Countdown: Conspiracy Across Centuries (Paperback or Softback)

2025 IPPY Award silver medalist!

Danish intelligence hunts for a dirty bomb before Heads of State gather for the Queen´s jubilee. Meanwhile, a 5,000-year-old calendar is unearthed. It's counting down. To Ragnarok.

Countdown is a must-read for fans of Dan Brown, Brad Thor, and Stieg Larsson, a gripping tale of international intrigue, ancient mysteries, and unbreakable bonds.

When journalist Kurt Østergaard's stepfather dies, he leaves behind clues to a devastating secret that could shake Denmark to its core. As Kurt investigates, he uncovers a chilling conspiracy reaching the highest levels of power. Søren Storm, a former UN weapons inspector, haunted by his past, gets caught up in the mystery when stolen radioactive material and a planned attack are uncovered. With his near term pregnant girlfriend Birgitte, Storm must navigate a treacherous web of deceit to stop the unthinkable.

As the conspiracy deepens and time runs out, Kurt and Storm must risk everything to unravel the plot. An act of terror in Copenhagen forces them to trust Birgitte's mother Bodil, the CEO of Mirrin Bank with secrets of her own. They race to uncover the truth, confronting ancient prophecies and forbidden knowledge that could change world history. Kurt, Storm, Birgitte and Bodil realize the attack is just the beginning, and the mastermind may be closer than they imagined. They must confront the past to uncover a truth powerful men will kill to keep hidden.

From the hidden bunkers under Copenhagen to the icy wilderness of Greenland, Countdown takes readers on a pulse-pounding ride through Danish history and culture. With razor-sharp prose, Ottosen weaves together Norse mythology, Mayan doomsday prophecies, and the real-life history of Denmark's Stay-Behind groups into a thriller that is both grounded in reality and wildly entertaining.

Johan Ottosen was born in 1968 in Aarhus and writes thrillers that are hard to put down. Johan had difficulty reading and writing as a child, so he never imagined that the reviewers would one day call him "Denmark's Dan Brown. "Johan is also a jazz musician and has studied drums with masters Adam Nussbaum and Joe Chambers in New York, as well as professor Bent Lyllof in Copenhagen. Trained as a therapist in Breath Integration by Colin P. Sisson and has made a living as a coffee expert for many years. Now earns a living as a disability helper. Johan is married to Charlotte and has a son.