Wolf Cub

An atmospheric literary crime novel about desire and fanaticism taking place in the Finnish forests near the Russian border, by an award-winning fiction author

One day, a dirty and unfamiliar little boy stands in Seija's tulip bed. Upon seeing his wide eyes, her motherly heart overflows, but the boy refuses to say a word – only a memory card is found in his mouth. Police Inspector Minna and her sidekick Timo are called in, but no one has reported a missing child. Who is the boy and where does he come from?

When the photographer Gloria moves into a collective in the forest, she feels that she has found her home. She enjoys the freedom and companionship, blind to what is going on around her. And when the truth is finally revealed, it is too late for her to escape.

This relentless thriller is set in Kuhmo, northern Finland, in a wilderness as wonderfully beautiful as it is terrifying. The novel contains explicit references to Finnish folklore, especially the national epic Kalevala.

Wolf Cub is the first part of a trilogy of stand-alone novels.

"Holmström has no problem with building suspense. But the strength of the novel is above all the depictions of people, nature and how the interaction works, along with its shortcomings."

- Maria Näslund, Göteborgs-Postens newspaper, Sweden

"Wolf Cub is an absolutely wonderful read that definitely stands out in the genre. Johanna Holmström succeeds in telling a strong story about lost and lonely men, about children who are both loved and hurt, about living both inside and outside society... she also writes a classic crime novel with police investigation, suspense and unexpected disputes. This mix makes Wolf Cub a great read for everyone, whether you like crime fiction or not."

- Anna Lindblom, Skånska Dagbladet newspaper, Sweden