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The Badger: A dark and menacing psychological thriller
How do you catch a serial killer when the bodies are never found?
For years, Detective Cecilia Wreede has hunted The Badger, a killer who drags victims from their homes and vanishes without a trace.
Annika Granlund, a struggling publisher, has troubles of her a failing business, a marriage on the rocks, and the haunting memory of a childhood monster she once called The Scraper. Then an anonymous manuscript lands on her desk, describing The Badger's killings in chilling detail.
To save her company, Annika must publish it. To catch a killer, Cecilia must uncover the connection. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, and Annika's grip on her own sanity begins to unravel, both women are drawn into a nightmare neither of them may escape.
Perfect for fans of Chris Carter and C.J. Tudor, The Badger is a dark and menacing psychological thriller that will have you reading late into the night.
Translated from the Swedish by Andy Turner
For years, Detective Cecilia Wreede has hunted The Badger, a killer who drags victims from their homes and vanishes without a trace.
Annika Granlund, a struggling publisher, has troubles of her a failing business, a marriage on the rocks, and the haunting memory of a childhood monster she once called The Scraper. Then an anonymous manuscript lands on her desk, describing The Badger's killings in chilling detail.
To save her company, Annika must publish it. To catch a killer, Cecilia must uncover the connection. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, and Annika's grip on her own sanity begins to unravel, both women are drawn into a nightmare neither of them may escape.
Perfect for fans of Chris Carter and C.J. Tudor, The Badger is a dark and menacing psychological thriller that will have you reading late into the night.
Translated from the Swedish by Andy Turner
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2026
About the author
Fredrik P. Winter
4 books6 followersFredrik Persson Winter, writing as Fredrik P Winter, was born in Trollhättan and now lives in Gothenburg on the west coast in Sweden.
Fredrik P Winter writes psychological thrillers, many set in the publishing industry. In 2020 his thriller The Badger was released in Sweden to high praise from the readers and thereafter sold to several foreign markets.
He has also previously published youth novels in Swedish under the pen name Fredrik Persson.
When he is not writing he works as an acclaimed lawyer specializing in intellectual property rights. Aside from his passion for writing he enjoys the usual things such as spending time with family and friends, movies, traveling and reading. He is also a hobby pilot, mainly flying gliders, and of course he spends time on his passion for writing. He is a lawyer at day and author at night.
You can also find him on Instagram and BlueSky under the handle @fredrikpwinter.
Fredrik P Winter writes psychological thrillers, many set in the publishing industry. In 2020 his thriller The Badger was released in Sweden to high praise from the readers and thereafter sold to several foreign markets.
He has also previously published youth novels in Swedish under the pen name Fredrik Persson.
When he is not writing he works as an acclaimed lawyer specializing in intellectual property rights. Aside from his passion for writing he enjoys the usual things such as spending time with family and friends, movies, traveling and reading. He is also a hobby pilot, mainly flying gliders, and of course he spends time on his passion for writing. He is a lawyer at day and author at night.
You can also find him on Instagram and BlueSky under the handle @fredrikpwinter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 7, 2026
This book is a gem! Page turning and surprises. It’s a must read
February 10, 2026
In Gothenburg, the Eklund Press publishing house is in dire financial straits and desperately needs a new bestseller. Publisher Annika finds a manuscript left on the office step one morning amongst clods of earth, apparently written by one of their authors, Jan Apelgren, who vanished 6 years ago. He couldn’t be found and some people thought he was dead. When she reads it, she finds it is dynamite but is it really fiction and can they publish it? It is an autobiography called “I Am The Badger”, someone who in real life for the last 5 years on the same day has been burrowing up through solid concrete into the basements of the houses of single people, killing them and taking them who knows where? No bodies and no DNA has ever been found. This is something DI Cecilia Wreede and DS Jonas Andrén know all too well now with the fifth victim’s crime scene on their hands in Gothenburg, but will they find a suspect this time? Annika herself has a personal terror, a fear from childhood of a monster who lived in her aunt’s basement. Did she and the author both hear the same scratching through the walls? Did Apelgren actually write the story? Ekland must have Apelgren declared dead in order to publish but what if he is still alive? Could Apelgren be The Badger? Six months on the book is a massive success and draws the attention of the detectives in the Badger Unit but as Annika is drawn into the investigation, what was once a godsend starts to become a nightmare for her. When even locked doors and windows can’t protect people, the Badger must be trapped in his lair before the next November 6th.
This has everything you’d want from a Scandi thriller. It is spooky, dark and very chilling in places, with a clever twisty plot that is full of suspense and intrigue. The tortured words of the Badger at the start of each chapter simply adds to the feeling of menace that pervades throughout the story. Overall this is a gripping and engrossing book that will have you listening out for those little noises in the night and wondering what’s that?
This has everything you’d want from a Scandi thriller. It is spooky, dark and very chilling in places, with a clever twisty plot that is full of suspense and intrigue. The tortured words of the Badger at the start of each chapter simply adds to the feeling of menace that pervades throughout the story. Overall this is a gripping and engrossing book that will have you listening out for those little noises in the night and wondering what’s that?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was a really interesting concept, a mystery with supernatural/ otherworldly overtones.
It is translated and in a few places some of the speech particularly felt a little clunky. However overall it read well, and there were enough little twists, turns and hints to keep things interesting.
When a manuscript turns up at a struggling publishing house about The Badger, a killer who strikes yearly on the same day, removing his victims via tunnels, there is debate about whether or not to publish. Especially as it appears to be written by the companies best selling authors who disappeared mysteriously several years ago.
Editor Annika decides this could be the book to save them, and goes about having Jan declared dead so the company can publish. The book is a huge success, which causes problems for the police who are investigating.
But what is causing the scratching noises at Annikas home...which used to belong to the now declared dead author.
This is quite a long book, although the pace is good throughout.
I found the ending a little rushed, but overall would recommend.
It is translated and in a few places some of the speech particularly felt a little clunky. However overall it read well, and there were enough little twists, turns and hints to keep things interesting.
When a manuscript turns up at a struggling publishing house about The Badger, a killer who strikes yearly on the same day, removing his victims via tunnels, there is debate about whether or not to publish. Especially as it appears to be written by the companies best selling authors who disappeared mysteriously several years ago.
Editor Annika decides this could be the book to save them, and goes about having Jan declared dead so the company can publish. The book is a huge success, which causes problems for the police who are investigating.
But what is causing the scratching noises at Annikas home...which used to belong to the now declared dead author.
This is quite a long book, although the pace is good throughout.
I found the ending a little rushed, but overall would recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is the first book I've read by this author, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I will look for more.
This one had me captured from beginning to end, in a well written creepy, sometimes terrifying, on the edge of seat, storyline, and plot.
There are many twists and turns and shocking revelations, leading to that final unexpected ending.
There are strong, interesting characters, including some I wouldn't want to meet in daylight, never mind night.
No way would I have guessed where this was leading or how it would turn out in the end.
A psychological thriller, well worth reading.
My thanks to Bloodhound books for the advanced copy. This is my honest and unbiased review of this book.
This one had me captured from beginning to end, in a well written creepy, sometimes terrifying, on the edge of seat, storyline, and plot.
There are many twists and turns and shocking revelations, leading to that final unexpected ending.
There are strong, interesting characters, including some I wouldn't want to meet in daylight, never mind night.
No way would I have guessed where this was leading or how it would turn out in the end.
A psychological thriller, well worth reading.
My thanks to Bloodhound books for the advanced copy. This is my honest and unbiased review of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was certainly dark and certainly menacing. I found it a compelling read which was quite spooky and uncomfortable, and terrifying in many parts.
I liked the dogged nature of the detective in charge of the case despite having no real leads and found the premise of the published book providing details of the crimes very intriguing. There's plenty of threads to pull here but we never know which one is the real one until the end. Even at the climax towards the end, the author leaves you unsure if things are really all tied up. That ending was a perfect way to finish.
I liked the dogged nature of the detective in charge of the case despite having no real leads and found the premise of the published book providing details of the crimes very intriguing. There's plenty of threads to pull here but we never know which one is the real one until the end. Even at the climax towards the end, the author leaves you unsure if things are really all tied up. That ending was a perfect way to finish.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A twisty tale. Anneka works for a publisher that is struggling, one day she finds a manuscript on the stairs to the office titled, ‘The Badger’ the author stated as man who has been missing for six years. The manuscript could save the firm if they can publish, especially as The Badger is a serial killer currently evading capture.
The story is told from different perspectives, the police, the publisher - Anneka and the killer.
The story is told from different perspectives, the police, the publisher - Anneka and the killer.
February 12, 2026
A deliciously dark and creepy thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first page. The eeriness of the crime scene on the opening pages sucks you right into the intrigue and it doesn't let go until the end.
I enjoyed the book's format with the story being told from multiple perspectives. The little snippets at the start of each chapter in the Badger's voice add a sinister undertone that becomes darker as the story progresses.
Psychological thiller at its absolute best.
I enjoyed the book's format with the story being told from multiple perspectives. The little snippets at the start of each chapter in the Badger's voice add a sinister undertone that becomes darker as the story progresses.
Psychological thiller at its absolute best.
February 14, 2026
The detective who won't or can't let go of the case that has plagued her for quite a few years and a writer plagued by nightmares from childhood and a manuscript that could save her company but not her sanity. This story pulls you in from the beginning, sprinkles bread crumbs that lead to a dead end, and then hits you with a twist that will make your head spin. Great characters and plot line. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Definitely a psychological thriller, as described, it is quite weird in places. I did wonder and got it right who and what the culprit is, but it can be a chilling revelation.
I did find that the book could have been a wee bit shorter, as I thought the author overdid some of it, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but on the whole, an excellent and chilling read.
I did find that the book could have been a wee bit shorter, as I thought the author overdid some of it, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but on the whole, an excellent and chilling read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was deliciously dark and right up my street. The only thing though as it felt long I had to stop reading and take a break so it wasnt my normal afternoon read. The concept was really interesting and I am now tempted to read more by this author who I havent encountered before.
January 19, 2026
Absolutely loved this read. Gritty and compelling. Intriguing and captivating. Dark and almost realistic- a brilliant story. A real page turner- perfect ending.
February 17, 2026
This book is a mystery with a mix of the supernatural mixed in. In parts it read strange as it is a translation. Overall it wasn’t a bad read with lots of twists and turns.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews