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Hide and Seek
Not yet published
Expected 26 Mar 26Count to one, count to two…
A strange voice from inside the woods, repeating a child’s counting rhyme.
Count to four, count to five…
A body discovered in the water.
You’re trying to go home. Will you make it alive?
Thirty years later, a woman is haunted by a string of anonymous text messages, repeating that same counting rhyme. Counting down.
Found you.
Detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess are charged with finding the missing woman. But when they uncover links to a decades-old cold case, their investigation takes a terrifying turn.
A twisted killer is on the loose. Can they catch them, before they strike again?
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 26, 2026
431 people want to read
About the author
Søren Sveistrup
12 books1,897 followersSøren Sveistrup is an internationally acclaimed scriptwriter of the Danish television phenomenon The Killing which won various international awards and sold in more than a hundred countries. More recently, Sveistrup wrote the screenplay for Jo Nesbø's The Snowman.
Sveistrup obtained a Master in Literature and in History from the University of Copenhagen and studied at the Danish Film School. He has won countless prizes, including an Emmy for Nikolaj and Julie and a BAFTA for The Killing.
Sveistrup obtained a Master in Literature and in History from the University of Copenhagen and studied at the Danish Film School. He has won countless prizes, including an Emmy for Nikolaj and Julie and a BAFTA for The Killing.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 4, 2026
4+
May 1992.
Count up to one and count up to two … a game of hide and seek ends in horror for a group of children and their teachers on a day trip from a children’s home.
February 2025.
“Count to six, right after five. Will little Silje get home alive?”
This anonymous text is sent to Silje Thomsen’s phone and sends her into a frantic spiral. As the threats worsen and become a terrifying reality Detective Naia Thulin and Raheem at the National Cyber Crime Centre, a section of the National Special Crime Unit in a Copenhagen suburb, investigate the text messages which bear a striking resemblance to another case. Mark Hess is called in and he and Thulin are on the case, if somewhat reluctantly. Can they track down the elusive brutal killer before they strike again?
It’s not often the case that I remember books as clearly as the super creepy Chestnut Man, so the follow-up is a cause of much eager anticipation. Whilst I don’t think it’s quite as chilling, it certainly has numerous moments of chill, plenty of tension and suspense in this desperate race against time. At times it’s a buckle up rollercoaster as the plot becomes more intense and dramatic. The old rhyme is enough to send shivers down the spine without the ensuing events. There’s a continuous sense of awful anticipation, aided by the countdown as you wait for the next horror from this cold blooded and determined killer.
Whilst it’s quite long and detailed,this being the Scandinavian way, the pace is consistently brisk throughout. It has multiple twists, it’s rich in the atmosphere of a snowy Danish winter which matches the cold heart of the perpetrator whose identity is elusive. The whole thing is wrapped around the dynamics of Thulin and Hess whose determination to solve the case is admirable. The ending is excellent as I’m on the edge of my seat.
Overall, this is a very good thriller and a worthy sequel which is not necessary to have read but it is well worth picking up. I do hope to read more about this pair and their investigations in the future. Recommended especially for fans of Scandi Noir.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
May 1992.
Count up to one and count up to two … a game of hide and seek ends in horror for a group of children and their teachers on a day trip from a children’s home.
February 2025.
“Count to six, right after five. Will little Silje get home alive?”
This anonymous text is sent to Silje Thomsen’s phone and sends her into a frantic spiral. As the threats worsen and become a terrifying reality Detective Naia Thulin and Raheem at the National Cyber Crime Centre, a section of the National Special Crime Unit in a Copenhagen suburb, investigate the text messages which bear a striking resemblance to another case. Mark Hess is called in and he and Thulin are on the case, if somewhat reluctantly. Can they track down the elusive brutal killer before they strike again?
It’s not often the case that I remember books as clearly as the super creepy Chestnut Man, so the follow-up is a cause of much eager anticipation. Whilst I don’t think it’s quite as chilling, it certainly has numerous moments of chill, plenty of tension and suspense in this desperate race against time. At times it’s a buckle up rollercoaster as the plot becomes more intense and dramatic. The old rhyme is enough to send shivers down the spine without the ensuing events. There’s a continuous sense of awful anticipation, aided by the countdown as you wait for the next horror from this cold blooded and determined killer.
Whilst it’s quite long and detailed,this being the Scandinavian way, the pace is consistently brisk throughout. It has multiple twists, it’s rich in the atmosphere of a snowy Danish winter which matches the cold heart of the perpetrator whose identity is elusive. The whole thing is wrapped around the dynamics of Thulin and Hess whose determination to solve the case is admirable. The ending is excellent as I’m on the edge of my seat.
Overall, this is a very good thriller and a worthy sequel which is not necessary to have read but it is well worth picking up. I do hope to read more about this pair and their investigations in the future. Recommended especially for fans of Scandi Noir.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
November 16, 2025
Liikaa jaarittelua. Olisi jännittävämpi tiivistettynä.
July 20, 2025
This is an intense and eerie crime novel that expands on the universe from The Chestnut Man, but can be read independently.
A school class is playing hide-and-seek near Roskilde. A boy stumbles upon a corpse and a severed arm.
Copenhagen, 30 years later: Silje Thomsen receives threatening messages featuring the children’s rhyme “Count to one, count to two…” along with photos of herself. She disappears without a trace.
As more victims receive similar threats, investigators trace the horror back to a series of unsolved crimes. The clock is ticking… and the truth may be darker than anyone imagined.
If you haven’t read The chestnut man this is your que to do it.
Søren Sveistrup never disappoints. It always gives me the eerie feeling.
4,5 stars form me.
A school class is playing hide-and-seek near Roskilde. A boy stumbles upon a corpse and a severed arm.
Copenhagen, 30 years later: Silje Thomsen receives threatening messages featuring the children’s rhyme “Count to one, count to two…” along with photos of herself. She disappears without a trace.
As more victims receive similar threats, investigators trace the horror back to a series of unsolved crimes. The clock is ticking… and the truth may be darker than anyone imagined.
If you haven’t read The chestnut man this is your que to do it.
Søren Sveistrup never disappoints. It always gives me the eerie feeling.
4,5 stars form me.
September 5, 2025
I read the book this summer in Europe. (It's already out there).
I loved it, it's very Sveistrup-y : dynamic, mysterious, scary.
I loved it, it's very Sveistrup-y : dynamic, mysterious, scary.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
‘Hide and Seek’ is the brilliant, new, thrilling book from the author of ‘The Chestnut Man’. If you haven’t read it, don’t worry as you can read this as a stand-alone. But I thoroughly recommend reading the first one as it is a fantastic, creepy read. It has taken the author a while to release this follow-up, and to say I was excited to get this book is an understatement. Thurin and Hess make engaging protagonists, and getting to return to their world was a lovely treat!
‘Hide and Seek’ is dark and creepy, full of bleak landscapes, tackles troubling subjects, and deals with personal loss. As much as this is a classic definition of what we expect Nordic Noir to be nowadays, it was also full of empathy as we see people struggling with things. From the off, you could feel the rising tension, and that hide-and-seek rhyme was spine-chilling. This was a story that does grab your attention and doesn’t let go. After trying to ration it out over a couple of days, I ended up inhaling the rest of it in one sitting! Did I guess who the bad guy was? Yes, but it didn’t detract from the story as the why was just as important as the who.
Thulin and Hess are once again an impressive investigative force, but they recently have broken up romantically, and things are a bit awkward. Thulin is a great detective and never gives up until that itch has been satisfied. More importantly, she doesn’t care whose feathers she rustles whilst finding out the truth. Hess is a little bit more serious, is a bit of a grump, but also when he is determined to unearth the truth, doesn’t stop! They are a good partnership, and I could read about their lives constantly and hope there are more books to come. First, I’m guessing is the Netflix show for this book!
This is a compelling and addictive read, that whilst dark, has some shades of light. It is an immersive, creepy read and is difficult to put down. Roll on the next delicious instalment!
Let me know if you pick this one up.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hide and Seek is a chilling, tightly wound thriller that grips you from its eerie opening rhyme and never loosens its hold. The story moves between past and present with razor‑sharp precision, weaving a haunting mystery that lingers long after the final page.
The premise is instantly unsettling: a child’s counting rhyme drifting from the woods, a body found in the water, and a woman who—thirty years later—is receiving anonymous texts repeating that same rhyme. The countdown motif gives the entire novel a pulse of dread, a sense that something terrible is inching closer with every message.
Detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess make a compelling investigative duo, their dynamic grounded in grit, intelligence, and a shared determination to uncover the truth. As they search for the missing woman, the case twists into a decades‑old cold mystery, and the tension escalates beautifully. Every clue feels like a breadcrumb leading deeper into darkness, and the author excels at creating that claustrophobic, edge‑of‑your‑seat atmosphere.
The pacing is brisk, the stakes high, and the sense of danger palpable. The killer’s presence—felt more often than seen—adds a psychological sharpness that keeps you guessing. And when the past and present finally collide, the reveal lands with the kind of chilling clarity that makes you rethink everything.
Dark, clever, and utterly absorbing, Hide and Seek is a standout Nordic thriller that blends emotional depth with relentless suspense. Fans of twisty, atmospheric crime fiction will devour it.
With thanks to Soren Sveistrup, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
The premise is instantly unsettling: a child’s counting rhyme drifting from the woods, a body found in the water, and a woman who—thirty years later—is receiving anonymous texts repeating that same rhyme. The countdown motif gives the entire novel a pulse of dread, a sense that something terrible is inching closer with every message.
Detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess make a compelling investigative duo, their dynamic grounded in grit, intelligence, and a shared determination to uncover the truth. As they search for the missing woman, the case twists into a decades‑old cold mystery, and the tension escalates beautifully. Every clue feels like a breadcrumb leading deeper into darkness, and the author excels at creating that claustrophobic, edge‑of‑your‑seat atmosphere.
The pacing is brisk, the stakes high, and the sense of danger palpable. The killer’s presence—felt more often than seen—adds a psychological sharpness that keeps you guessing. And when the past and present finally collide, the reveal lands with the kind of chilling clarity that makes you rethink everything.
Dark, clever, and utterly absorbing, Hide and Seek is a standout Nordic thriller that blends emotional depth with relentless suspense. Fans of twisty, atmospheric crime fiction will devour it.
With thanks to Soren Sveistrup, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a dark thriller (the best kind) about a killer who stalks their victims with an old nursery rhyme. When a new murder is linked to the unsolved death of a young woman her mother is finally hoping for some form of justice but as the crimes start to increase can they get to the bottom of it before anyone else gets hurt and are the new crimes linked to the one before. This is dark, twisted and a great read you won’t want to put down.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Detective Thulin and Hess are back in this classic Nordic noir vibe. bleak and moody and atmospheric. This book is gripping from the beginning it's rich in atmosphere of a cold and snowy Danish winter. It has multiple twists and though it is a long read it is still compelling enough to keep reading. I loved the Chestnut Man and I love Hide and Seek even more .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.
Review of advance copy
Much like The Chestnut man I loved this book. I couldn’t figure out who the killer was (I guessed a lot of times - wrong, of course) until the very end, when I guessed correctly a very little bit before it was revealed.
As for the stories of Thulin and Hess - amazingly written. You still get a bit of drama in the book without it overpowering the main story.
As for the stories of Thulin and Hess - amazingly written. You still get a bit of drama in the book without it overpowering the main story.
December 23, 2025
If only people were charging and picking up their phones…
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews