The Dark Heart

Joakim Palmkvist

A missing person. A tragic love story. And the woman who solved one of the most bizarre murders in Swedish history.
Over 12,000 copies sold in three months.

Like a modern-day In Cold Blood, THE DARK HEART delves into a case that left a small rural community in shock, a case with all the same gruesome ingredients: a cold blooded murder, a brutal home invasion, a small town consumed by suspicion, a botched police investigation and killers without remorse.

But this is not Kansas in the 1950’s, this is Småland, 2012.

In 2014, Göran Lundblad, worth the equivalent of 5 million Euros, is found dead.

A full two years after going missing, his body is found buried in a field near his own farm outside the town of Kalmar, southern Sweden, after an intense investigation by Therese Tang, the local spokesperson for the organisation Missing People. The woman who saw what everyone else missed. As a result of Therese’s inquiry, two people are later convicted and jailed for murder. This marks the end of the tragic story of lies, greed, family feuds and the ultimate devastation: murder.

But, the nub of the matter lies, as so often, in the events leading up to the conviction: Why was Göran murdered in his own home, and buried unceremoniously in a nearby field? Was he murdered for the multi-million inheritance waiting in Swiss bank accounts? How come no-one reported him missing for several weeks? And, how is it that the case was solved not by police but a civilian, Therese Tang, more than two years later?

In THE DARK HEART, narrative nonfiction that reads like a thriller, you’ll find out.

’Therese Tang is not your regular private investigator. She actually solved a murder all on her own, while the police were scratching their heads in confusion. This is a great story, and an excellent crime reporter, Joakim Palmkvist, has helped her tell it’
– Leif GW Persson