This is the second book featuring Leonore Asker and Martin Hill. Leo receives a call from her father, whom she hasn't heard from in fifteen years asking for her help. A long dead body has been found on his farm and he is the prime suspect. Of course he is innocent. While she starts on that track, Martin has been asked to come to a secluded estate to work on writing a book on the Irving family. There have been rumors for years that their inventions came from a UFO contact. Martin jumps at the chance, but not everything works out as he had hoped.

Leo and Martin end up tied together in a manner with each of their cases. The storyline with both was very creative and suspenseful. Maybe a little spooky at times, but that seems to be a hallmark of this series. Detective Leo is the leader of the unit of Lost Souls so she has to be very careful to not tred on the toes of her nemesis who is the one who got her kicked out of the Serious Crimes unit to this basement group.

I really enjoyed this book. A big shout out and thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for this arc.

Suspenseful, intriguing and propulsive, The Glass Man hooks you early and keeps you riveted until the very end. Anders de la Motte delivers another well-written, multi-perspective mystery with tremendous characters and a compelling plot that urges you to race to the finish to learn the truth.

Detective Leo Asker is a brilliant and dedicated cop whose been exiled to lead the Department of Lost Souls by a bitter rival. Out of the blue, she hears from Prepper Per, her father, who needs her help figuring out how a dead body has turned up by his farm/doomsday compound. Despite her very complicated relationship with Per, Leo feels compelled to help to ensure the right person is brought to justice. Meanwhile, Associate Professor Martin Hill has traveled to Astroholm, the estate of famous business leader Gunnar Irving, commissioned to write a biography about Gunnar, his inventions and his company. But Martin quickly suspects something dark is being hidden behind the shiny facade. As Leo and Martin dig deeper to find answers to their individual questions, they’ll find there’s much more at play and that danger is lurking in the shadows.

As the second installment in this series, The Glass Man does a wonderful job of developing Leo, Martin and the supporting characters around them. Diving deeper into Leo’s past and her strained relationship with her parents takes center stage, showing how resilient and strong she is while also providing insight into how she developed her keen skills of observation, preparation and tenacity that make her such a good detective. And her investigation, rife with hard feelings, office politics, and personal potholes, is the perfect avenue for exploring who she is as a person and what she’s capable of.

It's also the interplay between Leo and Martin that adds depth and emotion to the novel. They clearly care for each other and lean on one another for support and help in their individual pursuits, yet they are restrained and careful about being vulnerable in front of each other. So, while they have mutual respect and a personal connection, there is also some tension and reservations that seem to be holding them back just a bit. Which adds an undercurrent of “will they/won’t they” storyline to an already suspenseful tale.

Blending law enforcement investigations, academia, business pursuits, scientific advancements, urban exploration, survivalists and family drama into one thrilling novel, The Glass Man provides hours of gripping entertainment that’s sure to be as thought provoking as it is anxiety inducing.

I didn't know this was a series, so I thought I would be lost, but I wasn't at all. I liked the multiple points of view it kept the story interesting. The characters were strong and the detail of his writing is amazing. It was suspenseful and kept me hooked the entire time. I will be reading the first one and will keep up with this series.

I had read a trilogy from this author, Game, Buzz and Bubble, and I really enjoyed them, so when I saw this I was very happy to get it. Though this is the second in a series, since I read it without reading the first, I think you could as well, though I am going to circle back and read the first as well. Lenore (Leo) Asker is a detective in Sweden, about to be tapped for a leadership position, it is taken from her and she is instead assigned to the Department of Lost Souls (if you are familiar with the Department Q novels, similar theme, they investigate cold cases), she gets a call from her father, someone who is considered a 'prepper', he is prepping for when civilization ends, he lives in a fortified bunker, and is very reclusive. Per Prepper, as Leo calls him, wants her help, a body has been found not far from his compound and he knows the cops want to arrest him. Leo is reluctant to get involved but does, in an unusual fashion. She also hears from her friend Martin Hill, who has been offered to author a book about a reclusive family that are infamous for the father who claimed to have been contacted by an alien, he eventually became known as space case Gunner. Martin agrees to spend time in the family complex which covers several acres and has many properties, including a mine that used to supply material for building the complex. There is a lot going on in this book, told through multiple perspectives, but I had no problem following the story, and all the threads come together very nicely in the end. I look forward to the next installment. I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria/Emily Bestler for the ARC.

This is the second story in the Lenore Asker series and it delivers the high expectations from the outstanding first book.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Present day, Sweden
Characters: Leonore (Leo) Asker, a tough, intrepid Criminal Inspector who has been relegated to the Department of Lost Souls, her enigmatic and devious father Prepper Per, her more-than-a-friend Martin Hill, her rival and vengeful boss Jonas Hellman, and her group of forgotten but talented detectives who have much to prove.
Overview: Working independently and against the chief of her former division with whom she has been previously involved, Leo tries desperately to prevent Hellman’s police force from attacking and arresting her father for the murder of a body found near his property. In parallel, Martin is invited to chronicle the history of a family’s high-tech corporation with mysterious origins and becomes dangerously involved with urban exploration, a strange island on a lake, possible UFOs, and life-extending science. How the plots converge is both highly anticipated and chillingly presented.
Recommendation: I rate this book 5 stars
Extras: The story is told from multiple perspectives that reveal Leo’s relentless drive and the roles of an excellent supporting cast. There are some surprising and some not-so-surprising twists that make the story interesting and delightful. As anticipated, this is an excellent series, continuing to reveal Asker’s duplicitous relationship with her father, the devious Hellman, and the progression of her department’s staff.
Thanx to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

Into the Gloaming of Nordic Noir

In the hinterlands of Southern Sweden mysterious disappearances of urban explorers, those who visit abandoned industrial sites, and others seem to pass unnoticed until a body is recovered from the chilly shores of Miresjon Lake.

Mystery surrounds this body of water and its isolated Boulder Isle with an abandoned observatory perched over a mining facility founded by since departed Bernard Irving. His son, “Space-Case” Gunnar Irving, claims his founding of the successful AlpaCent Industries with cutting edge medical technology and cryotherapy came to him after a UFO encounter on the island.

Parallel to these developments, Lenore “Leo” Asker and her “off-kilter colleagues at the Department of Lost Souls” (Virgilsson, Rosen, Zafer and Attila) are drawn into a reluctant effort to prove the innocence of her father, Per Asker, an off-the-grid survivalist, of a 16-year-old murder just turned up near his Farm compound.

Meanwhile, Martin Hill, friend and companion to Leo, has been retained to write a vanity history of the Irving family and brought to Astroholm, their family compound with buildings named after constellations, to review their library of materials and interview now 80-year-old Gunnar and other curious members of the extended family.

What could go wrong? Will these parallel paths meet at some near vanishing point?

Once again, Anders de la Motte’s imagination and trim writing style brings us into his world of Nordic thrillers with “The Glass Man”, published originally 2023 in Sweden and to be released 2025 in the United States - sequel to his dazzling 2022 “The Mountain King”.

As with the author’s first work, the back stories, mingled with present events related primarily by Leo and Martin in alternating chapters, builds to a fast-paced, hard-to-put-down chase and revelation.

And that engaging “What if…” twilight between myth and reality.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Department of Lost Souls is back in The Glass Man which shines like a polished diamond.

Anders de la Motte follows up the stellar series debut of The Mountain King is followed up with an equally brilliant 2nd book.

This sequel blends two captivating storylines tales as the book races to its satisfying conclusion.

The Glass Man is populated with characters we know well from the first installment of the series. Additional insights into Leo's backstory add another layer to this story.

The Glass Man by Anders de la Motte is the second installment in the Asker series and a gripping Nordic Noir crime novel. After finishing The Mountain King, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and it definitely didn’t disappoint. This narrative weaves together two compelling storylines, and de la Motte does a impressive job of tying them together as the book races toward a satisfying conclusion. There’s a lot going on, but everything clicks into place, like a giant puzzle coming together. The atmosphere is eerie and dark, with a heavy sense of melancholy, perfectly matched by the haunting rural Swedish forest setting.

Main character Leo Asker is just starting to settle into her new role as head of The Department of Lost Souls when she gets an unexpected call from her estranged father asking for help when he thinks he's going to be arrested for murder. At the same time, her childhood friend, Martin Hill, a well-known author and professor, is hired to write a book about local business leader Gunner Irving, locally known as Space-Case Gunner. What follows is an intricate, addictive story told from multiple perspectives. De la Motte’s writing is incredibly immersive and I was hooked right away, completely drawn into the web of suspense. The level of detail was so vivid it felt like I was right there in the middle of it all.

De la Motte does a fantastic job crafting his characters. Asker is strong, independent, and determined, but her past is riddled with emotional scars that shape her actions and decisions. Her character development feels organic and I'm pleased that she avoids the overused trope of the troubled, alcoholic investigator that pops up so often in Nordic Noir. Hill is a charming and likable character, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. A well-known author and professor with a keen intellect, he is also an expert in urban exploration, which adds a unique edge to his character. But what really stood out to me was The Department of Lost Souls. Despite their rough edges and unconventional backgrounds, this ragtag team is beginning to reveal the depth of their talents and potential. I can't wait to see how the characters evolve in the series.

The chapters flow effortlessly between multiple perspectives, with de la Motte skillfully weaving in Asker’s past through her reclusive, doomsday-prepper father, while also following Hill’s deep dive into the Astroholm property. At times, it felt like the narrative was drifting off in unrelated directions and I wondered how certain story arcs connected to the main plot. But trust me, de la Motte has a real gift for pulling all the threads together. Every detail has a purpose, and by the end, it all clicks into place. His books go beyond just solving a crime. They dig into the emotional and psychological wounds of his characters, making the story all the more fascinating.

The Glass Man was a thoroughly entertaining crime fiction puzzle. With its straight forward prose, melancholic tone, and slow-burning, intricate plot, this is a shining example of Nordic Noir crime fiction!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Anders de la Motte for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is exactly the kind of thriller I adore! I love, love, love our detective. She isn't your typical alcoholic/unhinged detective that is overused in Nordic noirs. She is awesome and is easy to fall in love with. The story itself has me gasping for breath several times. This was a solid experience. 5 out of 5 stars. Full review to come soon.

All I can start with is...WOW! The description I read for this upcoming novel stated "hooked from the very first page!" and it couldn't have been more on point. I had not read The Mountain King so this was my first foray into the lives of Leonore Asker and Martin Hill. I didn't feel any sort of disconnect from the previous story and thought reading this as a stand alone novel was adequate. What a story! Set in the forests and hills of rural Sweden I thought this was the perfect environment for a mysterious property surrounded by darkness and possible extraterrestrial lore. I enjoyed how each chapter was from the point of view of different characters and how it jumped around to build the suspense which led to it's page-turner status. Martin, having previously written about the myths surrounding the Astroholm property, is thrown into the fire and commissioned to write a story of the Irving family and it's future endeavors. But what happens when his fan-boy conscious is tempting him to dig even deeper into the past legends surrounding the Irving family? You'll be intrigued to find out!
Throughout most of the book it seemed like there were two story lines. Leo's past coming to light through her hermit/doomsday father and also Martin's foray into the Astroholm property. I had a hard time figuring out how they would intertwine but was pleasantly surprised at how the author blended everything together.
This is a must read for any horror/mystery/thriller reader as you will inevitably be "hooked from the very first page!"

The Department of Lost Souls is back in The Glass Man which shines from start to finish. Anders de la Motte proves the series debut was no fluke as Le0 Asker cements her place among the most memorable genre creations of this century. This sequel is really two enthralling tales which de la Motte deftly ties together as the book races to a satisfying conclusion. Thankfully, The Glass Man is populated with characters we know well from the first installment of the series. The additional glimpses into Leo's backstory make her even more interesting. I hope it proves to be a long running series because these books have been so much fun. I especially enjoyed The X Files vibe one of the storylines had. Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Please don’t let the language throw you off. I assure you that I did read this book in English.

The second in a Scandinavian series I have liked from the very first one is just as intriguing and spooky as the first. Both protagonists are pulled into their shared paths although through different dynamics. Even though there seems to be no comparison between the two investigations the author skillfully joins the two to a dramatic and, shall I say, hair raising conclusion.

Bring on a third!