into the hallway.
 
But it was too late—she’d already seen too much. I rose, raised the revolver, and asked her to step into the room.
 
She looked terrified. Understandably—that was my intention, after all. I told her to pull the cleaning cart with her into the room as well, and then I closed the door behind her. I kept my weapon aimed at her the entire time. Then I had her clean my room.
 
It took her max ten minutes—it was obvious that she was a pro. She vacuumed the small floor area, wiped off all surfaces, and washed the sink and toilet. It was important to me that it was done thoroughly.
 
Meanwhile I packed my bag.
 
When she was finished, I asked her to look out into the hallway and see if anyone was out there. It was empty. I pushed her in front of me out into the hallway and told her to unlock the door to another room. She chose one that was two doors down.
 
We entered it. The room was messy. The person staying there apparently took pleasure in torturing hotel housekeepers.
 
I closed the door.
 
She looked at me.
 
I held up a pillow.
 
Then I raised the revolver and shot her through the pillow. In the eye.
 
###

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1447256433
• ISBN 13: 9781447256434
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592