A multilaytered international thrill ride at breakneck pace, reminiscent of The Rule of Four.

STRINDBERG'S STAR by Jan Wallentin (Viking; On-Sale: May 28, 2012; ISBN: 978-0-670-02357-8; $28.95) is a knock-out, edge-of-your-seat, stay-up-all-night story unlike anything you'll read this year. An international bestseller with rights sold in 20 countries so far, it has riveted readers in Sweden, Germany, and France (where it has sold over 900,000 copies and reached #2 on the bestseller list). Wallentin has written a true cross-genre thriller that Telemoustique (Belgium) described as "a masterful novel of adventure, part 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, part Rule of Four, and [part] The Da Vinci Code...An excellent work of escape."

STRINDBERG'S STAR opens on amateur cave diver Erik Hall exploring the deep recesses of a flooded mining shaft near his home in Sweden. In a cavern seven hundred feet below sea level, he discovers a well-preserved corpse wearing an ancient ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. It doesn't take long for the press to appear on the scene and news of the strange find to spread.

When a German expert in religious symbols and Nazi history, Don Titelman, learns of the ankh he seeks out Erik only to find him dead-and immediately becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Don and his lawyer, Eva Strom, are taken to the German Embassy in Sweden for questioning only to be inexplicably imprisoned in an old wine cellar. Don and Eva manage to escape, seeking out refuge with Don's sister, Hex-a mysterious recluse who lives in an abandoned railroad deep underground. Soon a ruthless secret society is chasing Don and Eva across Europe, in search of the ankh and its secrets...and that's only the beginning. Nils Strindberg's arctic expedition, Norse mythology, ancient mysteries, and horrific Nazi secrets are all woven into this seductive, sophisticated, and thrilling adventure story. In the hands of expert translator Rachel Willson-Broyles, fans of history, fantasy, crime, suspense, and well-told fiction will all find a new favorite in Wallentin.