Six Days in August: The Story of Stockholm Syndrome

by David King

On the morning of August 23, 1973, a man wearing a wig, makeup, and a pair of sunglasses walked into the main branch of Sveriges Kreditbank, a prominent bank in central Stockholm. He ripped out a submachine gun, fired it into the ceiling, and shouted, "The party starts!" This was the beginning of a six-day hostage crisis—and media circus—that would mesmerize the world, drawing into its grip everyone from Sweden’s most notorious outlaw to the prime minister himself.


As policemen and reporters encircled the bank, the crime-in-progress turned into a high-stakes thriller broadcast on live television. Inside the building, meanwhile, complicated emotional relationships developed between captors and captives that would launch a remarkable new concept into the realm of psychology, hostage negotiation, and popular culture.


Based on a wealth of previously unpublished sources, including rare film footage and unprecedented access to the main participants, Six Days in August captures the surreal events in their entirety, on an almost minute-by-minute basis. It is a rich human drama that blurs the lines between loyalty and betrayal, obedience and defiance, fear and attraction—and a groundbreaking work of nonfiction that forces us to consider "Stockholm syndrome" in an entirely new light.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Audiobook, Psychology, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2020

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account of the origin of the famous syndrome, where a hostage falls for the kidnapper. Methodical and detailed, the event itself maybe doesn’t warrant as much pages as the author takes in this book
Despite everything, this is Sweden. Here hostages are not sacrificed

The day to day approach Six Days in August: The Story of Stockholm Syndrome uses, which includes descriptions of the literal sandwiches that the hostages ate, is a bit too detailed oriented for me. David King manages to paint a clear picture of Sweden at the time, and the predicament the government found itself in. This is good, since the story of the bank robbery turned into a prolonged hostage situation, is not enough to carry the book. The syndrome itself only features near the end and is more apocryphal than one would expect, reflecting in part sexism and in part an understandable attachment the hostages might have felt to a criminal called into the fray to mediate than towards the actual gunman. The political background, with incoming elections hampering a more forceful approach by the police is well investigated. Also the novelty of a media spectacle being aired live by the two competing tv channels is is well documented, if not very surprising for any modern day reader accustomed to CNN headlines and coverage. This book in a sense shares something with the 1970's Sweden it depicts: it is solid, well researched, but just not that exciting as I had hoped.

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all have heard of the "Stockholm Syndrome" and this book explains exactly what it is. Psychiatrist Nils Bejerot explains the syndrome as follows: A paradox of common interest between hostage-taker and his victims arises. This can develop from understanding to sympathy and even lead to the victim developing strong emotional ties to the hostage-taker.

In August, 1973, a man with an assault rifle entered a bank in Sweden and ordered all those present to lie down on the floor. One of the employees tripped the alarm and soon the bank was surrounded by police. Subsequently, the man releases the majority of those in the bank unharmed but kept four women as hostages. And so began a six day crisis and media circus that was televised world-wide.

The book started out well but my interest started to wane as the author began providing extraneous detail after detail and the story slowed to a crawl. It also made the police appear to be rather stupid and ineffective in their attempts to disarm the situation. But all is well that ends well and none are injured, except possibly psychologically.

The story was interesting but the narrative was very tedious. It was not my cup of tea.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Thursday August 23, 1973 -- A few minutes before ten o'clock on a warm, overcast morning, a tall, muscular man in a gray zipped sweatshirt walked into the main branch of Sveriges Kreditbank, one of the most prominent banks in central Stockholm . . . [He] ripped out a submachine gun and fired a round into the ceiling. 'THE PARTY STARTS!" he shouted in English. 'DOWN ON THE FLOOR!'" -- page 1

The robbery attempt / hostage situation in Sweden's capital city during the final days of August 1973 is one of those (non-homicide related) landmark true crime cases that is now best remembered for belatedly introducing the phrase Stockholm Syndrome into polite conversation. Originally initiated by a lone low-level career criminal, the government made a controversial move by allowing one of his associates - a more charismatic and experienced career criminal - to be freed from prison and inserted into the situation ostensibly as a negotiator . . . by being permitted to enter into the bank where four young employees were now being held at gunpoint (!). Said suspects and hostages then begin to develop a somewhat and unusually amicable relationship over the course of several days as they soon took refuge in one of the large vaults. Stockholm Police officials, meanwhile, experienced a number of complications in handling the incident since they did not have a tactical response team as such violent or complicated scenarios were practically non-existent in their peaceful nation.

In a time when true crime books are ubiquitous, author King does a exemplary job in presenting a mostly unbiased account of the personalities involved, the intermittent burst of dramatic moments, and some of the misunderstandings about what did or did not occur. Notably, this is apparently the first time ever that the two suspects agreed to be interviewed - though separately - for the same book. However, it occasionally veered close to presenting the duo as some sort of sympathetic folk heroes or charming rogues, and that aspect immediately got tiresome and unbelievable with a few of the revealed details. (You know, modern-day 'Robin Hoods' these guys were / are not.) Still, I like a good tome that can recount a notable non-fiction event in gripping and suspenseful ways.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decision: DNF @25%

Detailed, day by day, step-by-step, description of the bank robbery and hostage taking, that took place in Stockholm, Sweden, in August, 1973.
Although it fully describes and supports the theory of "Stockholm Syndrome" the excruciating detail, is unnecessary unless you're a student studying the case for a grade or credit.
If you enjoy detail, this book is for you. Cheers!

[Naomi's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so interesting to learn about the origin of the phrase “Stockholm Syndrome”! I enjoyed the chronological and balanced structure of events. This book starts off with the Morning one of the six day bank heist and it follows all the players (police, hostages, criminals, press) as the story progresses. It was not a long book but it didn’t leave out important events and nothing felt wasted. This was a great True Crime to read!

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Erin Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! An exciting and nailbiting account of this historic moment! David King is an absolutely wonderful writer!

[Wulfwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of Stockholm Syndrome with Patty Hearst and her kidnapping. I have since heard it, recently, being applied to women who stay in domestic violence relationships. I never knew how or why the term came about though. When I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. I was afraid, though, that it might be boring. I’m happy to say I wasn’t bored at all. David King wrote an extensive and intelligible story. I read some every day, taking time to think over what I was reading. He took us inside the bank with Janne, Clark and the hostages and also outside it with the police, politicians and reporters. Mr King also followed up on the hostages, Janne and Clark, which was fascinating. It was interesting to read how the hostages, especially Kristin, acted and felt after being released. I must say I was surprised that Clark was brought in to aid the police. I can’t imagine that happening now. It was a very riveting part of the story for me. I imagine that coming in after the hostages had been taken, with police permission, the hostages must of seen him as a rescuer from the start. I think, perhaps, this is why it was easy to form an attachment to him. It may be why, when he showed them he was with Janne, they changed their view of the bank robber. Maybe it opened the door to them seeing Janne as someone who just wanted the best outcome for them. It was certainly a distorted view as Janne took them hostage and threatened them repeatedly with death. This is only a glimpse into all I am thinking over after reading Six Days in August. I would love to see this book in a book club as there is much to discuss in it.
From reading this book I have learned a lot about Stockholm Syndrome and I have been given a lot to think about. I would recommend it to readers who are interested in true crime and psychology. I was given an advanced reader electronic copy of the book, through NetGalley, for review consideration. I voluntarily reviewed this book. My review is based on my experience with reading the book and how I felt afterwards.

[Caroline Greaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book you should read if you are looking for a fast-paced, embellished retelling of the incident that came to define "Stockholm Syndrome." While the book lags at times due to the sheer amount of detail King provides on the bank robbery and police/media responses to it, I was impressed by King's meticulous research and the familiarity he demonstrates with all of the people involved in the incident. I had known very little about the politics and culture of Sweden prior to reading this book—particularly the Swedish prison system—and I certainly valued the strong historical and political basis King provides. King's retelling of the hostage-taking interested me, but I was actually most struck by his details on the obsessive media coverage of the event, from the journalists packing into restaurants around the bank to the airtime taken away from the ailing King of Sweden. I agree with some other reviewers that this book may be better suited to students doing academic research, but people interested in history and criminal psychology might also find it fascinating.

[Audrey Ashbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six Days In August by David King is a nonfiction account of the hostage situation that occurred from August 23 to August 28, 1973, that began when Janne Olsson robbed Kreditbanken, a prominent bank in Stockholm, Sweden. The police would soon bring convicted criminal Clark Olafsson from prison to the bank under the demands of Janne; the two would then remain with four hostages for six days in an insane siege. 

I watched the limited Netflix series Clark back in 2023, where Bill Skarsgård plays Clark Olafsson, and found it to be fascinating. When I saw this book at my local library, I immediately picked it up. This was a fascinating read! What happened is truly stranger than fiction. King provides an intense play-by-play of the siege of Kreditbanken, and it really is unbelievable. I cannot believe they brought Clark to the bank! And I understand how/why "Stockholm Syndrome" exists as a term now; the police took insane, dangerous risks to the lives of the hostages, and it ended up paying off, but I'm shocked that none of them were seriously hurt or killed. 

I definitely recommend this book.

[LicReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

CLARK OLOFSSON!!!!!!!!!
I read this book to learn more about ABBA-era conman, Clark Olofsson.
This book did not disappoint.
The interviews were fantastic and the storytelling of the entire “Stockholm Syndrome” event was superb!
I have reread this and I will reread this again in the future. It is an entertaining piece of history!

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This about a siege in a bank in Stockholm leading to a definition of Stockholm syndrome

[Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the narration and the story itself is very gripping. I really wanna read more about this case.

[Conan McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good true crime book about the origin of the term "Stockholm Syndrome." Mostly a crime caper that is involving, compelling, and suspenseful. The last part of the book is interesting, about what "Stockholm Syndrome" is, and the debate over whether it's a real thing (not everyone thinks it is), and an epilogue about what happened to the people involved in the case.

[Andi]

I'd like to thank Edelweiss and W.W. Norton for allowing me a chance to read this book.

Yikes.

This book is a very interesting topic but the writing, oh god, the writing was just poor. I couldn't get into it and it bothered me on how everything seemed to flow when it came to this story.

I couldn't even finish it.

Perhaps if someone else had a better take on the overall incident then I'd be down for reading it.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A fascinating story told well, but it felt fairly generic as far as narrative nonfiction goes.

Although you've probably heard the term Stockholm syndrome, you may not know the story of the bank robbery turned hostage situation that gave this idea its name. The crisis began when a man "walked into...Sveriges Kreditbank, ... ripped out a submachine gun, fired it into the ceiling, and shouted, "The party starts!" (source). From that point forward, Swedish society and the press were captivated by the unfolding drama. Even the upcoming election for prime minister was almost forgotten, except as it depended on the outcome of the standoff.

This book started out a bit slow, but I thought the payoff was worth it. Little details, like the weather and what everyone was wearing, served as a constant reminder that this was a true story. They also made it easy to picture exactly what was happening. Just the right amount of background was provided for each of the hostages who played the largest role in the story. It helped me remember who was who and made me feel more involved in what was happening to them. The story itself provided great material for narrative nonfiction. Even though I already knew how this story ended, there were some tense moments getting there!

The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it felt like somewhat generic narrative nonfiction to me. The writing was good, but plain and unremarkable. The author noted the interest of the press and the country in this story, but didn't make a whole lot of novel observations about human behavior. I enjoyed this a lot and highly recommend it if you're a fan of this type of story. It delivers exactly what I expected based on the description. It just didn't feel particularly special or unique within this genre.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an account of the happenings in Norrmalmstorg bank robbery that eventually became the inspiration for the phrase "Stockholm Syndrome." I say "phrase" because the book reveals that Stockholm Syndrome, as we know it today, is not exactly what came of that event, nor is it recognized as a psychological disorder in the DSM. As it's revealed in the book, the victims of the bank robbery did not fall in love with the robber, nor did they really sympathize with him. What they felt was that they were safer with the robber, who treated them with kindness despite holding them hostage, than with the police, who consistently made them feel unsafe and unvalued. Further, it wasn't until many years after the event that a New York police officer coined the phrase "Stockholm Syndrome" and defined the phrase such that it changed how people understood the historical events.

The book highlights how the police seemed to do more harm than good with the situation and went to unnecessary extremes, endangering the hostages, in their attempts to capture Olsson. It describes how Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme used the situation to bolster his political standing. It also demonstrates how the media was a true circus, aggravating the situation by making wild speculations and assumptions.

A fascinating and eye-opening read.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in depth look at the hostage situation in Sweden in the early 70's, that for good, or bad, led to the term and the concept of Stockholm Syndrome. Part thriller; part Swedish social history; part comment on the power/menace of the media; part psychological treatise; this exceptionally researched book will grip you from beginning to end. The absolutely amazing accomplishment of this book, is that the reader gets a little taste of what the hostages may have felt during their six days of captivity, in that the reader does find themselves sympathizing with the captors and can understand why the hostages acted the way they did. I admit that with the caveat that this reader never forgot that the hostages would never have been in that situation in the first place if Janne hadn't taken them hostage in the first place. But because of this strange dichotomy of thoughts, I could easily see why the hostages could seem to have been sympathetic to their captors. David King does an amazing job at presenting all sides of the story, without judgement, which is no small task. A fascinating read!

[Ebb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative and fascinating read. I didn't know much about the hostage crisis at the Kreditbanken in Normalmstorg that inspired the term "Stockholm Syndrome," but this book gives us a very good look at both the criminals and the hostages that were involved in the crisis, as well as what happened afterwards. It's a fascinating situation and it has led to the study of power dynamics between criminals and hostages in high stress situations. Highly recommended for any true crime fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenny Redlin (BlameJennyJane) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting snapshot of the origin of “Stockholm Syndrome” and the complexities of those relationships built between two would-be bank robbers and their captives during a few crazy days at a bank in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. From a psychological perspective this account of events was fascinating. The story was engaging and well told. It read like a true crime docuseries, unfolding, gripping and suspenseful enough to keep the reader coming back for more!

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly compelling story written with a Hemingway like simplicity.

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very dry. I was impressed that the author spent three years researching this event full-time, but the result was not spectacular.

Four hostages, and one full fledged bank robber, and one prison releasee brought in by the government on order of the robber, spent 6 days in a bank vault until the authorities raided it, and they all got out physically unscathed.

It had short chapters, which helped me keep reading through the siege chapters where not a whole lot happens. I thought there might be some deep psychological reasoning behind the “Stockholm Syndrome” that hadn’t occurred to me, but really no. It was utterly apparent why the hostages bonded with the robbers. The cops basically tortured them. Withholding food and drink, keeping them in a dark cold space, which necessitated them using a bucket as a toilet, and drilling into the ceiling relentlessly which caused water to pool on the floor of the vault. They knew that when the authorities inevitably made their move, they were most in danger of being killed by the cops.

The criminals treated their hostages decently. Didn’t abuse them sexually or physically or torment them verbally. They got a chance to get to know each other very well over that period of six days and a bond developed.

As I read, I couldn’t help but think of the Branch Davidian stand-off and its horrific outcome compared to what happened here. There the tactical egomaniacs had to flex their muscle and in doing so got a bunch of people burned alive. It also motivated Timothy McVeigh to retaliate and commit the Oklahoma City Bombing.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think it’s bold to say that almost everyone knows generally what Stockholm Syndrome is. I don’t think it’s bold to say that very few people know the crime which gave rise to the term.

In an effort to not have to spellcheck every single word (seriously, Sweden, what’s with all the consonants?), I am just going to say this all happened in Stockholm at a bank.

The entire episode was wild. It was a single robber who took over an entire bank and the cops showed up right away. The gunman ultimately let go of a lot of the hostages. He also got the Swedish government to release a friend of his from prison to come hang out with him. Yes, you read that right.

The entire hostage situation would last sex days, in case the title of the book didn’t give it away. I seem to remember thinking it was all much more nefarious and deadly. Nope, no one died. In fact, mostly people were very nice to each other.

King writes a short book that captures everything you need to know. I really liked it because many authors would double the page count with unnecessary facts and conjecture. King gives you what you need and nothing more (in a good way!).

[Krissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fine. The extraneous detail dragged me through it, making me skip and scan chapters rather than read with deliberate attention.

I can appreciate the amount of research the author did but I think he needed to assess what research was relevant vs what was he putting in just to prove to his readers that he did research.

Sometimes you have to let details go, despite the time it took to find the information, in order to let the story flow more effectively.

On a side note, I don't think this incident actually shows Stockholm syndrome in the way most people talk about it, which is...ironic?

The empathy the hostages felt for their captor seemed to be more about the police creating a line of "us and them" and pushed the hostages onto the "them" side when they basically psychologically harmed them with their ineffective tactics, including gassing both captor and hostages.

All in all, the book is what it is, but I think I would have been better off reading an article about the incident in Stockholm.

[Sarah Bodaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew the psychiatric description of Stockholm Syndrome, where a person who has been held in captivity develops an unreasonable attachment to their captor, but I did not know the story behind the moniker. This was a fascinating, albeit at times a bit drawn-out narrative about the week that defined this term. In 1973, a disguised man walked into a large Stockholm bank, with the intent of robbing it and using hostages as his getaway. It would be six days, several gunshot injuries, bungles by the police that almost killed the hostages, and an extra criminal the police added into the mix before anyone walked back outside. And once it was over – the hostages felt pity and connection to the man who had held them against their will. The public was dumbfounded. The courts were confused. The police were none too happy…
Sometimes I wished the pace would speed up a bit and skip some of the smaller details, but overall, a really interesting book that encompasses the whole story from every character’s perspective. A bit of history I really didn’t know anything about.

[Elizabeth Lanaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review: Six Days in August by David King

Rating: 💶💶💶💶💶
Genre: Non-fiction
Publishing Date: 8/4/20

Review: What an interesting read! I didn’t know a lot about Stockholm Syndrome, and this really went into where it was created and why. I didn’t realize that it was only in the 1970s. I thought it had come about long before that. It was interesting to learn about the huge bank heist in August of 1973 that lasted 6 days. I liked that King was able to get quotes from not only the hostages, but also the criminals. Just very interesting and would definitely recommend!!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookshelves #bookstack #reader #readmorebooks #reading #booktok #currentlyreading #booknook #booksofinstagram #bookworm #goodreads #author #library #readersofinstagram #booksta #booksofig #igreads #lizslibrary0915 #girlswhoread #ilovebooks #libby #audiobooks #sixdaysinaugust #davidking

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extensively researched, this book not only details the event for which "Stockholm syndrome" is named but also gives a good look at how long the media has been feeding viewers' hunger for sensationalism. "Breaking News! No new developments!" I also like that the author doesn't seem to have an opinion on the psychological/scientific validity of a natural defense mechanism to keep oneself alive during a traumatic event. Rather, he gives facts, figures, and expert "opinions" that allow the reader to draw their own conclusion. I especially liked the feminist perspective that perhaps this "syndrome" is gender-biased in that it is most often applied to "weak-willed women in relationship with strong men", suggesting that women should be grateful to the LEOs that rescue them, and perhaps even providing misdirection away from failed negotiating tactics. Naturally, the term was coined by a man.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This look at the incident that inspired the term "Stockholm Syndrome," a 1973 bank robbery in Sweden, is well-researched and exceptionally thorough. If you're interested in the true story of what happened that day, King capably delivers, adding new insight based on interviews with several key players and reams of archival information. If the six days drag on a bit, that's not his fault -- a nearly week-long hostage situation is by definition a frustratingly tedious exercise.

Ultimately, the characters come alive, and their story's after-life is as interesting as the six days they spent together. A good read for anyone interested in psychology or even the criminal justice system (King doesn't linger on the many, many ways Sweden's criminal justice system is different than the U.S.'s, but an American reader will surely be struck by them).

[Janecope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have vague memories of this event from the 70s, where the term Stockholm Syndrome originated. After reading Toobin's American Heiress, King's work sheds light on the seemingly strange behavior of Patty Hearst.

As an American, it can be difficult following and understanding how events occur, habits, and protocols of other nations. Yes, we can all be Ugly Americans. But King does a marvelous job of explaining the background and the details leading up to those strange days in August 1973. He takes us through, hour by hour, day by day of the hostage taking and the decisions made by police, government officials, hostages and hostage taker(s). I wish more information about the hostages in the present day was included. But that's just me.

Definitely a good read for true crime fans.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook format.
I’ve seen reviews whereby readers have complained that the account of the bank robbery and hostage situation was told in too much detail. These readers got bored with that. I did not. There was a lot to it - from the actions and decisions by the police, government, perpetrators, media and the hostages.
The aftermath was interesting too, as was the whole Stockholm Syndrome theory. As I listened to that section of the book, my mind bounced back and forth over the question of what is actually was, or even if it was. It’s certainly has been over simplified and paradoxically enough, this incident might not even qualify as a good example of it, despite it the term being coined in relation to it.

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1973 hostages are taken in a bank in Sweden and over the next six days four of the hostages, the initial hostage taker and then convicted criminal from prison form a bond that will one day form the basis for Stockholm syndrome.

If you are interested in true crime, the psychology of captivity or police negotiations this will be a fascinating tale for you. There is plenty of poor thinking, bad assumptions and drama to keep your attention. It read like a good novel but a true story.

It is the story of hostages even long after their release blaming the police for their suffering. There is manipulation, fear and the unexpected along the way.