Tove Alsterdal is a highly acclaimed mystery fiction novelist, best known for her "High Coast" series. She was born in Malmo, Sweden, in 1960 but spent much of her childhood in Umea, a city located 700 miles to the north. Alsterdal's parents were what she refers to as "class travelers," having moved through several social classes during her upbringing. Her mother hailed from Tornedalen, a small town near the Swedish/Finnish border, which was a gateway between the West and the East.
Alsterdal has had a successful career as a journalist, having worked in the field for over 20 years before publishing her debut novel. She is a prolific writer, having written six critically acclaimed suspense novels, and is known for her unique storytelling and character development. Alsterdal's second novel, "Buried in Silence," was shortlisted for the Best Crime Novel of the Year Award in 2012. She won the award in 2014 for "The Disappeared" and has since published several bestselling novels, including "Do Not Turn Around" and "Erasure."
In the fall of 2020, Alsterdal launched a classic procedural crime series featuring investigator Eira Sjödin, set in the stunning High Coast region in northeast Sweden. The first book in the series, "We Know You Remember," was published in October 2020 and quickly became a bestseller. In August of 2021, Alsterdal won the prestigious Glass Key Award – the award for Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year – for "We Know You Remember." The second book in the High Coast Series, "You Will Never Be Found," was published in the fall of 2021.
Alsterdal's writing is characterized by its rare lyricism and nuanced character portrayals, making her a standout in the genre. She uses her characters' personal experiences to shed light on larger social and historical issues. Before becoming a full-time writer, Alsterdal worked as an attendant at the psychiatric hospital in Beckomberga and as a journalist and playwright for over twenty years. She grew up in the north of Sweden and in Jakobsberg outside of Stockholm, which has served as inspiration for her writing.