The Things We Leave Behind

by Cecilia Sjögren, Sofia Engstrand (Narrator), Saga Egmont

On a wind-stilled bay in Roslagen, Sweden, the Ömheten care home rests where sea meets pine-scented air. After a resident's death, Tore Lindahl, a former policeman, suspects foul play, but his concerns are dismissed as the ramblings of an old man.

Lindahl turns to Veronika Wiklund, a young journalist stuck tracing small-town stories for the local paper. Together, the unlikely duo begins asking questions that unsettle their entire community.

As Veronika searches for answers, the care home reveals itself as the battleground for power, and the hunting ground for a killer tangled in dark legacies of World War II.

Gripping and moving, The Things We Leave Behind is a story of memory, grief, and guilt that echoes across decades. As the past collides with the present, it what do we owe the dead, and at what cost do we unearth what they left behind?

Fans of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore will love this atmospheric Swedish crime novel.

Cecilia Sjögren is a Swedish economist and author. Her debut novel, Svallvåg, won the Saga Egmont crime fiction award in 2022.

"A lively addition to the Swedish crime fiction scene." - Johan Zillén

Genres: Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published November 27, 2025

Reviews

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes how things have a way of waking up even after many years and what someone can due in revenge. It has many characters to know about but what has happened has many implications in the writing of this book. I believe Cecilia Sjögren played with us in that she messes things up with Veronika's love life to make it more interesting and she has Tore as an almost cripple old man as a retired cop with a daughter as a police officer with the same aim. The story is a very good description of a love that has gone wild during WWII and what may have happened in Sweden, with spies. I found it very interesting although I read it on and off during a convention.

[Jazzy Nowlan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting concept!!
It took awhile for me to really grasp what was going on and truly grip my attention.

The twist in the end and the connection between characters was great… it just had so much unnecessary info in the middle… stopping it from being great!

[Helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to listen to this book as an audiobook and I just couldn't get through it. I found it super difficult to follow. so many characters and I would imagine the two timelines will eventually make sense as to how they are related but I got through like 75% of the book and I just couldn't keep going.

[Georgina McCartney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had promise but after a while it just felt like the author had done a lot of research into the local geography and wanted to shove as much of that in as possible. There was so much filler that I lost track of the actual plot and was genuinely confused for most of it and don’t even fully understand all the nuances of the ending.

I did like the dual timeline element and it was woven in quite well most of the time but there were sometimes jumps that were very out of the blue and it was a tad confusing.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf. it was an eighteen hour audiobook, and I made it four hours.I just couldn't follow the plot lines between the forties and current day period

[Tegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twist was great and a bit unexpected. The writing felt a bit disconnected and more filler at times than needed. a great story overall though

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tore and Veronika seemed to figure things out, Tore from his current life in a care home and his former life as a policeman, and Veronica as an intern journalist. They put things together and gave it to Tore's daughter to act on. The book was written in best way to show how these people played against each other. The story was interesting and flowed quite well. I had to read it over several days because we were on a MG conference in Sandusky, Ohio. MG's are British cars.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just want to know how it ends because I do not want to waste another minute on this. It actually gets more confusing as the story unfolds with all the add ins that are not necessary. At 75% through, I just keep saying what the heck is happening now and it's such a chore to read.

[Husna · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3.5⭐️