PHOTO: Christer Tholin, the German-born author based in Stockholm, weaves suspenseful tales shaped by life across Europe and a passion for justice.
Uncovering Secrets In The Scandinavian Wilderness
Christer Tholin explores the darker side of Sweden through his gripping Stockholm Sleuth series, blending atmospheric settings, complex characters, and real-world issues into emotionally resonant and suspense-filled narratives.
Christer Tholin is no stranger to complex systems—whether they are the intricate mechanisms of biology, the structured demands of corporate consultancy, or the human motivations that unravel in the pages of a crime novel. Raised in northern Germany and seasoned by years living across Europe, he has absorbed the nuance of diverse cultures and landscapes, threading them with care into his fiction. The result is a vivid and suspenseful series set in Sweden that feels both authentic and gripping, where nature and narrative walk hand in hand.
Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth series began with Vanished?, a book born from a long-held love for crime fiction and a deep familiarity with the Swedish landscape. The lonely forests, the vast stillness, and the understated beauty of his adopted country become more than a backdrop—they are integral to the atmosphere, enhancing the tension that pulses through each case. These stories don’t shy away from the darker sides of humanity, but they approach them with a clear-eyed sensitivity and purpose.
Each instalment—whether Secrets?, Murder?, Guilty?, or Acquittal?—wrestles with issues that ripple beyond the page: exploitation, wrongful conviction, and violence hidden in plain sight. Tholin’s writing strikes a careful balance between compelling suspense and uncomfortable truth, inviting readers not only to solve mysteries but also to confront realities.
It is perhaps his duality—scientist and storyteller, consultant and creator—that makes Tholin’s work resonate so sharply. With his characters, particularly the evolving partnership of Elin and Lars, he crafts a world where justice is never easy, but always worth pursuing.
What inspired your shift from biology and pharmaceuticals to writing the Stockholm Sleuth crime series set in Sweden?
It is not a shift, since I continued working with pharmaceuticals and my interest in biology never ceased. But yes, writing crime novels became an additional occupation for me. I have always been a great fan of crime stories, and I read many of the Swedish crime series. This triggered my desire to write my own crime story with my characters acting in Sweden. Already for a while I had a first idea for the plot, but first in 2015 I got the opportunity to take the time in order to make it come true. The result is my first book: “Vanished?”, the start of the Stockholm Sleuth Series.
In Vanished?, the romance tinged thriller blends action with Swedish landscapes—how did your experience as a foreigner shape that setting?
After I moved to Sweden I became fascinated by the Swedish nature and landscape which is both beautiful and much less populated than most of the rest of Europe. Since my stories mainly take place in Sweden, this experience simply became a part of my books. The lonely places in forests – even close to big cities – make it good venues for the action.
Secrets? pits Elin against a gang of child molesters in a secluded cabin—what research went into crafting such a tense scenario?
Some of the scenes were not easy to write and both my editor as well as my audiobook producer struggled with it. While the text does not make explicit descriptions it still lets your fantasy produce pictures which are really disgusting. Unfortunately, child molesting is not fiction: it happens every day and everywhere. Having read about some cases in the press, I decided to use this for my second book, also in order to open the eyes of the readers for this terrible topic. At the end of the book, I included some facts and corresponding links.
Murder? maintains fast pace and strong character engagement—how did you evolve Elin and Lars’s dynamic across that third instalment?
In my third book, Elin becomes a fully fledged private eye, but she still must learn from her senior colleague Lars. Still, her initiative and creativity make her a valuable complement which Lars soon learns to appreciate.
Guilty? tackles the “loverboy” exploitation theme—what conversations or news stories motivated you to explore this disturbing phenomenon?
There was a documentation about this topic in German TV, and I immediately felt that this could be an interesting basis for a crime novel. While I first shied away from describing in detail the scene where the young girl prostitutes herself for the first time, my editor strongly recommended to change this. This chapter was one of the most difficult to write but I think it became very realistic.
In Acquittal?, you examine wrongful conviction and public silence—what challenges did you face in balancing legal realism with narrative tension?
Again, this book was inspired by some true stories. I read about several cases in Sweden where convicts were released after many years in prison because their court cases had been resumed and their sentences subsequently been made invalid. All the rest is my creation.
Across your series, how does your background in management consultancy and living in multiple countries influence your plotting and character decisions?
Difficult to say… My understanding of economics and corporations is useful when it comes to such topics in my books. The characters are mainly Swedish, and I have shaped them according to my experience in Sweden. Similarly, I did with some Hungarian characters in “Murder?”. Maybe, as a foreigner you have it easier to see differences and special characteristics and this will become part of your writing.
What single piece of advice would you offer aspiring crime writers looking to blend international settings with compelling suspense?
First of all, you need a good story – there is so much literature and reality that can be used for inspiration, so you have got to read and to watch movies. Secondly, if you want an international setting, you should know this country – you have to have stayed there a longer time. Unless of course you are writing about a short trip abroad – for this, the internet will do.
