A terrific globe-trotting page-turner, rich with complex conflicts and a big, meaty, chillingly credible conspiracy. (Chris Pavone, author of The Expats and The Accident)An interesting gambit.... [Zander is] a smart, fluid observer. (New York Times Book )Effortlessly structured and perfectly paced, The Swimmer is a globetrotting page-turner whose vibrant cast of characters vividly brings to life the harrowing complexities of our modern political landscape. (Kimberly McCreight, author of Reconstructing Amelia)An international thriller with the pace and intensity of a Jason Bourne adventure. Skillfully moving between the past and the present, from Sweden to Syria to Washington and back again, Zander weaves an increasingly tight web of intrigue and suspense. A compulsively readable page-turner with unexpected heart. (Kirkus)How can The Swimmer be a first novel? It is dazzling not only in its plotting and character portraits, but in the sophistication of its structure, which keeps us breathless and guessing. An impressive and memorable work, comparable to the best of John le Carr. (Joseph Finder, author of Suspicion)Truly polished and compelling. Tension and action abound. But it is the depth of Zanders characters and the quality of the writing, which at times touches elegance, that make The Swimmer a winner. Zander looks to be a very talented new branch on the flourishing tree of Scandinavian crime fiction. (Booklist, starred review)Page-turning.This Swedish former lawyers hypnotic first book is already drawing comparisons to the work of famed spy novelist John le Carr. (Entertainment Weekly)The Swimmer is hypnotic and intoxicating, pulling us relentlessly across the globe from page to page, intrigue to intrigue. (Olen Steinhauer, author of The Cairo Affair)Swedish author Zanders entertaining first novel owes more to Forsythe and Ludlum than to Larsson and Mankell. Given Zanders literate, descriptive style, its easy to see why this thriller has been a bestseller in Europe. (Publishers Weekly)Praise from Sweden: Impressive . . . a fast-paced thriller written in an international style. Joakim Zander has a good story to tell, a story that touches on both moral questions as well as guilt and atonement, culpability and revenge. (Bors Tidning)The Swimmer is well written and incredibly thrilling, but its strength also lies in a carefully rendered cast of characters and an ability to avoid the predictability of the genre. (Sknska Dagbladet)Zander drives up the tension with the help of short, sparing sentences. There is an agenda here: to scrutinize the methods and effects of the so-called battle of good against evil. (Norrkpings Tidningar )What could easily have become a forced clich is brought to life by debut novelist Joakim Zanders rich language and spot-on dramaturgy...In the midst of the breathless action, Zander also succeeds in writing flesh-and-blood characters that feel believable. (Dalarnas Tidning)A fluidly written, thrilling, and worthwhile read. (Folkbladet)Praise from Denmark: Urban, cosmopolitan environments are ideal for political thrillers, which Joakim Zander demonstrates with flying colors in The Swimmera story of war, love, and shifting political agendas. (Jyllands-Posten)Joakim Zander delivers a very compelling and intense thriller, and this fine debut makes me think of the highly acclaimed and award-winning American suspense series Homeland, which employs some of the same themes. His ability to suddenly rotate the plot 180 degrees is nothing short of brilliant. (Litteratursiden.dk)Praise from Italy: A full immersion into the classic spy story, masterfully written, in which [Zander] pulls the strings of the characters a like a skilled puppeteer. (La Repubblica )This novel has all the ingredients to fascinate the global reader...The skillfully intertwined network of characters creates an explosive, thrilling dance in which the accuracy of the details and a language completely free from clich suggests that debut author Joakim Zander knows perfectly what he is writing about. (Il Gazzettino)A mix of adrenaline and suprises that, once again, reinvents the ever-fertile genre of thrillers stemming from Northern Europe. (Giornale di Brescia)Thrilling. (Il Gazzettino)Dazzling debut. (Metro)From the Back CoverOn a remote Swedish island, a little girl, Klara, grows up without a father. Now, thirty years later, she discovers a secretone for which powerful men will kill to keep undisclosed.On the other side of the world, an old spy hides from his past. He used to be the best agent in the field. These days the only thing he lives for is swimming in the local pool.When Klara is thrown into a terrifying chase across Europe, only the Swimmer can save her. But time is running out. . . .Utterly mesmerizing and harrowing, The Swimmer is a riveting read right up to its stunning conclusion.A deep-cover CIA agent races across Europe to save the daughter he never knew in this electrifying, hypnotic debut thriller (Entertainment Weekly).About the AuthorJoakim Zander was born in Stockholm, has lived in Syria and Israel, and graduated from high school in the United States. He earned a PhD in law from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and has worked as a lawyer for the European Union in Brussels and Helsinki. Rights to his debut novelThe Swimmerwere sold in twenty-eight countries. Zander lives and works in southern Sweden with his family. what are some cool gadgets The Swimmer: A Novel
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful. Keep reading; it gets betterBy M. EmrichThis is a book review, not a summary, so I won't simply regurgitate a quick sketch of the entire book. It took me awhile to get into this novel; the characters seemed so disconnected and the book kept bouncing back and forth between the early 80s and the present day. Also, switching between the first-person voice in some chapters, and the third-person voice in others was a little off-putting. Following the Mamoush character was like driving along a winding mountain road, thinking it might lead somewhere exciting, only to find out you'd taken a wrong turn and the road just peters out into a dead end. However, once I got about 60% through the novel, things started to pick up and all the loose threads began to form a cohesive whole (again, except for the Mamoush character). I wish more time had been devoted to the George Loow character. In fact, it would've been better if the Mamoush character hadn't existed at all, and the Loow character had been given all of Mamoush's history (as well as his own); that would have really tightened up the story arc. Another throwaway character was Cyril; he could've been better developed or left out entirely. Still, all in all, it was a story that kept me reading until the end. I'd like to read more from this author.52 of 53 people found the following review helpful. Swimming in the Cold MudBy Ken C.There was another novel in my hand, The Girl on the Train, and I was at about page 60- totally bored. I came to check the reviews, and it is so popular, I thought I should keep reading it. But, in the meantime, I had The Swimmer waiting and picked it up. I forgot all about the girl and her train. This novel just grabbed and held my attention, and I finished it in less than 24 hours. I really liked it, and it's a first novel too. Could I pick at it? Well, always. It's a little too cryptic at times, the constant bouncing between time frames and characters is not a device I like. But enough! The novel is quite exciting, showing what happens when government outsourcing goes wrong, really wrong. I cared for the main characters and thought they were well-developed. The pace of the novel was generally spot on. The ending was heartwarming. What more can I say? Oh, the title. It definitely does not convey what you will experience in this novel!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Another European writing about what a bully the CIA isBy Kenneth C. MahieuAs I approach my sunset years, I find I am getting more and more annoyed with authors who portray the U.S. as an evil bully. LeCarre, long past his George Smiley glory days and formerly one of my favorite authors (read the stuff he wrote in the 60s and 70s), has been (pun) a prime example. And now we have Joakim Zander with his debut novel, "The Swimmer". Only he takes his monster CIA one step further; it has evolved into a creature prepared to destroy its own.Time Out ! That's an automatic one star deduct. Maximum possible score 4.0That aside, the book is quite good. The story takes a bit too long to develop, but once all the background is in place, all the characters are introduced and well positioned, things become very interesting. The McGuffin here is information, although that doesn't become quite clear until the second half of the story. The bulk of the timeline occurs over six days preceding Christmas, and the plot unfolds with growing tension in shorter and shorter chapters, told sometimes in third person, other times in first. Most of the story is set in Belgium and Sweden, and how many books have you read with the focus in those two places. This is not an action thriller ala Mission Impossible, but there is enough here to make a big movie. Women play key roles but I don't think you'll see Angelina Jolie running through a snowy forest in a Gore Tex suit when it comes to your Cineplex. The climax is very well done, not protracted, no dynamite, but just the right dash of pragmatism. This will not be a series, but I am looking forward to the next book. Hopefully, by that time Zander will be smart enough to pick a different bad guy.