The Fire Witness

The Fire Witness
Lars Kepler

WAKE UP TO TRUE EVILThe third gripping thriller in Lars Kepler’s bestselling series featuring Joona Linna. Perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo.ONE GIRL IS DEADAt a home for troubled girls, a young girl has been brutally murdered during the night. Her body is found arranged in bed with her hands covering her eyes.ONE GIRL IS MISSINGVicky Bennet is the only girl unaccounted for. When a bloody hammer is discovered under her pillow, it appears that she was more than just a witness to the killing.ONE GIRL CLAIMS TO HAVE SEEN IT ALLDetective Inspector Joona Linna is called in to piece the evidence together. But the case quickly descends into darker, more violent territory, leading him finally to a shocking confrontation with the past.

THE FIRE WITNESS

LARS KEPLER

Translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith

Copyright (#uc4a340fb-1284-5d69-b3b2-ec400a7ec2ca)

This is entirely a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.

HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2013

Copyright © Lars Kepler 2011

Translation copyright © Neil Smith 2018

All rights reserved

Originally published in 2011 by Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden, as Eldvittnet

Lars Kepler asserts the moral right to

be identified as the author of this work

Cover design © Claire Ward HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

Cover photography © Svetlana Bekyarova/Arcangel Images

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books

Ebook Edition © APRIL 2018 ISBN: 9780007467761

SOURCE ISBN: 9780008241834

Version: 2018-02-21

International Praise for Lars Kepler: (#uc4a340fb-1284-5d69-b3b2-ec400a7ec2ca)

‘A terrifying and original read’Sun

‘A rollercoaster ride of a thriller full of striking twists’ Mail on Sunday

‘Sensational’ Lee Child

‘An international book written for an international audience’ Huffington Post

‘Ferocious, visceral storytelling that wraps you in a cloak of darkness. It’s stunning’ Daily Mail

‘One of the best – if not the best – Scandinavian crime thrillers I’ve read’ Sam Baker, Red

‘A creepy and compulsive crime thriller’ Mo Hayder

‘Intelligent, original and chilling’ Simon Beckett

‘Mesmerizing … a bad dream that takes hold and won’t let go’ Wall Street Journal

‘One of the most hair-raising crime novels published this year’ Sunday Times

‘Grips you round the throat until the final twist’ Woman & Home

‘A serious, disturbing, highly readable novel that is finally a meditation on evil’ Washington Post

‘A genuine chiller … deeply scarifying stuff’ Independent

‘Far above your average thriller … you’ll be terrified’ Evening Standard

‘A pulse-pounding debut that is already a native smash’ Financial Times

‘The cracking pace and absorbing story mean it cannot be missed’ Courier Mail

‘Utterly outstanding’ Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Denmark

‘Disturbing, dark and twisted’ Easy Living

‘Creepy and addictive’ She

‘Brilliant, well written and very satisfying. A superb thriller’ De Telegraaf, Netherlands

and all liars shall have their part in the lake

which burneth with fire and brimstone

Revelations 21:8

Table of Contents

Cover (#u014fe905-c169-5549-8fb0-c2f96ed70e96)

Title Page (#u8e3b57d1-e2ef-5081-9861-8c6153f1b64c)

Copyright (#u00a3c8e5-f722-50c6-8949-0dc7c33f4bc9)

International Praise for Lars Kepler (#uffa3990c-b537-526c-a6d7-edb387f5052d)

Epigraph (#u344f0fdb-a7a1-5428-acce-98c56f198747)

Chapter 1 (#ub8673531-20e4-5abd-83e5-3d668f438752)

Chapter 2 (#ub4faa6c2-e2c0-5429-8736-94dba8a03c8b)

Chapter 3 (#u7557bb5e-577a-5759-95f0-462b945a8a2a)

Chapter 4 (#uef1badcc-72c2-53b2-8fc2-5da66d6f6f3e)

Chapter 5 (#u29b414f7-acd9-59fb-b97f-9700b97099c9)